V O L U M E I S S U EYour “Progress Note” on all things Allied Health at

Bryant & Stratton College, Milwaukee Market

Rachel Nessler entered the Rheu-matology and Immunotherapy Center in Franklin, under the guid-ance of Dr. Alvin F. Wells, as an in-ternship student from the Spring 2014 Bryant & Stratton College’s MA Practicum class. She was not sure if it was the place for her or what they would expect from her.

There was that ‘Aha!’ moment one day when Dr. Wells called Rachel into patient Room 2. “He said, ‘okay, you’re going to help me do this procedure’ and I said ‘am I allowed to do that?!’ So he asked for the forceps and now we’re just going for it right now…that was when I suddenly realized I can do this and I know what is going on and everything is okay.” At the center, she found herself as-

sisting with injections, working with ultrasound machines, tak-ing vitals and rooming patients. When the practice expanded as her experience was ending, they asked if she could stay on. She acknowledges that there is a lot going on and “it was crazy but it was awesome. Everything about rheumatology is interesting—how you have to react and how patients react…I just never expected to have such a real interest in this area.”

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Spring MA Grad Rachel Nessler talks about finding your calling and figuring out what’s next

Earlier this year, the nationally-recognized American As-sociation of Medical Assistants released a new Certifica-tion/Recertification (AAMA) Examination Content Out-line for 2015.

Schools of Instruction in this field such as Bryant & Strat-ton College took note, as the outline appeared different than the previous versions and would ultimately affect what weight would be taught to certain subjects compared to others, the language altered used to describe certain topics, and even specific guides for readings and lessons in core concepts and competencies might have to be added to the curriculum.

“The Content Outline needs to be based on what Medical Assistants and entry-level MAs that take our exam and are just beginning a new job are expected to be able to do,” explained Anna Johnson, Associate Executive Director of the AAMA. “That is a very basic requirement and so much that you may note we’re accredited by the National Com-mission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). They require that an Occupational Analysis be done and from which certain exam questions are generated.”

The Content Outline was actually the second ‘domino’ to fall as a direct result of the CMA (AAMA) Occupational Analysis, which surveyed and (Continued Page 8)

Returning MA student advises on her personal and educational

changesPg. 6

The Spring Term in Pictures Around town at School events, in the

lab and at graduation Pg. 5 In this issue:

03 07 August 2014

Inspired Words

Best in Class:

AAMA updates Occupational Analysis for the current age; new Course Outcomes set for 2015

Spokesperson for association discusses who was polled and what was updated

Marne Bonomo

A Word from our

Academic Program Director

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What a quick summer that was. It seems impossible that it is time for another MA Pinning Ceremony already. Although we had a smaller group of Medical Assistants this term, as of this writing every single graduate has passed a national certification exam, either the CMA (AAMA) or the CCMA (NHA). Six of these students also just earned their Phlebotomy Certification (CPT) and our first group will sit for EKG Certification (CET) in September.

So many students overcame incredible adverse circum-stances while achieving this ultimate success that it fills us with pride and humility. Needless to say, we feel like proud parents after spending the last two years or more with them. Congratulations Spring 2014 Medical Assistants! Our entire team has a part in these student successes. At the end of our program, however, that last push comes from our Practicum Coordinator, Dr. Kevin Schuller. He monitors skills, coordinates internship sites and manages our student Practicum experiences along with MA Program Administrator Dr. Dahlene Paasewe. She orchestrates the last semester review and CMA exam preparation. Most students feel this experience is more intense than they had ever expected. However, at the end when they achieve Certification and land a job, they are thankful for the push that was given. In the Fall term, Dr. Paasewe will be moving into an Adjunct position where she will continue to man-age the Advanced Medical Assisting course. Her full-time support as Program Administrator will sorely missed by our team, and her amazing contribution to our current extraor-dinary Certification Exam pass rates will be remembered by all.Health Services Administration had a successful Spring term as well. Many of our grads did their Capstone Research projects in long-term care facilities, where they hope to have a long career in management. Most are already work-ing in their new jobs prior to graduating and one employer even created a position for our graduate because they were so impressed with her skills.

Many of the Capstone projects, coached by Dr. Salman Afsar and Ms. Aakisha Fields, centered upon employee engagement when our students identified problems of high employee turnover at a site. During their prior HSA Finance course, instructor Debra Davis-Nevels assigned everyone to act as department heads in her ‘company’, Students had to negotiate for cooperation and contracts, and discovered that employee turnover comes at a huge expense both mon-etarily and in added work for those left behind to do the work and train new employees.

Our students surveyed employees, analyzed the data col-lected, conducted interviews and worked with management to implement resolutions. Some of these resolutions were as simple as a few minutes added at monthly meetings to recognize employee excellence, and also creating daily/nightly work assignments to prevent favoritism. Students updated and improved HIPAA training and measured the ratio of employees who had planned to leave--they now say that they are content in their roles because they have more information and respect.

One student improved the pediatric patient “no show” rate by interviewing parents and grandparents. The student

made appropriate community resources available so that children got to appointments as needed. It appears that we will be having some great new managers in the workforce. Some of their current roles include: Health Outreach Specialist, Health Unit Secretary, Senior Medical Assistant and Donor Processor. One student excitedly told me about how she was able to participate in employee interviews and felt that she was well prepared to do this on her own now.

Though we have been a Career College for 160 years, Bryant & Stratton is embarking on an increased focus on employability where students will have a specific course outcome focus on real-world career connections and work-place capabilities in every course. This sets us apart from other colleges.

Much of this overall focus was already the practice in our Allied Health programs, because students had to be ready for clinical internships. Now, there will be a much stronger

and more visible focus throughout every Bryant & Stratton student experience moving forward.

There will be initial online courses as students embark on programs to become more workplace-ready with the tech-nology/internet skills required in today’s market. At the end, they will earn a National Career Readiness Certification to present to prospective employers at the end of a program.

Our programs grow and evolve every semester, providing us with the opportunity to see students achieve more and more and it is our great pleasure to be a small part in their success.

Warm Regards, Dr. Bonomo, PhD, MHA, RN

V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 7

From your Director for Health Services Administration and Medical Assisting

Allied Health Program Director Marne Bonomo and Dr. Kevin Schuller) chat with Allied Health students before they took the stage at May 2014’s BSC Graduation at the Milwaukee

Theatre.

Congratulations! The following select students were conferred with the Bryant & Stratton College Medical Assisting Pin this April 2014. They have completed the BSC Practicum program--completing the AHLT 252: Advanced MA and AHLT 270: Internship portions--and they have already sat and passed the Certified Medical Assisting [denoted by the American Association of Medical Assistants] or Certified Clinical Medical Assistant [National Healthcare Association] Exam.

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Deandra Arneson, CMA [AAMA]

Kimberly Brown, CCMA [NHA]

Ashlee Clements, CMA [AAMA]

Shonea Croom, CCMA [NHA]

Danielle Dankert, CCMA [NHA]

Amanda Fontanez, CMA [AAMA]

Amanda Gleason, CMA [AAMA]

Jamie Gronholm, CMA [AAMA], CPT [NHA]

Keyana Jeffrey, CCMA [NHA]

Gail Mijokovic, CMA [AAMA], CPT [NHA]

Kendra Navarro, CMA [AAMA]

Rachel Nessler, CMA [AAMA], CPT [NHA]

Shirley Sanders, CMA [AAMA]

Natalie Spitz, CMA [AAMA], CPT [NHA]

Bridgette Ward, CMA [AAMA]

Dorian Washington, CCMA [NHA]

Kari Wilson, CMA [AAMA], CPT [NHA]

Health Service Administration Capstone Research students (West Campus) l-r: Shpresa Muedinov, Jennifer Deptula, Kirandeep Kaur and Kalima Critton.

V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 7

Capstone performances: four students from Dr. Salman Afsar’s Bachelors’ research class discuss what they found

Highly successful healthcare administrators-in-training address communication gaps, turnover rates and social media issues in the workplace

Kirandeep Kaur: For her Capstone project, she looked at a breakdown in communication at her now previous in-ternship site and clinic of employment. “It was important, and it brought everybody down...managers didn’t fully communicate with staff and there was such a high turn-over.” She learned what was going wrong directly in part to her HSA classes at Bryant and Stratton College. Although she never got to discuss her findings with the manager (who oversaw two sites and never came to Kaur’s clinic when she was there) she hopes that in a future management posi-tion she can use practical aspects. “I would make sure that I would not repeat those same mistakes that she did or make sure the staff trusts me enough to communicate with me and let me know how they feel.” At present, she now works for Wellpoint as a a Health Outreach Specialist, under the Medicare and Government business division. Kaur will start her Masters’ in Public Health Emergency Management soon and hopes if a posi-tion opens up I can get right in there.

Shpresa Muedinov: Her project involved employee turn-over and the lack of rewards for taking on tasks left behind by previous employees. She worked at a smaller clinic that was newer and smaller than others in the umbrella compa-ny. “A lot of new staff were coming in and overall they were working out the kinks. Because of this, a lot of people still didn’t like the setup and people were leaving. It does mo-rale...it puts more stress on [those who remain] and there is not really acknowledgement or rewards for those who take over responsibilities of people who have left.” She has since accepted a new position towards my degree as an Administrative Coordinator for float pool staff. At

Froedtert Hospital. She plans on talking to them about it because the situation didn’t seem fair to Muedinov and “if no one talks then it won’t get fixed...So if I was the man-ager, the way I’d get it fixed—I mean, you’re always going to have people leave, that’s just human nature. They want to grow, they want to succeed in life. But as a manager I believe you must do what you can to maintain the staff. So motivation, rewards, communication with staff—letting them know you understand it can be pretty stressful and appreciate your help.”

Kalima Critton: She researched job and employee satis-faction at her current employer Columbia St. Mary’s where she works at a clinic in Shorewood. “In the HSA program, we had to look at aspects of our own environment and what we would do and change as a manager...There was a lot of management challenges in my facility and I based it on [that].” Critton would like to work somewhere as a Clinic Supervisor or Manager.

Jennifer Deptula: She examined social media and its regulations and rules within Aurora concentrating on St. Luke’s in Cudahy where Deptula works. “They have some protocols on it, but it’s very gray and no one is looking for it—it’s word of mouth.”

The inconsistent nature of what is okay to post and not post universally from healthcare workers surrounded by poten-tially confidential matters was of main concern. She will take her findings to her CNS advocate for change. “I was surprised that the social media pamphlet they were hand-ing out only went to nurses. They are so many other health-care providers in the hospital that don’t get educated on it. I wrote my recommendation to be that Aurora should come up with a system-wide policy...Everyone gets the same in-formation no matter the position you’re in.”

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Snapshots:Allied Health BSC Students in action, May to August 2014

Latosha Purdy was recently noticed by BSC’s West Lab Coordinator and Instructor Marni Schmidt at the Healthy

Family Fair and almost didn’t recognize her. Since graduat-ing the MA program in Winter

2012, Purdy had undergone a physical and personal trans-formation for the better. Now she has returned to seek the MAA degree, and talked with us about the hurdles she has overcome and her new-found goals. In her own inspired words:

I am a single mother of a beautiful six year old little daugh-ter named Lajada. When she was just nine months old I decided to go back to school as a Medical Assistant. Begin-ning this journey, I didn’t think that I would experience all the things that I did.

During the two years as a student at Bry-ant and Stratton College, I became ill—diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I wasn’t able to work or go to school because I couldn’t use my hands. But during this time my family came together and helped me through the storm: I audio recorded every class. My mother and best friend helped me type my homework. I was this way for six weeks, until I began treatment and was able to overcome this illness. And I still didn’t stop! I continued going to class, and began to work as a certified medication tech at a local nursing home, worked as an in-home care giver for the el-derly and helped my family take care of my grandmother.

During this time of my life I didn’t think I would see graduation. I worked three jobs and completed my internship at Children’s Hospital. Two months before my graduation, my grandmother passed away. I was dev-astated! But I thank God for each and everyone one of my instruc-tors and advisors at BSC. Because when I cried they cried, when I laughed they laughed. They helped me and pushed me to continue my education. I expressed to them the com-panies I wanted to work for. They began to write reference letters on my behalf. They e-mailed me job listings and

helped me update my resume each time it changed.

I am currently working for Aurora Advance Healthcare as a Medical Assistant Float.

I have found in the past three years in which I have been working as a MA, that if you enjoy learning and experienc-ing new things then being a “Float” is the best position for you. I learned that I enjoy training and teaching the new hires, and as I thought about my future that involved re-turning to school for my Medical Assisting Administrative (MAA) Degree.

With this degree, I am able to be a better employee to my company. I will be able to work in the medical office as a coder, supervisor or even a trainer. With this degree, I will be able to enjoy the business and clinical side of the medi-cal field.

As a current employee, student and single mother, my ad-

vice to anyone reading this article is DON’T GIVE UP!

You can complete all things as long as you keep trying. I have spent many days crying and frustrated, but I have learned that when you seek help from your family, advisors and peers you can make it. Even during the times of seek-ing employment, you may receive six rejection letters, go on ten interviews, and get told 60 times “we will call you”.

DON’T GIVE UP! I experienced many rejections, but I stood and continued to apply repeatedly. I continued to change my resume, continued to take classes, volunteered and attended many job fairs until I was hired.

So please, DON’T GIVE UP! I truly thank all of Bryant and Stratton’s staff for all the help and positive influence that they have impacted on my life, and my family’s life.

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Inspired Words

National Medical Assistants Recognition Week is October 20-24, 2014

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(Continued from Page 1)

By now, Nessler is graduating Bryant & Stratton College with top honors and has already earned her Certified Medi-cal Assistant (CMA) title as well as Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT).

She plans to take an exam to qualify for a third set of let-ters by becoming a Certified Electrocardiogram Technician (CET) with others from her class this September.

She has also already moved on to the next step in her call-ing, to become a Medical Dosimetrist through the Radiation Therapy program degree offered only at UW-LaCrosse in Wisconsin. It’s a long way to come for a “country girl from Oak Creek” and boggling for Nessler to think about being possible just a few short years ago.

“I’ve always been interested in healthcare, [but it became clear] taking care of my grandpa when he was sick,” Nessler said. “He lived down in Arkansas, and we went down there to see him as he eventually died of a ventricle situation. But during that time, I helped out at the hospital. And everyone on the staff was so sweet to him and our family, that it made me want to be like that. This has always been a big thing for families to bear, so eventually I want to get a degree in Radiation Therapy—particularly Pediatrics. That’s because I also volunteer in the Oncology ward of Children’s Hospital. The kids there are so inspirational. A lot of people don’t like volunteering for this because it’s a sad situation to be in. But I know that you are helping them and giving back. Helping them to get better makes [the emotional toll] all worth it—just to put a smile on their faces.”

Nessler just signed up without it having anything to do with being in the MA pro-gram. It was solely to brighten spirits and not directly related to medicine.

“I go there and you have to be careful with each kid, know-ing who can come out of their room to play on the Wii for example, but other kids can’t even share toys with other kids. But essentially you go and play with them and try to get them to take their minds off the hospital.”

She reflected on the sisterhood found in the classroom: “You make so many bonds with other students; two of them I call all the time because they are in the same position I am, so they can help each other. Each person has a different strength, like Natalie has worked in healthcare for the past ten years so she has that experience to give. Conversely, if I’m doing one of the readings and she can’t find the time then I can help her get through it.”

The smaller class sizes were a big draw from her prior expe-rience at another college. At BSC, she enjoyed the fact that the class could stop right in the middle and interact with the instructor. At her last college, it felt more like a one-way path of instruction where knowledge was just handed out instead of discussed.

She is now the first of her family to go to college and knows that they are proud of her, if not a little bit envious that they did not get the experience.

Finally, on how she handled one challenge: “I struggled a lot with the EKG machine, but it was so interesting that I just kept plugging away at it. I just wanted to know more [even from mistakes], like why did it do that and why is this higher

than others. It was all confusing to me trying to read it and know what is going on. But now, I’m go-ing for the CET in September. I finally got to a place where I feel comfortable interpreting what ev-erything means.”

Nessler finds her way...and then keeps going

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(Continued from Page 1) researched recent CMAs in the job field from 2012-2013. The findings pushed the out-line to happen and then the Continuing recent CMAs in the job field from 2012-2013. The findings pushed the outline to happen and then the Continuing Education Board (CEB) used these to formulate an Advanced Prac-tice of Medical Assisting document. The final domino will occur when the Medical Assisting Educational Re-view Board (MAERB) considers new questions or greater number of questions in a certain area on the CMA Exam.

Johnson says, “Over 5,000 MAs and CMAs completed the survey. This was for the first time limited to those who had certified in the past four years. We really wanted to focus on entry-level tasks. What is important on your job, your provider... it was shown that there was some-what of a shift—one of these shifts was the true recogni-tion of the importance of communication. Number one is Confidentiality. But two, three and four are all related to personal relations [with patients and co-workers].” In a Job Analysis, the particular skills and needs of a work position is examined by an individual company for its use across multiple organizations in its purview. In the larger-scale Occupational Analysis, the position is examined to identify the major competencies and skills needed across the industry. When the AAMA set out to update their poll of current Certified Medical Assistants, they found certain areas where MAs find themselves in new territory.

“[MAs are relied on more because] in a sense, they define the environment that patient is entering,” stated Johnson. Some of this had to do with evolving technology in the workplace, while at other times it showed an evolving na-ture of what the MA can be asked to do in the clinic, lab or hospital setting much the same was nurses are asked to conduct tasks previously done by doctors. Instead of just typing correspondence, answering phones and tak-ing vital signs, the modern MA is asked to maintain

EHRs (Electronic Health Records), room patients and draw blood through butterfly-needle venipunctures.

“There is a little more related to health coaching and pa-tient navigation. Part of what the Content Outline did is to spell it out more—there is more clarification in each section. This was possibly to help instructional programs and students to know what materials they specifically would need to know [for the CMA Exam, and it corre-lates with revised CAAHEP standards.

CAAHEP (the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs), which accredits Bryant & Stratton College’s MA Program, will now be more syn-chronized with the weighted order and topics than it’s ever been, according to Johnson. The organizations are in the process of revisions, which will become apparent in 2015.

Students in the program here may not notice much of a change. While the college already guides lessons in each of the required areas, they also go beyond this and teach-es to the needs of the employers in the Milwaukee com-munity, taking into account the needs in certain areas and what the healthcare market locally asks for.

Some of the outline changes are just a matter of more ac-cepted wording, while at other times they reflect broader patient encounters (i.e. 2015’s “A1. Therapeutic/Adaptive Responses to Diverse Populations—b. Hearing Impaired” vs. 2014 and prior outline’s “E1. 1. Adapting communica-tion according to an individual’s needs—b. Deaf”).

Some of the items eliminated from the new list were items already expected by a general population to know what to do in an office environment such as calculators, pho-tocopying and answering a phone. Such skills will con-tinue to be taught at our career-minded college, as well as keeping up with teach-ing the latest trends and new position re-quirements.

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT THESE LINKS:

*Occupational Analysis: http://www.aama-ntl.org/docs/default-source/about-the-profession-and-credential/oa.pdf?sfvrsn=6

*Membership (How to Join) information:http://www.aama-ntl.org/membership/join-info

CAAHEP: http://www.caahep.org/ MAERB: http://www.maerb.org/

CEB’s Advanced Practice of Medical Assisting: http://www.aama-ntl.org/docs/default-source/recertification-by-continuing-education/advanced-practice.pdf

Course Outcomes updates

Page 9

The AAMA asks Congress to invest in health professions programs

They need your voice now to support theirs in order to help future CMAs improve healthcare.It is felt that such programs must be sen-sitive to the evolving system of health care delivery, the changing scope of prac-tice for various disciplines, the socioeco-nomic and cultural characteristics of an increasingly diverse national population, and the ever-expanding base of scientific knowledge associated with providing the highest quality of health care in the world. The Advisory Committee also under-stands that training health professionals in interdisciplinary settings leads to the most effective health care as recognized by numerous national reports, health sys-tems, and accrediting agencies.1

AAMA President Watson: I am writ-ing on behalf of the American Associa-tion of Medical Assistants (AAMA), a national organization representing the medical assisting profession. The AAMA has over 30,000 members throughout the United States, and is the recognized voice for the medical assisting profession on federal and state issues that impact the safety and welfare of all Americans. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the medical assisting profession is projected to be one of the fast-est growing health care fields through 2022. One of the reasons for the burgeoning demand for medical assistants is the greater amount of health care that is be-ing delivered in outpatient, pri-mary care settings. Medical as-sistants work primarily in these settings, and are highly valued because of their cross training, versatility, and cultural compe-tence in dealing with patients from varied ethnic backgrounds and cultures.As the nation adjusts to the ramifications of President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, medical assis-tants holding the CMA (AAMA) creden-tial awarded by the Certifying Board of the AAMA are assuming additional, vi-tal roles in the health care delivery sys-tem, such as patient advocate and health coach. Only medical assistants who have graduated from a programmatically-accredited, postsecondary medical as-sisting program are eligible for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Examination....

Questions? Contact Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA, at dbalasa@aama-ntl.org or 800/228-2262.

Twelve Most Frequently Performed ResponsibilitiesAccording to the AAMA’s OATF (Occupational Analysis Task Force), which consists of a Board of Trustees (BOT), the Certifying Board (CB), Continu-ing Education Board (CEB), Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) and At-large CMAs (AAMA), the following responsibilities were most frequently performed by survey respondents (listed in descending order from more frequently performed to less frequently performed): 1. Abide by principles and laws related to confidentiality

2. Adapt communications to an individual’s understanding

3. Demonstrate respect for individual diversity (culture ethnicity, gender, race, religion, age, economic status) 4. Employ professional techniques during verbal, non- verbal, and text-based interactions 5. Comply with risk management and safety procedures

6. Interact with staff and patients to optimize workflow efficiency 7. Maintain patient records 8. Provide care within legal and ethical boundaries 9. Practice standard precautions

10. Document patient communication, observations, and clinical treatments

11. Identify potential consequences of failing to operate within the scope of practice of a medical assistant 12. Transmit information electronically

to improve the diversity, distribution, and supply of the health professions workforce with an emphasis on prima-ry care and interdisciplinary education and training. Unfortunately, funding of these programs is insufficient to ensure an adequate supply of health care pro-viders for our most vulnerable popula-tions.

A compelling synopsis of the need for funding can be found in a report by the National Advisory Committee on Inter-disciplinary, Community-Based Link-ages to the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, and to the Congress:

The Advisory Committee believes that the primary purpose behind the Federal programs created by Title VII, Part D of the Public Health Service Act is creation of academic-community partnerships that prepare a health workforce which is responsive to the needs of the Nation.

excerpted from CMA Today (July/Au-gust 2014, Issue 4/Vol. 47) By Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA Executive Director, Legal Counsel and Public AffairsThe American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) is working to make itself heard in Congress. In April 2014, AAMA President Nina L. Watson, CMA (AAMA), sent letters in support of fund-ing for programs that can help future medical assistants and improve health care delivery nationwide.

Expanding the Reach of Health ServicesTitles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act are federally funded pro-grams intent on improving the supply and distribution of health professions and generating a supply of providers who work in medically underserved com-munities. Through these programs, the Health Resources and Services Adminis-tration (HRSA) provides grants to medi-cal and other health professions schools

Marne Bonomo, PhDBryant & Stratton College310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 500 East

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310 West Wisconsin AvenuePhone: 414-276-5200Fax: 414-276-3930 www.bryantstratton.edu

Marne Bonomo, PhDAcademic Program Directormlbonomo@bryantstratton.edu414-276-5200 Ext. 232

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