Do you go to Valtech? I saw you asked someone else that. I did my coding certificate there a couple of years ago and now work as a transcriptionist for a service in town.

I thought about doing the MA program through Valtech but the cost of daycare while I do it would make it not worth it, plus we are moving now. So, I am still considering it somewhere else though it will cost me more money, so I am not sure...

If we were here another couple of years and my kids were all in school, I might have done it since HOPE pays for it.

yes I go to valtech! small world eh?

actually I signed up to duel program today!!!!

MA's don't make enough money to make me feel comfortable so I now signed myself up for an addition 6 monthes of school to be a surgical technologist. I am SOOOO happy, I was freaking out for so long on which to chose, so I stuck with medical assistint thinking I would like the hours

so in about 1 1/2 years I will be a certified Surgical Technologist, AND a Certified Medical Assistant.
I rock I rock I rock I'll be making so much more money doing both!!!

did you have Mrs Bruce as an Instructor? I do. I *heart* her.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Good idea. You're an AF spouse right? You never know what will be in demand where you go.

Is Mrs. Bruce the one with short hair, kind of a trim build? I took MAS 112 some years back after switching out of the LPN program (and then dropped completely - I tried to salvage the semester by changing to pharmacy tech but really did not think that choice through and ended up withdrawing). I think she was my instructor for MAS 112. I still have the textbook.

Susan Jackson taught all of the courses I did in the coding certificate. I took it all online, but she was very helpful. Actually, they are all pretty nice there.

I don't think you will have a hard time finding a MA job in Valdosta, but the pay is not great.

We are PCSing in July so we are moving on.

One of the hard things about picking a program to pursue is that you have to look beyond where you are and to where you might end up and what you can do there. And overseas is a whole 'nother ball game. You are wise to expand your skills. Take what you can while you are here. The HOPE grant is awesome.

Are you an AF spouse too? why are you moving?


yeah... I don't really get along with Mrs Jackson's teaching method. Everything she teaches is an online course, regardless if its taught at school or not. I don't know how it was when you were there.

yup Mrs bruce is the small dark haired one!

I am so excited. going for both programs and spending another 6-8 monthes in school than regular is so worth the money and experience.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

We have orders to Kirtland (in Albuquerque). My husband is going to teach at the PJ school there. He will not deploy in that position so I am very very happy!! It will be a great 3 years (or 4 - it might be 4 and that would be even better).

I needed online courses at the time so it worked out well for me. Given the option, I prefer face to face, but with kids, online is very helpful to my wallet.

Oh - I wanted to ask - how far are you into the program? Do you know where you all are going to extern? Just curious. There are soooo many drs offices around here, arent there?

I'm about half way done with the medical assisting. I have NO idea where I will extern, or even WHEN because I'm now Duel program.

yeah... lol I have no kids!! I don't plan on having any until I'm COMPLETELY done with school either.
That's why I have so much time to do all this stuff.

but if he get's stationed anywere a few monthes before I graduate, I'm afraid I will have to stay here until I'm done with school, then go live with him later afterwards.
it's worth the minimal time apart for a life time of happiness and comfort.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

have you looked into school is NM?

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Yep - there are two proprietary (career) schools at about $9000 each for the program. Ouch. Its a 8.5 month program. My youngest should be in kindergarten before we leave so I would wait to do it then, but am not sure if I want to spend $9000 for a negligible increase in pay. There is a community college there where the vocational courses are tuition free (arts and sciences classes are not) and they have some health occupations programs so I might end up going there instead. They have MLT, RRT, X-ray, DMS (ultrasound), Nursing (PN and RN), Pharmacy tech, EMT B and I, and a couple more like phlebotomy and CNA. X-ray, Nursing and DMS all have a two to three year wait. My other option, though I am not sure if I want to do it is to apply to the BS to BSN program at the university there. It is 16 mos long and I would get a BSN out of it. I don't know if I want to be a nurse though. There is a lot about it I just don't want (like the fact that anything that isn't a specific job duty of someone else seems to get dumped on the nurse, and if someone - unit secretary, CNA, housekeeping - slacks or is absent or too busy, the nurse gets to add that to her jammed list of things to do. Not much time left for the art of nursing there).

Wow, what a novel. Sorry. What unit are you guys in here? We are rescue.

ummm lol I don't remember. I know that he is in the hydro backshop off the flight line. I think it's 71st, or 371st, or something!! hahah I can't remember.
he's a mechanic.

hope pays for 95 hours.
I just found out I will never qualify for pell because I have no kids, and now I have to pay for 51 hours all by myself because I'm duel program. Student loans here we come! gerrr
whatever. thank god they pay for that much.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Is it 347th MXS? Mine's in the 38th. They used to have one squadron for all of the helicopter people and one for all of the C-130 people but then they split them all up and they pretty much work with only people who have the same or similar jobs. It was kind of weird when we moved back and it was like that. I was used to everyone mixing it up.

Hey - they keep changing HOPE - way back the first time I used it there was a three program limit - meaning you could change your program three times before they would stop paying for it. Then, when I did the coding certificate, it seemed to be pretty much that you could get it to pay for everything.

95 hours can go fast if you are in two diploma programs. Maybe they will change it again before you finish - one can only hope (oh - I made a pun and didn't even know it Lol).

Well, off to work for me. My mind is already packed up and ready to go and I have serious short timer syndrome, so work is not very exciting to me right now It helps with the money a little, and its nice to use what I learned in school for a change.

Well, I hope you guys don't get orders til you are done with school. Ah, the life of a military spouse.

yeah! 347th. that's it. lol I don't know where I got 371st from.

they may change it I hope anyway. because that's a lot of hours. two years worth of school. it would be like getting my associates, but it would be two diploma programs, which I prefer.

if we get orders for somewhere else I'm staying here for school. we already discussed that. I will rent a small apartment or something, especially if it would be really close to me graduating. there would be no point in me going to school if I had to freaken move again lol and I have no kids, so it's not really a problem.

yeah! hey do you actually LIKE your job? what does a medical coder do? is it like medical transcription? are you glad you chose that certificate?

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Hehe. Actually I do medical transcription. The jobs that were available to grads from the coding certificate were for medical office billing at about $8-9/hr. We did not do an insurance billing course in the certificate - unfortunate because that is really needed. I never even saw a CMS1500(is that the form? I can't remember the number) except for a picture of half of one used in the text for illustration purposes.

With kids, $8-9 per hour is pretty much eaten up by daycare for two and afterschool program for the oldest. I am doing transcription now at about $11/hr (its production pay), which is low for transcription, but consdering I did not have a transcription background or certificate, it was a foot in the door. Plus, my hours are more flexible so I don't have to pay for afterschool care and my middle child continues at her preschool and attends daycare only two days per wk. The youngest goes 5 days to daycare but I pick him up after school. Some people work at night after their kids are in bed, but I would never get any sleep. Anything less than 6 hours on a consistent basis and I fall to pieces.

Anyway, transcription is OK, but I am doing orthopedic office notes and it is kind of repetitive. I also don't like sitting down for so long. Unless I am in the chair typing, I am not making any money. I prefer a job with a little more physical activity - I don't want to be a ditch digger, but sitting all day typing is hard on my back and shoulders. My left trapezius muscle keeps going into spasm.

Gotta go do some more work on cleaning up the house so we can put it on the market.

Talk to you later!