6 Unusual Jobs for Business Administration Graduates

You may be under the impression that any business administration job you get after graduation will be a corporate 9-to-5 job that has to do with numbers. That’s a misconception. Career options in business administration are endless. Getting the proper education is the first step. Once you have your associate degree, it can take you down a path with myriad possibilities.

Here are six jobs you can qualify for with an associate degree in business administration:

Retail manager

You’ll be in charge of the stores sales team and will set performance goals, develop employee training programs, analyze sales numbers, oversee budgets and help with marketing efforts. You’ll also likely be the person customers come to with complaints, and you’ll mediate issues among employees.

Restaurant or food services manager

If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you know that it can be a frantic place. The restaurant manager has to be a Jack or Jill of all trades, managing the day-to-day business operations and handling customer service responsibilities.

Property or community association manager

In this role, you’ll monitor a residential, commercial or industrial property and make sure that it is maintained properly and keeps its resale or leasing value up. Most likely you’ll work in an office and keep track of lease agreements, collect rent, screen tenants, manage budgets, handle maintenance and tenant requests, and even recruit tenants. You may also be called upon to show apartments to potential tenants, inspect the grounds and supervise property maintenance workers.

Special events coordinator

If you enjoy planning parties, meetings or marketing events, this could be the job for you. When you study business administration, you’ll learn how to manage a business. Managing a special event is similar. You could work for a big company or even hire yourself out to multiple companies. Your duties could include arranging all details for special events, including locations, transportation, meals, décor and entertainment.

Account executive

If you work for a company as an account executive, you’ll be assigned a client list and need to make sure the company is handling each client’s needs. If your job is in an advertising agency, you’ll meet with clients to talk about their advertising needs, present ad campaign ideas and costs, maintain the advertising budget and invoice the client, and make sales pitches to win new accounts.

Human resources administrator

As a liaison between employees and management, your job will entail recruiting new staff, conducting orientation meetings for new hires, distributing benefits information, discussing workplace concerns and more. In some smaller companies, you might also administer payroll and help employees determine their benefits.

These are only a few possibilities for business administration graduates. The field is extremely versatile and very much in demand. According to O*NET Online, jobs in business administration are projected to grow faster than average through 2026. When you enroll in an associate degree program, you’ll learn about human resources and business management, marketing, finance and accounting, and the legal environment of modern business. You can apply your knowledge in nearly every industry.

If you think the versatility of a business administration career might be for you, consider studying at MTI College Sacramento. The Business Administration Degree program at MTI provides training in general administrative skills and the principles of business management. You will also:

• Increase your self-confidence by developing interpersonal skills to help you deal with people
• Improve your communication and listening skills by learning to write reports, letters and emails; deliver presentations; and negotiate with customers and colleagues
• Become an involved team player working in a collaborative environment
• Learn to provide excellent customer service by understanding your company’s services and how to best present them to your customers and satisfy their needs
• Solve problems and make decisions that can help your company grow and profit
• Exert your creativity by presenting new ideas and making innovations that make an impact

Moreover, your education at MTI offers hands-on experience and instruction from teachers who have worked in business. They share their experiences with you and put you into real-world scenarios that you may well be faced with once you enter the business workplace.

There’s no time like the present to begin your business administration career training. Contact MTI today.

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Bobs and Lobs and Bangs: Hair Trends for 2019

When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 2019 ushers in hope, expectation and change. Is one of your resolutions – or desires – for the new year to change your look? An easy way to start fresh is with a new haircut or color.

Here’s a sneak peek at some hair trends that might be just what you’re hoping for:

The cut’s the thing, and Bob’s your uncle.

If you want a short- or medium-length cut, a bob is the one of choice for 2019. However, this year’s bob is a little different than the layered one of the past. Bring your style into the new year with a blunt-cut jawline bob that falls somewhere between your ears and chin, with the back slightly shorter. Wear it sleek or rounded with a deep side part for a retro look. If your preference is a no-fuss, messy style, just tousle, texturize and it’s done. If you want more structure and something très chic, go with the French girl bob. It’s squared off at the bottom and rests between the cheekbone and jawline. Its signature feature is high, heavy, straight-across bangs (reminiscent of how your mother may have cut them in your early years).

Are you “lob-bying” for a new look in 2019?

Longer than a bob, the lob can hit at the base of the neck or top of the collarbone. This cut is extremely versatile and can be messy or not, layered or weighted and structured. Try blending in interior layers – “lion’s mane” layering – and using mousse to get volume without weight – an ideal style if your hair is thin. A blunt cut along the perimeter is also a good choice for the medium lob. Part it in the middle and let it do its thing, and you’ll rock in 2019.

Send 2018 out with a whisper and bring in the new year with a bang (er, bangs).

Any style of fringe is going to work wonders in 2019 – and with any hair length. Try your bob with blunt bangs or shorter fringe that blends into gradual layers. If your hair is long, you may want to go with a casual curtain-style, face-framing bang. There’s always the retro ’60s waif-style bangs and ultra-long, straight locks. Can you picture that floral mini-dress and go-go boots? Yep. That’s it. Maybe you’re more of a wild child. Try thick bangs that hang over your eyes and try pairing them with a heavy layered cut that stops at your neckline. Then texturize the heck out of it!

Pixies are not always elves.

Most of us have had a pixie cut at one time or another, but the “new” pixie is grown up … and grown out. It looks as if you’ve decided to let your hair grow again. The “shaggy” pixie’s top is generally longer and choppier than the sides and can actually be styled. Curl it a little, texturize or tousle to change it up. A variation of the grown-up pixie is still top heavy, but it has shaved or slicked-back sides.

What’s old is new again.

Well, what goes around, comes around – even with hairstyles. Some popular styles for 2019 will take their cues from the 1960s and 1970s. Remember the beehive styles of the ’60s? They’re coming back. So are the long bangs that were popular then, as well as the straight, long, center-parted hair of the ’70s. Vintage shaggy layers are also going to be popular, including those reminiscent of the 1990s.

Tone down the color, but amp up the richness.

In 2018, color trends crossed the rainbow. Next year promises to tone it down a bit – except for rainbow wigs in hot colors (lemon yellow, anyone?). Watch for inky black, ash gray, chocolate with copper, chestnut with gold and strawberry with honey highlights. Creamy, multi-dimensional blonde and blonde with rose-gold highlights look to be popular. The bold pinks, blues and plums are more likely to show up as pops of color or in hair tips. If your tresses are curly, you may be interested in trying Pintura highlights, which are highlights painted on rather than with foils. They bring a lightness to the face, but since everyone’s curls are unique, the look will also be different.

Don’t just style your hair; decorate it.

Here’s a new one: put a micro-braid down your center part or at your hairline. Do you have several barrettes or hair clips? Wear them all at once. Fashion a fancy chignon or top knot, and add some beads, flowers or feathers to it. You might also try a technique called braid pressing that gives a slightly crimped look to your center-parted locks.

These are trends for hair that are expected to be big in 2019. Maybe you’ll decide on one for your new look. If you enjoy being really creative with your hair, you might use one of these as an idea and go from there. If that’s more you, consider a career in cosmetology. MTI College’s Paul Mitchell The School helps you develop the beauty and cosmetology skills you need for a rewarding career. Classes are small, and the one-on-one attention you receive from your instructors – professional hairstylists and estheticians – helps you succeed.

Make 2019 your year. Register for the cosmetology program at  MTI College today.

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A Day in the Life of a Medical Assistant

Medical assistants wear many hats while helping doctors perform various clinical and administrative duties.

When you graduate from the medical assistant program at MTI College, you will have the background needed for an entry-level position with many possibilities.

What does a typical day for a medical assistant look like? Imagine for a moment that you are a medical assistant in a small office shared by three physicians. Here’s what you might do on any day of the week:

7:45am
Arrive at the office so you have 15 minutes to drink your coffee and take a bite of a bagel before your workday officially begins. Of course, you’re checking the patient portal while you’re doing it, in case anyone sent in a question that needs a quick answer. You organize your list into test results, appointments and medical questions for the doctor.

8:15am

Just as you begin to pull files and enter test results, you learn the receptionist is home with a sick child. You have to step in and handle the phones until someone else can step in.

8:45am

Dr. A asks you to bring her a box of examination gloves – size small – and lay out the instruments she’ll need to stitch the gash in her patient’s leg. Oh – she says you might as well stay in the room with her and help with the dressing.

9:00am

You’re on flu shot duty this morning, and the waiting room has about five seniors who need this year’s dose. Before you administer the shot, you need to ask the patients about allergies, hand them information on this year’s strain and instruct them to call if they have bad reactions after the inoculation. Just as you finish with patient number six, you’re paged by Dr. C.

10:00am

Dr. C needs help with his patient. He had surgery three days ago, and you must remove the dressing and clean the wound while the doctor looks through the post-surgical notes on the computer.

10:15am

Okay. You can finally call in that last patient for his flu shot.

10:25am

You have to get back to the call backs from the patient portal. Fortunately, most of them were to make appointments. You lucked out! All but one person answered the phone, but you left a message.

10:45am

After a much-needed bathroom break and a sip of water, you’re back in the reception area. Mrs. D has called to say her insurance provider has changed. She’s not sure if Dr. B is allowed to examine her for the follow-up to a procedure he performed on her earlier in the year. You take the phone call and tell her that you’ll contact the new company and see what’s going on.

11:00am

The other receptionist has to leave the office for an hour, and you’re asked to take calls and check patients in. You will do it, of course, but you had hoped to organize hospital admissions and lab services information for Dr. A’s patients. Well, lunch probably won’t happen today.

12:10pm

The receptionist is back, so you can take care of the hospital admissions info now. It’s a good thing you brought an apple along; that’s lunch today.

1:00pm

The afternoon patients start arriving. Dr. B’s next appointment is a new patient. After weighing her and taking her vitals, you start adding her medical history to the computer – current medications, past surgeries, the number of pregnancies, health concerns, etc. She starts sniffling because she’s gained 20 pounds since her last check-up. You talk about her diet, give her the number of a nutritionist and say that when Dr. B comes in, the three of you can talk about an exercise plan.

1:45pm

Dr. C’s patient is new, too – a two-week-old baby who is there for his first check-up. You weigh and measure him and ask his mother how often he eats and what she feeds him. She’s breastfeeding and she is afraid he isn’t eating enough. In addition, she’s worried she’s not a good mother. You reassure her and ask if she needs anything to help her. “More sleep,” she says, and you both laugh.

2:15pm

A frantic mother comes in with her seven-year-old daughter, who fell during recess. The girl’s ankle is swollen and her knee is scraped. You help getting her into the exam room and you clean off the scrapes, which just need a little antiseptic cream and a Band-Aid, but the doctor will need to check the ankle.

2:45pm

Dr. B asks hands you a stack of files and wants you to draft letters to tell patients that their routine screening exams came back clear.

3:30pm

Oops. As you look through some charts, you notice a couple of procedures were accidentally miscoded. You need to check them out, verify the correct information and make sure the information was given properly to the patients’ insurance companies.

3:45pm

It’s almost 4:00pm; where has the time gone? You’re not finished yet, though. Two more kids come in with their mother, and you accompany them to Dr. A’s examination room. Both have fevers and sore throats, and the doctor wants you to do strep tests and report back with the results.

4:00pm

The tests were positive, so Dr. A asks you to enter the information in the computer. He prescribes Amoxicillin and asks you to print the script and give follow-up instructions to the mother.

4:30pm

You’re supposed to be finished for the day, but that’s not going to happen. You need to text patients and remind them of their appointments for tomorrow, send test tubes to the lab for processing and check the supply closet to see what needs to be replenished.

5:15pm

You’re finally finished for the day. Although you’re tired, you’re proud of the job you’ve done and can’t wait to do it again tomorrow.

If you’re interested in an in-demand career that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports is expected to grow by 24 percent through 2024, consider enrolling in the medical assistant program at MTI College. Contact MTI College today.

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Alumni Spotlight: Nakia Collins, Celebrity Stylist

Many have dreamed of working in the entertainment business with celebrities. For many, it’s a pipe dream. For Nakia Collins, a 2011 graduate of Paul Mitchell the School at MTI College, it’s a reality. Collins is the personal hairstylist for Beyoncé.

Collins’ path to landing such an exciting job took dedication, hard work and a little bit of luck. At MTI, she studied cosmetology and took outside courses in extensions, hair color and styling. She also had the opportunity to experience Caper, a two-day hands-on event for Paul Mitchell “future professionals” that involves presentations and classroom instruction from top artists and educators in the field. “Caper changed my whole perspective of being a hairstylist and wanting to take my career further as an artist,” she says.

“After graduating MTI, I went to work with Colors Salon and BIA Salon to not only assist but also to learn more in depth about hair,” she says. “[BIA] held free classes on color, cutting and styling and helped mold me into a confident stylist.” She had worked there for nearly three years when she and her husband took a leap of faith and followed their dreams to move to Los Angeles.

Before they left for L.A., Collins did her prep work. “I started watching movies and looking at which hair stylists worked on [celebrities],” she says. “I kept coming across Kim Kimble, so I decided to reach out to her.” Kimble is a celebrity stylist whose clientele includes Kelly Rowland, Nicki Minaj, Mary J. Blige, Halle Berry and Shakira. Kimble granted Collins an interview.

“After almost a year, I was assisting her at her salon in West Hollywood,” Collins says. She worked for Kimble for about three years and then decided to work freelance in film and production on music videos, awards shows, TV shows and more.

From there, Collins worked a few years for Tina Knowles, who introduced her to her daughter – Beyoncé. “I am truly grateful for [Knowles],” she says. “She was a hairstylist as well and has taught me so much about hair. I am very grateful to work with such a humble and loving family.”

Working with one of the world’s best-known celebrities comes with challenges. “Everyone will see your work, and it’s a love-hate situation, sometimes because the media is really cutthroat,” Collins says. “You just have to love what you do and be open to learning.”

“I would say traveling is one of the best parts of the job and being able to explore creativity with great people,” she says. The traveling, though, creates another challenge: balancing work and family life. “It’s a constant lesson, but it’s possible. “I have two amazing children and a wonderful husband to keep me striving for more.”

Even though Nakia Collins has a wonderful job that she loves, she has other dreams to pursue. “I would love to travel the world and speak to people about not giving up and following their dreams,” she says. “I would also love to create a space for new professionals coming into this industry.”

For anyone considering a career in cosmetology, Collins offers a few words of wisdom. “If it’s something you love, make it work for you. Don’t be scared of failing,” she says. “Some of my biggest failures brought out my best work. After all, when you love what you do it’s not work.”

Are you ready to follow your dreams to become a hairstylist? MTI’s Paul Mitchell the School helps you develop the beauty and cosmetology skills you need for a rewarding career. At Paul Mitchell the School, you’ll learn salon techniques as well as the business fundamentals you’ll need. You’ll learn about marketing, merchandising, client retention and cash flow management. All of that plus small class sizes limited to 16 students and one-on-one attention from your industry-professional instructors will prepare you for the next step: taking the California State Cosmetology Board exam. From there, the sky’s the limit.

Make your dream a reality. Register for the cosmetology program at MTI College today.

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Types of Network Security That Protect Digital Information

“I’ve been hacked.” How many times have we heard this? When our email or Facebook accounts have been compromised, we worry about what the hackers may have “stolen” – our contacts? Credit card numbers? Identification? Now, imagine the impact that has on huge corporations or organizations where potentially millions of accounts are affected. This constant threat in today’s digital world reinforces the need for network security to guarantee the safety of an organization’s assets, privacy, clientele and technology.

With cybercrime costs predicted to reach $6 trillion a year by 2021 – up from $3 trillion in 2015 – it’s more important than ever to implement network security programs. As technology grows, network security options expand to meet the needs of organizations, combining layers of defense to secure the information that affects your digital life, privacy and business.

Deciding which you need for your particular situation can be frustrating. These are some types of network security to consider:

• Antivirus and antimalware software: Malware (malicious software) is also known as spyware, ransomware, Trojans, viruses and worms. When it infects your network, it brings trouble galore. It can disrupt your computer’s performance and cause it to crash, slow browser speeds, allow unauthorized access to your system, steal sensitive information and cause connection issues. Installing antivirus and antimalware software can protect these things from happening.
• Network Access Control (NAC): If you install NAC, it helps you control who is or is not authorized to access your network and enforce your security policies. All of your devices and users need to be recognized to keep out potential hackers and attackers.
• Email security: Everyone’s at risk through email. Going through an email portal is the easiest way to breach a network’s security. Attackers can use your personal information to develop phishing schemes that trick email recipients into clicking on malicious sites. When you utilize an email security application, it can effectively block incoming attacks and control outbound messages so sensitive data is not at risk.
• Wireless security: With so many mobile devices connected to a wireless network with multiple access points, network security can be compromised. Wired networks are more secure than wireless networks, which are easier for hackers to enter. If your network is wireless, you need to enable security products that are specifically designed for these networks. Without strong wireless security in place, installing a wireless LAN could be like having accessible Ethernet ports everywhere.
• Application security: No matter how good the software you buy – or your IT department creates – is, it can be vulnerable to attackers. Application security is the hardware, software and processes your company uses to close holes and protect vulnerabilities.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP): This software helps organizations guarantee that their employees do not send sensitive information outside the network. It prevents users from uploading, forwarding and printing information (perhaps from suspicious web sites) in an unsafe manner.
• Firewalls: These are barriers – walls – between the internal network that you trust and those outside your network that you don’t trust. Your company establishes a set of rules put into place to either block or allow Internet traffic (an external, and often untrustworthy, network). It can be software, hardware or a combination of both to manage web traffic and secure connections when you’re online.
• Virtual private network (VPN): If you ever work from home, you may have had to join your company’s VPN to access its main server. A VPN can encrypt the connection from an endpoint (such as your home computer or laptop) to a network, usually over the Internet. A remote-access VPN authenticates communication between network and other devices through IPsec or Secure Sockets Layer.

Since new vulnerabilities to our technology are coming about every day, the need for IT security specialists is growing. They are especially important to large companies and industries, such as health care and banking, that rely on secure, shared databases.

MTI College offers a fast-paced, hands-on Network Administration and Security associate degree program that prepares you for an entry-level position as a networking professional. After you complete your network security program at MTI and earn CompTIA Network+ and Security+ certification, it can open the door to an entry-level job as a:

• Network administrator
  You would be responsible for setting up and maintaining an organization’s computer network to keep costs down and production up.
• Security specialist
  In this important role, you would protect a company’s computer network and make sure that only authorized people could gain access to confidential information. You would also have to monitor the network’s infrastructure and firewalls.
• Information security analyst
  You would look for security breaches and investigate violations, install firewalls and generally help keep a company’s computer network safe from hackers.
• Systems administrator
  This job entails taking care of the day-to-day operation and upkeep of a company’s computer network.

MTI College provides the skills and certification you need for an entry-level job in IT network security. Call today!

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10 Personal Traits Every Accounting Professional Needs

Deciding on a career is not something you take lightly. After all, you need to invest in training – and you’re making a long-term commitment to the field. Although you can learn many of the skills needed to perform an entry-level accounting job in school, there’s more to the profession than that. Do you have the personal traits necessary to have a career in accounting?

If you think you want to study accounting, you probably enjoy working with numbers. If not, you’re definitely thinking of the wrong field. The other requirements are a little subtler. These are some traits you should have if you want to work in the accounting field:

• Organize well. Every company, regardless of its size, requires accounting personnel to manage its bookkeeping, handle payroll and maintain account data. There are lots of responsibilities that will keep you busy every day, and you need to establish an effective system to track those responsibilities. As a member of an accounting team, you need to be very well organized so that you can find files and answer questions.
• Manage your time. This skill goes hand in hand with organization. You may have an organized filing system, but if you don’t know how to prioritize your duties, you are not going to make it. You’re going to be very busy, and many people will rely on you. Managing your time will keep stress at bay and let you contribute to your company’s day-to-day operations – and long-term goals.
• Communicate with others. Accountants may have been misrepresented as employees who sit quietly in their cubicles and work only with numbers – not with people. This is a big misconception. You have to deal with clients and colleagues every day and be able to explain a variety of documents: tax returns, financial data analyses, loan details, payroll information and more. It’s critical for you to communicate and collaborate key insights and interpret data. Knowing how to communicate with clients is also a way to instill trust.
• Focus on details. Working with numbers requires diligence and paying attention to detail. Just one transposed or forgotten number could result in horrific mistakes. If you think something is slightly off, you’re going to get down to the nitty gritty to find the error and correct the miscalculation. You’re probably a bit of a perfectionist.
• Display honesty and integrity. You play by the rules – even when you don’t agree with them. Because an accounting professional is responsible for a company’s financial records as well as its financial well-being, you need to be honest and show integrity. Having access to such important documents requires strong ethics.
• Collaborate with others. You need to be a team player when you work in accounting because you will need to support different departments. That requires you to work toward common goals with all kinds of people.
• Solve problems by taking a methodical approach. If you think there may be an error in a file or calculation, you need to revert back to your math skills of “proofing” to find the error. Having a system of checks and balances in place and taking a methodical approach can help you find a solution to your problem.
• Be flexible. Embrace change and know how to adapt your skills and work to suit various industries. When you can easily adapt and be flexible with client requirements, you’re more likely to learn and grow in your career. Besides, when you’re ready for anything that comes your way, it will help you stay on top of the industry because it’s an opportunity to learn new things.
• Embrace technology. Although you don’t need to be an IT expert, you do need to know your way around a computer. Accounting uses many different types of software programs, and you need to be comfortable enough with technology and computers to adapt your skills to different programs.
• Show leadership. Have the confidence to own what you do, but be able to delegate when necessary. Be a role model who is open and available to the people you’re responsible for. In addition, lead by showing you are good at strategic thinking and long-term planning.

If you have the necessary personal traits, enjoy problem solving and like working with numbers, studying accounting may be right for you. MTI College offers a program that, in less than a year, can put you on the fast track to a career in accounting or bookkeeping.

Your expert instructors use a combination of lectures, videos and discussions to prepare you for situations you may encounter in the workforce as an entry-level accounting technician. In addition, you will learn the latest software that organizations throughout California and around the country use every day.

Contact an admissions representative at MTI College today to get the training you need for an entry-level accounting job.

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How Medical Assistants Can Help Breast Cancer Patients

With the exception of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women – affecting 1 in 8 women. Each year, approximately 266,120 new cases are diagnosed, and 40,920 women die of the disease. These figures are staggering.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to educating the public, fundraising for research and helping those affected by this devastating diagnosis. Early detection and diagnosis, as well as a well-thought-out treatment plan, are crucial for a positive outcome. A medical team of oncologists and other specialists can treat the physical issues associated with breast cancer, but other elements of patient care need to be considered. A medical assistant can play a vital role in treating non-medical issues and aiding in the healing process.

Many people feel some amount of anxiety when visiting the doctor for a routine appointment or procedure. If you’re a cancer patient, that feeling may be much more severe. As the first point of contact in the physician’s office, the behavior of the medical assistant can set the tone for the entire visit – and even the relationship between doctor and patient.

As a medical assistant helping a breast cancer patient, you should:

• Be conscious of your demeanor. Make eye contact, smile and be respectful. Make the patient feel important, and show genuine concern.
• Inject humor into the conversation. Cancer is bad news, but sometimes just lightening the mood with a joke or funny anecdote can help the patient relax.
• Show empathy and compassion. Do your best to be compassionate and empathize with the patient’s situation. Many times, a patient is more comfortable talking with a medical assistant than the doctor. Listen to what she has to say – and ask what she needs from you, how you can help.
• Treat the patient like a human being and not a sick person. Your patient has a disease, but she’s a woman Make her feel as “normal” as possible. Take your cues from her.

In addition to performing clinical duties such as drawing blood, taking vital signs and recording medical history, a medical assistant also helps set appointments, organizes hospital admissions and lab services, and supervises the patient’s insurance information. There are several other ways a medical assistant can help a patient with breast cancer:

• Assume the role of comforter. As such, you can establish a personal touch that becomes part of the healing. Use calming words and actions to reassure your patient, helping to reduce her anxiety and be more comfortable.
• Take charge of paperwork. When a person has cancer, there will be many appointments to coordinate and a lot of paperwork from labs, doctors and insurance companies. The medical assistant can step in and help minimize patient frustration by processing insurance forms and test results.
• Assist with home healthcare. Some cancer patients choose to stay in their homes rather than in a hospital. A medical assistant can help monitor the patient’s health, provide post-hospitalization follow-up care, help with mobility issues, assist with hygiene needs and administer medication.
• Help with palliative care. A breast cancer patient receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment often suffers from side effects (pain, nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness, insomnia, etc.) that can disrupt quality of life. Palliative care helps relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. A medical assistant who works in a palliative care facility can help cancer patients with daily care, administer medication and change dressings.
• Lend support to breast cancer patients’ families. As a medical assistant, you can be a resource to family members by updating them on course of treatment, handling administrative duties and offering emotional support.

A medical assistant plays a vital role in the smooth operation of a doctor’s office, hospital or medical clinic, and can offer tremendous support for cancer patients. If you think becoming a medical assistant is a career path that you would like to follow, consider enrolling in the medical assistant program at MTI College.

An MTI education prepares you for a career in medical assistance with comprehensive training in administrative, clinical and laboratory procedures. You’ll learn:

• Medical terminology
• Anatomy and physiology
• Pharmacology
• Medical protocol and procedures in clinics and laboratories
• Front-office practices, including coding and billing procedures
• Patient relations
• Medical law and ethics

Additionally, a required 160-hour off-campus externship provides hands-on experience in a professional healthcare facility setting. In less than a year, you can be ready for an entry-level position as a medical assistant, a field that the Bureau of Labor Statistics says is expected to increase by 24 percent through 2024.

For more information or to enroll in the medical assisting program, contact MTI College today.

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5 Best Apps for Medical Billing and Coding

We live in a data-driven world, and that’s critically important in healthcare. Coding symptoms, diagnoses and procedures, and sending reports to an insurance company to request reimbursement is a complicated – but necessary – part of the healthcare process. There’s a considerable amount of documentation required, and someone has to do it. That’s where the medical coder and biller comes in.

Medical coding is the heart of the healthcare industry. It keeps doctors and nurses on track and organized, and it shows in clear terms a patient’s medical history. A requirement for a medical coding job is receiving ICD-10-CM/PCS certification. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) is an organized way of telling the entire story of a patient’s care and encounter with a doctor and/or hospital.

There are thousands of ICD-10 codes to become familiar with, and one slip-up with an improper code could spell big trouble for a patient. It’s impossible to know every code every time, but there are a few apps for your tablet or smartphone that can keep them at your fingertips – and keep you from dragging around a huge written volume of codes.

Here are five inexpensive (or free) apps that can help you study for your ICD-10-CM/PCS exam, refresh information or have codes available when you need to reference them for work.

AAPC® CPC Exam Prep (pocket prep)

The Certified Professional Coder (CPC) is highest standard for medical coding, and the pocket prep app helps you prepare for the exam. You can choose a practice mode (simulation or study), content area and the number of questions you want to answer. You can customize your practice exams, even targeting weak subject areas, and view detailed answer rationales. Save your history and review your results. Pocket prep is an Academics’ Choice “Smart Media” and Ed Tech Digest “Cool Tool” award winner.

ICD10 Consult 2018

The app, available for both iPhone and Android, offers a flexible search option for current ICD10-CM codes. It also provides instant ICD9 to ICD10 conversion. Its deep code analysis function allows you to handle laterality, encounter and staging codes, and helps you find medical acronyms and synonyms that are cross-referenced by abbreviation and full name. You can also browse through diagnoses and add codes to your favorites list.

STAT ICD-10 Coder

From Austin Physician Productivity, LLC, this app allows you to search from among more than 60,000 ICD-10 diagnosis codes and descriptions easily. All codes are downloaded automatically to your iPhone or iPad. The basic app is free, but you must upgrade if you want searching functions.

ICD 10 On the Go Mobile

The database on this app, developed by VLR Software, has been updated with the ICD-10-CM 2019 codes. It helps you easily choose the diagnosis code you need with a search-as-you-type feature. There’s an optional feature that allows you to tag codes and folders as favorites, and you can browse codes by chapters and subgroups. Additionally, you can print codes through AirPrint and share information by email.

Medical Billing Coding Flashcard 2018

Choose from thousands of questions to prep you for the MBCC exam. Use this app to practice on your lunch hour, between classes or even on the bus. Billing and coding experts have prepared the training materials that use proven study and test-taking strategies. There are even games to vary your learning opportunities. After a practice session, track your progress and watch yourself improve.

How to become a medical biller and coder

Partially because of a rapidly aging U.S. population, healthcare jobs are in demand. As people age, they usually need more medical care, and medical billers and coders are needed to handle insurance and patient claims. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for medical records and health information technicians (billers and coders) is growing much faster than the average for other occupations.

MTI College offers a Medical Billing and Coding Professional Diploma Program that can prepare you to enter this in-demand field. Although the medical biller is not responsible for patient care, you should have a good understanding of medical terminology to be able to discuss medical bills with both insurance carriers and patients. MTI College provides you with the background you need to enter the busy, exciting world of healthcare. You’ll become proficient in:

• Insurance billing
• Medical coding of records
• Administrative office duties
• Using Medisoft practice management software
• Electronic Health Records (EHR)
• Computer skills
• Problem‐solving and organizational skills

When you complete your studies, you should be prepared to take the Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist (CMRS) exam and the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) exam, industry-recognized credentials that will help you get that important entry-level position.

Does this sound like a job you would enjoy? Contact MTI College Sacramento today to jump start your medical billing and coding career.

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Tips for Repairing Damaged Hair

A “bad hair” day is never any fun, but every day is a bad hair day when your hair is damaged. Over processing, the sun, extreme weather, a chlorinated pool, irregular maintenance, stress and even a less-than-healthy diet can contribute to leaving your locks damaged and lackluster.

You can repair damaged hair if you modify your habits and follow these tips and try out some do-it-yourself treatments to restore the life, luster and condition of your hair.

Be gentle with your tresses.

Does having dirty hair make you feel grungy? If so, more than likely, you reach for the shampoo. Not so fast. Overwashing can damage your hair – especially if it’s color-treated or very dry. Washing strips the natural oils and proteins – the things that keep hair looking healthy – from your hair. The finer, thinner and straighter your hair, the easier it is for the oil to seep in and make it look greasy. If you normally wash your hair every day, try skipping a day or just rinsing it on the second day. Try using dry shampoo on the roots and scalp to absorb some of the oil. Believe it or not, some styles look better on “day-old” hair: braids, topknots, loose curls. When you do wash your hair, consider using shampoos that don’t contain sulfates and parabens, which tend to strip moisture and oils. Use shampoo only on your scalp and roots, avoiding the ends. Condition daily, concentrating on the ends and avoiding the roots and scalp.

Just cool it.

Using hairdryers, curling irons and flat irons can really dry out your locks, causing breakage and split ends. Take a break from heat; your hair will thank you for it. Try air-drying it instead. After you wash and condition your hair, gently towel-dry and comb it. Try scrunching it with your fingers as it dries for a beachy look. If you must use styling tools, prep your hair with heat protection sprays.

Brush properly.

Yes, there is a technique to proper brushing. First of all, don’t brush your hair when it’s wet because the strands can break. Instead, comb it. If your hair is very curly, it’s best to use a wide-tooth comb in the shower before you rinse out the conditioner. You may also want to treat your hair with a detangling spray. When you are ready to brush, work from the bottom up. Start with small sections beginning from the ends.

Keep a schedule. 

Getting a regular trim every six to eight weeks actually promotes healthy hair growth and keeps ends from splitting. For thin hair, trimming can add volume. For curly hair, trimming can reduce tangling. Also, consider applying a deep conditioner a couple of times a month. If you notice your hair is too heavy or feels oily, cut back. Dryer, coarser hair will benefit from deep conditioning more than thin, fine hair.

Use the correct accessories.

Putting your hair back in a ponytail may seem to be a temporary fix for all kinds of problems. The truth is, it can strain your strands – especially if you put it into a tight ponytail secured with a rubber band. Always use accessories that limit the stress put on your hair. Use cloth-covered scrunchies and tiebacks, loose clips and stretchy headbands.

Sleep and eat well.

Your hair can tell if you haven’t been sleeping well. If you toss and turn, the friction can cause your hair to tangle and break. Try switching to a silk pillowcase to reduce the friction. Also, make sure you’re following a healthy diet, rich in proteins, fatty acids, and vitamins C and B. Taking supplements – Omega 3s and biotin – may help.

Try a DIY treatment.

There are thousands of products on the market that claim to make your hair look shiny and healthy. Many of them work as expected, but they can also be costly. Before you start investing your money in expensive products, you may have items in your pantry that could have the same results. Here are a few DIY treatments to try.

• Avocado mask: Remove the pit from a ripe avocado. Mix it with an egg and apply to wet hair. Avocado is loaded with vitamins, essential fatty acids and minerals. Leave it on 20 minutes. Rinse it well. Try this weekly for damaged hair and monthly for healthy hair.
• Butter treatment: If your hair is brittle, massage some butter into your dry hair. Put on a shower cap. Wait for 20 minutes and then shampoo and rinse.
• Olive oil mask: Warm a half-cup of olive oil and rub it on dry hair to restore moisture. Cover your hair with a plastic bag or shower cap and then wrap with a towel. Wait 45 minutes before you shampoo and rinse.
• Apple cider vinegar mask: Combine 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 egg whites. Rub it in to revitalize limp or damaged hair. Cover with a shower cap or plastic bag. Leave it on for 30 minutes, and then shampoo and rinse.
• Protein enhancer: This remedy to enhance proteins in your hair is a simple fix. Mix an egg with a little bit of shampoo. Rub it in. Wait five minutes and rinse out.
• Honey hydrator: Mix ¼ cup of raw honey with enough water to thin it out and apply to damp hair. After 30 minutes, shampoo and condition.
• Frizz tamer: Combine ¼ cup of raw honey and 10 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Leave it on for 15 minutes before shampooing and rinsing.
• Oil treatments: Try warming 3 tablespoons of jojoba oil in the microwave. Massage it into your hair. Cover with a shower cap and wait 30 minutes to two hours for extra shine. You can also use sesame oil. To strengthen brittle hair and add volume to thin hair, replace the jojoba oil with castor oil. Use coconut oil to add moisture, softness and shine and to reduce dandruff.

Do you have an interest in hair and skin care, or do you enjoy styling hair? A career in cosmetology may be right for you. Regardless of your goal in cosmetology, MTI’s Paul Mitchell The School helps you develop the beauty and cosmetology skills you need for a rewarding career. Call today!

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Trial Preparation Tips for Paralegals

A paralegal plays a vital role in the legal system, serving supervising attorneys in their practice and in the courtroom. From drafting legal documents to interviewing clients and assisting with trial preparation, a paralegal’s responsibilities cover almost any duty the attorney does except practice law. Of those responsibilities, trial preparation is most important.

An effective paralegal should possess certain traits. These are particularly important to a litigation paralegal who accompanies an attorney to the courtroom:

• Good organizational ability
• Attention to detail
• Attentive listening skills
• Sound reasoning
• Strong reading comprehension
• Research skills
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Strong backbone
• Persistence

Preparing for the courtroom.

People’s lives – or at least livelihood – are at stake when they go to court, as is an attorney’s reputation. Having an attorney who is prepared and confident and presents his or her case well is important to the person or company represented. Behind a well-prepared attorney is a paralegal who has done due diligence to prepare the case.

Thorough pretrial preparation can make the difference between winning or losing the case, and the paralegal is critical to that preparation.

Create a plan or outline.

Determine all the players in the case – the attorney, additional support staff, the witnesses – and coordinate their schedules. Your focus should be on the essential tasks the players must accomplish to impact the case in a positive manner.

• Assign tasks to the key players in the case and hold them accountable.
• Set up a timeline to complete tasks and pay attention to deadlines.
• Monitor progress of task completion, constantly checking in with everyone involved.
• Handle any questions and concerns as they come up.
• Develop goals for the witnesses.

Keep lines of communication open and clear.

Constantly communicating with all parties on your legal team is an important part of your role as a paralegal.

• Always check in with your colleagues to make sure they understand what they need to do.
• Regularly update your attorney on what’s happening.
• Be conscious of any appointments you need to set with clients or witnesses.
• Attend to correspondence regarding the court appearance in a timely fashion.

Organize everything.

You must organize all paperwork so that once the trial begins, your attorney will have everything he or she needs.

• Analyze all documents and information you may need before and during the trial.
• Index everything so that you can find what you need in a flash – in less than five minutes.
• Index your indices so that you and your attorney can find information no matter how it is requested.
• Summarize and annotate everything.
• Talk to your attorney to discover how he or she wants to present information.

Pay attention to details.

No matter how insignificant the detail seems, it could be relevant when it comes time to appear in court. You wouldn’t want to compromise the case if you’ve missed a filing deadline or overlooked important data.

• Thoroughly review all documents related to the case that your office prepares or receives.
• Be diligent about cite checking.
• Keep track of court appearance dates.
• Manage exhibits and documents needed for trial.
• Take careful notes when talking to clients or witnesses.
• Stay on top of rapidly accumulating paperwork.

Study the judge.

It’s important to know the peculiarities of the judge on the case and what to expect in the courtroom.

Talk to attorneys who have tried cases before the judge (if your attorney has not). Is the judge all business? Is he or she patient? Finding out as much as you can could actually help your chances. The last thing you want is to offend the judge in some way.

Get your presentations ready.

If you have exhibits or visual aids for the case, make sure that they are neat and clear – and adhere to the rules of the court.

• Start by making an exhibit list; place deposition items first.
• If you need to have anything professionally printed, make sure you know the time constraints.
• Know how many copies of exhibits that you’ll need.
• Keep exhibits or charts to the point, logical and impactful.
• Carefully label exhibits.
• Arrange for copying and editing any videotapes that you will use as exhibits.
• Gather presentation materials such as easels, tables, pointers, etc.

Check out the courtroom.

If you’re unfamiliar with the courtroom, it’s a good idea to check it out before the trial. Find out where to park and know how long it should take to get there. Once you’re inside, there’s more to consider.

• If you’ll have exhibits, determine where you’ll need to place them for ideal viewing.
• See where the outlets are if you need to plug things in.
• In case you need to make additional copies of documents, know what resources are available in the courthouse.
• Notice where the jurors, witnesses and judge sit.

Prep your attorney.

Stress will undoubtedly be high for everyone working on the trial preparation. You can make it easier on your attorney by serving as a sounding board. Your attorney may ask you to help draft opening statements and/or closing arguments. He or she may instead want to have you listen to those statements. You can analyze them from different perspectives and offer constructive criticism. Throughout the trial preparation, keep your attorney focused and practice by doing a mock trial.

Being well prepared leads to confidence in the courtroom. If you’ve crossed your t’s and dotted your i’s, you’ve done all you can. After that, it’s up to the judge.

MTI College paralegal program.

If you’re fascinated by the legal world but don’t want to invest the time to become an attorney, consider registering for the MTI Paralegal Studies program. In just two years, you can earn your associate’s degree in paralegal studies and head out to begin a career that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says is growing.

If you have the interest and the necessary personal traits to become a paralegal, enroll now in the MTI College Paralegal Studies program for the education you need to get that important first job.

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Alumni Spotlight: Nichole Dickinson, Legal Superstar

Nichole Dickinson’s route to success is both impressive and a testament to hard work, dedication and perseverance. Now a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney in Sacramento, Dickinson began her legal career as a paralegal, having graduated from MTI College’s Paralegal Studies program in 2012.

“I had a feeling when I was doing my undergrad that I wanted to work in the legal field, but my undergrad was in psychology,” Dickinson says. “I didn’t feel like I was in any way prepared to work in the legal field.” She learned about MTI College to train as a paralegal as a precursor to becoming a lawyer. Dickinson began night school courses at Lincoln Law School while working days as a paralegal.

“I was very happy working as a paralegal, but I just wanted to further my education,” she says. Dickinson was the salutatorian of her graduating class at Lincoln in 2016. She took the bar exam that year and passed it on her first try. Although practicing law is her primary occupation, Dickinson is also an instructor.

“I teach Legal Writing and Administrative Law at MTI, and I also teach Legal Writing at Lincoln Law School,” Dickinson says. She is married to an attorney who can appreciate her schedule. “He also has a very busy schedule,” she adds, “and we have a dachshund who understands when I work late.” To stay motivated, Dickinson says, “I enjoy on a daily basis just being able to help people resolve problems and help people in situations that they don’t want to be in.”

Dickinson credits MTI for her success in law school. “I’m so glad I decided to make the commitment to do the program. It really helped me find a job and be confident in my skills and what I’m able to do.” The legal foundation she received from MTI gave her a head start in law school. “I went into law school knowing how to do legal writing, research and understand how to read cases and interpret them.”

“My favorite thing about MTI was the fact that the instructors were also practitioners, so you got real-life experience from them and just pro tips in general,” she says. That, she says, has helped her in her teaching. “Being a practitioner, I can make concepts relatable because I can explain how it plays out in real life. This is how it happens when you end up showing up at court or go to the deposition. This is why this is necessary,” she says. “It allows me to translate very tangential book concepts and make them real-life applicable.”

Since Nichole Dickinson has been both paralegal and an attorney, she has a good perspective on the demands of both jobs. She understands what is most stressful. “The most stressful thing, honestly, is knowing that a client’s rights and a client’s ultimate outcome in their case is so heavily dependent on the paralegal,” she says. “A lot of the time the attorney’s gone and the paralegal is the first point of contact, and they’re the sympathetic ear to people. It can be stressful because you want the best outcome possible.”

“At times, I look at it as the paralegal’s job is harder than the attorney’s job, and I can say that from both sides,” Dickinson remarks. “The attorney is the face, and the paralegal is the engine doing all the work, making sure everything is running smoothly.”

As stressful as a paralegal’s work can be, Dickinson believes it’s so worthwhile. Her advice to prospective students is to not hesitate and “be brave and do it.” According to O*NET OnLine, the demand for paralegals is expected to grow 15 percent faster than other professions. “There are so many different kinds of law you can practice and so many different types of jobs that are available for paralegals that are outside of just working in a traditional law firm,” she says. Paralegals can work for a judge, at a library, for the state government or as a licensed document preparer. “Every personality type could find their fit in the legal profession,” Dickinson says.

If Nichole Dickinson’s story inspires you to enter the legal field, consider MTI College’s Paralegal Studies program. It prepares you with the education you need to gain an entry-level paralegal job. As a paralegal working under a supervising attorney, you will play a vital role in your company. You will be able to perform many duties the attorney does. That, plus your perseverance and dedication, help you plead your case for that important first job.

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How to Become a Professional Makeup Artist

Do you have an eye for color and design, and enjoy apply makeup to yourself and your friends? When you read a fashion magazine, do you focus more on the makeup than the clothes? Or, when you watch a movie, do you like to see what lipstick color the actresses have on —or check out their total makeup look? If you’ve always had an interest in —and a talent for — makeup application, you may think about becoming a professional makeup artist.

Makeup artistry is a competitive business that requires professional training, but with the proper education and initiative, you may land yourself a job as a professional makeup artist. Here are some things you can do to become a professional makeup artist:

Hone your skills. Apply makeup to yourself and friends. Practice on people of different ages, and on those with different skin tones and textures. Observe the lines and angles of the face, as well as the bone structure. Experiment with different brands and textures of makeup to see what gives the best results. Try using a variety of brushes and sponges to discover what works to achieve the look you’re going for. Look to see what techniques, color and texture work under various types of lighting.

Research different looks. Pour through fashion, wedding and fan magazines to discover the looks you like — or those you’d like to try recreating. Perhaps clip photos and add to an album or inspiration board. You might also watch “how-to” videos and then practice on your own. Another place to check out makeup trends is on social media and makeup brand websites. Pay attention to what popular celebrities are doing to stay on top of the latest trends.

Work at a department store’s makeup counter. If you wear your makeup well and think you have a pretty good eye for what works on other people, try to get a job at the makeup counter of a department store. You’ll have a chance to test merchandise and may even have the opportunity to try it out on customers.

Seek professional training. Getting professional cosmetology training from a facility like Paul Mitchell the School is vitally important to your career. You’ll learn advanced techniques, such as airbrushing, that professionals use for flawless application. In addition, you’ll train to apply makeup for special occasions like weddings, as well as for film and TV, special FX and corrective makeup application. When you study Advanced Makeup at Paul Mitchell the School, you’ll get hands-on training from industry professionals who will prepare you for a career as a professional makeup artist. Additionally, you’ll get help in creating a professional portfolio — essential to finding work in the field.

Once you’ve completed your cosmetology training and are armed with the skills you need to work in the makeup field, there are a few things you can do to find the best job for you.

Determine which industry you’d like to work in. Do you want to work behind the scenes in film, TV or theater? Would you prefer to work in the fashion industry doing makeup for models for photo shoots? Perhaps you want to specialize in something like wedding makeup. The options are there: You just need to decide which path to follow.

Network like crazy. Mingle with stylists and designers. Go to bridal expos. Get your name out there and build your personal brand. Perhaps volunteer to do the makeup for your friend’s wedding. Do you live in a town with a local theater group? Offer your services. If you’re interested in working in film, contact your city’s casting offices and tell them you’d like to help out when movies will be filming in your area. Contact your local TV station and see if there may be an opportunity there. Let people know what you can do and what you want to do because you never know which connection will be the one that launches your career.

Create a portfolio that showcases your creativity and versatility. While you are training at Paul Mitchell the School, you’ll begin creating your portfolio. It’s very important to feature professional photos. Splurge on a good camera and learn to use it, or hire a professional photographer to take shots of your work. Make sure you have digital photos, too, because you can use them to market yourself.

Promote yourself online and via social media. If you don’t have an Instagram account or a professional Facebook profile, now would be the time to open or create one. Put your portfolio online, start a blog and/or get a website. The internet is one of the least expensive platforms for reaching a vast number of people in a short period of time. Work it as well as you can!

Keep learning. You may have finished your initial training, but there’s always more to learn. Go to seminars and trade shows to learn new techniques and network with more professionals in your industry.

According to O*NET Online, the employment outlook for makeup artists is projected to grow 10–14% through 2026 — higher than the growth average for other industries. Along with comprehensive training, practice and persistence can really pay off — and lead you to the career of your dreams.

To learn more about training for a career as a professional makeup artist, contact Paul Mitchell the School.

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How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impacts Accounting

In 2001, Steven Spielberg’s film A.I. Artificial Intelligence seemed so futuristic and not a possibility in our lifetimes. Times have changed, and AI has forged its way into a multitude of industries – even accounting. Components of AI – including machine learning, deep learning, machine reasoning and natural language processing – are impacting accounting in many ways.

What AI (artificial intelligence) is

AI allows machines (bots) to learn from experience, interpret information, make adjustments and apply what they “know” to perform humanlike tasks.

• Machine learning gives computers the ability to recognize and apply patterns to develop algorithms that they can then fine-tune based on feedback; an example is the way Netflix can offer you suggestions of what to watch based on your viewing history.
• Through deep learning, computers develop the ability to identify relationships and associations.
• When machines “understand” information, they can actually “think” of the implications of that data and analyze it with machine reasoning.
• Computers use natural language processing based on their understanding of human speech.
• They “recognize” people, activities and objects, and “view” images with computer vision; an example is the way the iPhone X recognizes the face of its user.

How AI is used in accounting

Accountants have to sift through enormous amounts of data to do their jobs. When AI is introduced, it can eliminate some of the mundane tasks that accountants must do. For example, it can digest and analyze large volumes of data at faster-than-human speeds, interpret contracts or deeds, extract key terms and analyze them, and occasionally solve problems that couldn’t be solved before. For example, if an accounting firm is tasked with complex issues regarding billing systems of multiple clients, AI’s machine learning can rifle through the data and flag the problem accounts, even if the systems are disparate.

For compliance considerations, AI provides accountants with reliable, fast data each time they generate a report, maximizing efficiency. In terms of data categorization, AI bots can sift through information and place it into the appropriate accounts because it understands the differences in categories. Machines begin to learn to make better decisions based on human input, and they can even adapt to an accountant’s behavioral patterns.

Will AI replace accountants?

Because AI can do some of the tasks that humans normally do, some lower-level positions could be affected; however, AI will not replace accountants. In fact, employment for accountants is expected to grow 10 percent through 2026 – higher than average. AI can take on the tedious work that takes up so much time – data entry and reconciliation – and will also eliminate errors, reducing liability. With the mundane tasks handled, accountants will be free to engage in more advisory roles. They’ll be able to focus on strategy – process improvement, cost control and capital optimization – and will still have control over sensitive information.

What are the major takeaways of AI’s impact on accounting?

AI and the cloud work together to compute massive amounts of data in a very short period of time. This service streamlines operations by saving time, cutting costs, increasing productivity and providing more accurate results. Perhaps the greatest impact, however, is the change in mind-set that AI brings.

Accountants are becoming very tech-savvy and are embracing the AI tools that do the tedious work for them so they can spend their time analyzing reports, speculating on future outcomes, managing the machinery and intervening if something goes awry.

What additional skills do accountants need in a world with AI?

Companies are going to need accountants with more diverse skills. Those who are familiar with technology and are not afraid of it will be more valuable than those who shy away from it. Having a strong background in data management will be extremely helpful. Learning accounting software such as Intuit, OneUp, Sage or Xero will put them at an advantage. Other in-demand accounting technology skills include:

• Advanced knowledge of Excel
• ERP experience, such as SAP or Oracle
• Microsoft Visual Basic skills
• Knowing Hyperion for analyst and financial reporting
• Knowledge of big data analysis

In addition to being tech-savvy, accountants should have excellent customer service skills and be good communicators.

How enrolling at MTI College of Sacramento can prepare you for an accounting career

MTI College offers an Accounting Technician diploma program that prepares you for an entry-level position in accounting and bookkeeping. You’ll learn a number of computer-based accounting applications, as well as other accounting software that businesses use every day, such as Microsoft Office.

Upon completion of the comprehensive, 36-week program, you will be able to transition directly into a professional working environment. As an accounting technician, your duties may include:

• Calculating and recording numerical data related to business expenses and income
• Handling money
• Conducting audits
• Analyzing financial data
• Preparing reports

When you’re ready to work, MTI’s job placement staff can help you find that important first job. They will assist with resume writing and offer tips on job interviews.

Contact MTI College today and take the first step toward a rewarding career in accounting.

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How an Externship Helps Prepare You for a Career as a Medical Assistant

If you’re already enrolled in a medical assisting program, you’ve made a wise career choice. If not, you might want to consider becoming a medical assistant. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry is expecting to add nearly 4 million jobs by 2026 – about one-third of all jobs. Many of those jobs will be held by medical assistants, who help doctors in private practice, hospitals and outpatient clinics perform a number of clinical and administrative duties. That’s great news as you look down the road toward career advancement in clinical industry occupations.

Getting the proper training is essential and should include a mix of traditional classroom learning and hands-on experience. Enhance your studies and improve your readiness for the workshop when you participate in an externship. This is an opportunity to spend time working and learning in a real-world setting before you ever graduate. For schools with a comprehensive medical assisting program, like MTI College in Sacramento, it is a requirement for graduation.

MTI requires you to complete a 160-hour off-campus, unpaid externship program in a professional healthcare facility setting. The experience you get will be invaluable.

Get firsthand experience in the field.

Your externship might have you helping out in a hospital, clinic, physician’s office, rehab facility, retirement home or one of many other places. Depending on the location, you may be tasked with doing a particular job, such as recording patient information or drawing blood, or a combination of clinical and/or administrative duties.

Administrative duties may include:

• Welcoming patients and answering the phone
• Setting appointments
• Overseeing patients’ medical records
• Supervising patients’ insurance information
• Organizing necessary information, such as hospital admissions and laboratory services
• Handling correspondence

Clinical duties may include:

• Preparing patients for medical examinations
• Drawing blood
• Removing sutures and changing dressings
• Performing basic laboratory exams
• Writing down medical histories
• Assisting the doctor during exams
• Instructing patients about medications and special diets they may need

When you’re working in an actual healthcare facility, you will likely “shadow” (follow) a professional who is already working in the field. This might be a doctor, nurse, lab technician or even another medical assistant. This is an opportunity to observe, take notes and apply what you learned in school in a real-world situation – working on real patients. Don’t worry; your supervisor will be there to guide you. You may also be invited to attend staff meetings and/or conferences. All told, you’ll learn about all aspects of the business and what goes on in healthcare facilities.

Practice professionalism.

During your medical assisting classroom training, you’ll learn many things that will provide a solid background as you participate in your externship, including:

• Medical terminology
• Anatomy and physiology
• Pharmacology
• Medical protocol and procedures in clinics and laboratories
• Front-office practices, including coding and billing procedures
• Patient relations
• Medical law and ethics

Those things are all critically important, but as you apply what you’ve learned in the classroom in a real-world situation, you need to be professional with patients and co-workers. That means you should show up on time, appear neat and clean, show respect to your patients and colleagues, and follow through on all assigned tasks.

Evaluate potential future work locations.

While you are working in the field, you’ll have a chance to get to know the facility. If your externship lands you in a hospital and you decide it’s too busy, then you know that it’s not the ideal workplace for you. As you shadow various working professionals, you may discover you are drawn to a particular specialty. Maybe you’ll enjoy interacting with patients more than anything, so you might decide to focus on a job that offers that opportunity – a retirement home, for example.

Find a mentor.

During your externship, you will be working among industry professionals. Observe them. Listen to them. Ask questions. They can be valuable resources for you who can provide a wealth of information and practical advice. They’ll also teach you about protocol to follow in various real-life situations and can offer techniques to help you do your job more easily and effectively.

Take advantage of networking opportunities.

Having an externship could lead to your first job after graduation. If you do a good job, show enthusiasm and volunteer to do as much as you can you may be asked to come back for a permanent position after you graduate from your medical assisting program. In addition, if you forge relationships with some of the people you’ll be working with they may have contacts who can help in your job search.

Participating in an externship can really tie together all that you’ve learned in the classroom and in your hands-on training with real-world experience. Take full advantage of all that you can learn.

If you are considering a career in medical assisting, check out the comprehensive program MTI College in Sacramento offers. As a graduate of the medical assistant program at MTI, you will be prepared to go out into the workforce in less than a year.

Additional benefits of studying medical assistant at MTI include:

• The flexibility of a new program that allows you to take classes just three times a week
• Preparation for the National Certification for Medical Assisting (NCCT). Test can be taken during regular class hours on campus.
• Access to MTI’s job placement assistance after graduation

Graduates of the medical assistant program at MTI College will have proficiency in the skills needed to perform diverse duties in the healthcare field and can look forward to an in-demand career. Contact MTI College today to enroll.

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Minding Your Manners in the Salon: 10 Etiquette Rules for Hairstylists

In cosmetology school, you’ll learn to cut and style all types of hair. You’ll use your creativity to apply color and highlights, and you’ll learn the techniques to apply makeup flawlessly. Once you graduate and pass your state board exam, you’ll be ready for your first salon job. Being successful in your new cosmetology career goes beyond the technical skills: you also need to practice good salon etiquette to earn the respect of your clients and coworkers. The good news is that exhibiting proper salon etiquette is pretty much common sense.

As you hone your technical skills, build your reputation as a respectful, professional stylist. Follow these 10 commonsense rules of etiquette; they’re not that much different than those you would practice in most social situations.

Be on time. When a customer selects a particular appointment time, it’s for a reason. If you are so irresponsible as to come to work late, take too much personal time or make your customers wait, you’re immediately off to a bad start. Be considerate and respectful of your customers’ time and mindful that your behavior reflects on the salon’s reputation.

Keep your cell phone quiet and out of sight. Taking personal calls while you are doing a client’s hair is just plain rude. Restrict your calls to breaks and lunchtime. If there’s truly an emergency at home, instruct your family to call the salon and leave a message.

Get a clear understanding of what your client wants, and be honest about what you can do. If your client wants a shorter haircut, for example, you need to clarify exactly what that means. Shorter to her might mean a trim, but to you it could indicate a complete style change. Also, if a client with stick-straight hair wants curl and volume, you might need to explain why her hair’s texture might not give the exact results she wants. Be very clear to avoid disappointment. It’s ok to make suggestions, but never just assume.

Remain courteous and professional when talking with your client. Avoid talking about volatile topics, including religion and politics. Watch your language, too, so that you don’t offend anyone. If possible, focus on the client’s interests and hobbies. It might help to take notes after your appointment so that you’ll know what to talk about next time – the new grandchild, her dog, the vacation to Hawaii, etc. Hopefully, you’ll develop a long-standing professional relationship with your client. Remember that referrals are good for your business!

Look the part. What you wear and how you look reflects on your work. If you show up looking as if you just got out of bed, that’s not going to bode well with your clients. Be clean, neat, well-manicured and well-dressed. Your clients come to you hoping for a new look – or at least a better look – and your appearance can give them hope that they can look that good, too.

Smell good.  Make sure your breath is clean and fresh, avoid excessive perfume and don’t forget to use your deodorant. You and your client (as well as your coworkers) will be in close quarters long enough to notice.

Avoid gossip. Don’t talk negatively about your boss, the salon or your coworkers to your clients, and don’t share gossip. It never ends well.

You don’t need to shout. Nobody likes a loudmouth. Speak at a level that’s loud enough to be heard, but not by everyone in the salon.

Prepare your station before your client arrives. Have all of your tools set up and ready to use, and clean your station. Sweep up the hair from your previous client, and be prepared to offer your full attention to the client in your chair.

Keep learning. A hairstylist’s world is ever changing and competitive. To stay on top of the latest trends, tools and techniques you’ll need to keep learning. Attend seminars and trade shows. Take professional classes. Read the trade magazines – and know what the celebrities are wearing and doing. If you do, you’ll be more confident and comfortable doing hair.

Are you ready to become a hairstylist and study cosmetology? Regardless of your goal in cosmetology, MTI’s Paul Mitchell The School helps you develop the beauty and cosmetology skills you need for a rewarding career. Maybe you want to work in a family member’s salon or for a world-class franchise. Perhaps you’d like to share your expertise by teaching others or work as a professional makeup artist. The opportunities are out there.

At Paul Mitchell The School, you’ll learn salon techniques, as well as the business fundamentals you’ll need. You’ll learn about marketing, merchandising, client retention and cash flow management. All of that plus small class sizes and one-on-one attention from your industry-professional instructors will prepare you for the next step: taking the California State Cosmetology Board exam. From there, the sky’s the limit.

Make your dream a reality. Register for the cosmetology program at MTI College today.

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Five Surprising Places That Require Trained Medical Assistants

Medical assistants play vital roles in today’s healthcare industry, helping doctors perform a number of clinical and administrative duties. These include administering medications, checking vital signs, drawing blood, removing sutures, noting patient medical histories, processing insurance claims and more. As you might imagine, medical assistants work in hospitals, doctors’ offices and clinics, but they are needed in other locations that might surprise you.

Here are five places where medical assistants can apply their versatile skills in the healthcare industry:

Retirement facility

Medical assistant jobs are in demand, partially because of a rapidly aging U.S. population. As people age, they usually need more medical care. A logical place to put the skills of a medical assistant to use is a retirement facility – nursing home or assisted living facility. Many of the residents are not sick; they are just elderly and need assistance. In many cases, medical assistants can administer their medication, give injections or check vitals. They may also assist residents with their daily hygiene, help them get around in wheelchairs and with walkers, provide first aid and handle basic physiotherapy sessions. In addition, because many retirement facilities have their own on-staff physicians, medical assistants can be a big help to them.

Palliative care facility

Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation may effectively eradicate some or all of the disease, but both come with side effects (pain, nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness, insomnia, etc.) and disrupt quality of life. Palliative care helps relieve the symptoms and helps patients and families live the best way possible for as long as possible. Medical assistants who work in a palliative care facility can assist cancer patients with their daily care, administer medication, change dressings and lend support. They are also an excellent resource for families of patients because they can keep them up to date on the course of treatment, handle administrative tasks and offer emotional support.

Home healthcare

A medical assistant who enjoys (or requires) schedule flexibility might decide that working in home healthcare is a good option. Many people who need regular health monitoring choose to stay in their homes rather than in a nursing home or rehabilitation facility. Others may need post-hospitalization follow-up care. In these cases, a medical assistant can provide care in the patient’s home. Some of the duties may be similar to those required in an assisted living facility, such as checking vitals, helping with mobility issues and providing medical social services.

Insurance companies

A medical assistant is critically important to the smooth operation of a doctor’s office, hospital or medical clinic, and his or her duties are split between administrative and clinical responsibilities. If you choose to work for an insurance company, you will use more of the administrative skills you’ve learned. You will be able to understand patient medical records and be adept at organizing hospital admissions, lab services and insurance claims. Because you will know medical terminology and basic medical care, you would be a valuable resource to an insurance company.

Military

Four branches of the U.S. military – the Air Force, Army, Navy and Coast Guard – need medical assistants to help on bases and on the battlefield. Depending on the branch of the military you choose, you may be expected to complete additional training, including basic training that all personnel are required to take. As a medical assistant enlisted in the military, you would work with various teams of healthcare professionals in clinics on land or aboard ships. If you are deployed overseas, you would work in a mobile field hospital. If active military duty is not for you, perhaps work for the Veterans Administration (VA) in a hospital, outpatient clinic or rehab facility.

How to become a medical assistant

Medical assistants require comprehensive training in administrative, clinical and laboratory procedures. MTI College prepares students for a career in medical assistance in less than a year with impressive coursework that encompasses:

• Medical terminology
• Anatomy and physiology
• Pharmacology
• Medical protocol and procedures in clinics and laboratories
• Front-office practices, including coding and billing procedures
• Patient relations
• Medical law and ethics

Additionally, a required 160-hour off-campus externship provides hands-on experience in a professional healthcare facility setting that gets you ready to hit the ground running.

Studying to become a medical assistant at MTI College offers additional benefits, including:

• The flexibility of a new program that allows you to take classes just three times a week
• Preparation for the National Certification for Medical Assisting (NCCT) exam. Exam can be taken on campus during class hours
• Access to MTI’s job placement assistance after graduation

Once you complete your medical assistant program at MTI College, you should be proficient in the skills needed to perform diverse duties in the healthcare field and can look forward to an in-demand career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth of the medical assistant field on the national level is expected to increase by 24 percent through 2024.

Contact MTI College today to study for a career as a medical assistant, a role that is critically important in the healthcare industry.

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