Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Tanya Maldonado

Contact information for Tanya Maldonado

Medical Programs

Collage of people in healthcare settings

Medical Career Information and Job Search Sites

Program Admissions Adviser – Cascade-housed programs
Amanda Gallo, 971-722-567, amanda.gallo@pcc.edu, TEB 103 (MA, MLT, OMT, HIM)

It is highly recommended that you volunteer in a medical environment to gather as much career-related experience as you can your local hospital, clinics, the Red Cross, and long-term care facilities are sites to contact. Many have existing volunteer programs. You may want to consider a coop experience CG 280A and get college credit (at the site you develop). Simply go to a potential employer’s website and look for volunteering. It may be in the top section or at the very bottom of the page. In addition to exposure to a medical environment – skill-building experiences should build your computer and communication skills.

Is a career in healthcare for you?

Students who participate in SHPEP will receive:

  • Housing, meals, a stipend, and travel assistance.
  • Guidance from current admissions deans, health professionals, students, and SHPEP alumni about how to pursue their profession of interest.

To be eligible for SHPEP, students must:

  • Be a high school graduate and currently enrolled as a freshman or sophomore in college.
  • Have a minimum overall college GPA of 2.5.
  • Be a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, or an individual in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
  • Not have previously participated in SHPEP.

Although curricula and program dates vary by program site, each program participant will have the opportunity to spend the summer exploring a range of health careers, including dentistry, medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, and public health.

SHPEP offers students a variety of academic and career experiences, including:

  • Academic enrichment in the basic sciences and quantitative topics.
  • Learning and study skills development, including methods of individual and group learning.
  • Clinical exposure through small-group rotations in health care settings, simulation experiences, and seminars.
  • Career development sessions exploring the health professions and the health professions school admissions process, as well as the development of an individualized education plan.
  • A financial literacy and planning workshop that teaches financial principles and management strategies.
  • A health policy seminar series, exposing scholars to current health policy issues, the policymaking process and analysis, health care financing, and the social determinants of health.
  • An introduction to inter-professional education that addresses effective collaboration across health professions.

Please visit our website to learn more about the program. If you or your applicants have additional questions, please contact shpep@aamc.org or 1 (866) 587- 6337 (toll-free).

A note from a PCC alumni in an MD/Ph.D. program

MD/PhD programs are great for promising students coming from low-income families. The programs take longer (six years, typically) but the students not only get free tuition for medical school, they also get a stipend to live on. Better yet, they bring new perspectives to medical research. www.physicianscientists.org MD/Ph.D. programs – www.students-residents.aamc.org/applying-md/phd-programs/md-phd-degree-programs-state

Community Health Organization – OCHIN – www.ochin.org

General Medical Career Information

Shared with me by a PCC student

Just found another really cool resource for certification and learning! It’s called Cacha Medical Spanish, and they offer Spanish classes that are integrated into clinical rotations! They are based in Ecuador so also offer lessons in Quechua. I am definitely looking into this! Please feel free to pass this on to other students who want to advance their Spanish capabilities in the medical field. Their Instagram is @cachamsi.

Caregiver Training

Caregiver training – Oregon Care Partners – www.oregoncarepartners.com

CNA Training

(The first 4 are free training with an employment commitment) – a more detailed list

Non-Credit CNA Training
Credit CNA
Other Resources

Medical Scribe

Become a Medical Scribe (www.proscribemd.com)

As a reminder, ProScribe offers:

  • Significant advancement of your knowledge of healthcare and the medical field
  • Invaluable hands-on experience, clinical exposure, and interaction with physicians and patients in real-time
  • Paid training
  • Advancement opportunities – we promote an average of 87 scribes to leadership positions a year!
  • A letter of recommendation after 6 months*
  • Discounts on Kaplan Test Prep courses
  • Discounts on admissions counseling services from Med School Coach
  • Guaranteed interview with Ross University School of Medicine*
  • Healthy referral bonuses
  • Paid Time Off (full-time only)
  • Health Benefits (full-time only)

*Eligibility requirements apply

Scribe America

From a PCC student: I am sharing some comments that I got from the OHSU PA Program – Medical Scribe experience is considered healthcare related and we will accept up to 1,000 hours towards the 2,000-hour minimum of healthcare experience. Please note our preference is for direct, hands-on, patient care.

Search Sites

Staffing and General Search Sites
Selected Local Private Clinics
Hospitals
Government

Oregon Care Partners provides 60+ online classes that address many topics concerning the care of older adults including challenging behaviors, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, safe medication management, and all new Basic Care Skills for Family Caregivers offerings. All trainings are self-paced and most take only an hour to complete. Online classes are free and available to anyone who lives or works in Oregon; free CEUs are offered for qualified professionals. For more information and a full list of classes, visit www.OregonCarePartners.com or call 800-930-6851.

No-Cost Online Training in Person-Centered Care – Making Oregon Vital for Elders (MOVE) has launched an online training course that teaches the essentials of providing person-centered care (also known as person-directed care). The one-hour, interactive course, Let’s Get Real: Being Person-Centered in a Task-Oriented World is designed for caregivers, CNAs, administrators, and others who provide care and support to older adults across a range of settings. It was developed by MOVE on behalf of the Oregon Department of Human Services – Aging and People with Disabilities and was funded through a grant from the Oregon Quality Care Fund. For more information about person-centered care training or to sign up for the course please go to: www.orculturechange.org

PCC Medical Programs (at Cascade)

HIM-Specific Sites and Information

A few words about the field for career planning:

HIM statistics, financials, and data analysis are part of this industry, Additionally, if your focus is to become a coder and there is competition among other experienced coders and/or new coders, you will need something to set you apart from everyone else. Coders are required to be detail-oriented, problem-solve, understand coding rules and regulations, interpret payment policies, enter data, maintain coding accuracy, re-review charts for reimbursement denials, monitor unbilled accounts, and have proficiency in MS Office, which includes Excel and Word. Knowledge of both federal and state insurance and billing laws.

Job Hunting Guide 2021 from HIM Faculty Department Chair

Message from the Program Chair 7/2020

The new BLS classification is for Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars (RHITs), differentiating the job classification from Medical Specialists (Coder).

There is also a new classification to recognize Medical and Health Services Managers (RHIA) as belonging to a STEM occupation.

Message from the Program Chair 7/2021

If you want to move into supervision or management, ROI at MRO is a great choice. They promote good employees within their organization. You can then use that experience to move into HIM supervisor roles with a broader range of responsibilities at other organizations if you wish to.

If your goal is to be a coder, Providence, on the hospital side, recruits for their entry-level coders from the ROI group. So ROI at Providence can be a good foot in the door to get into coding.

Other entry points, document imaging leading to ROI to coder. This may mean changing employers or starting as a temporary.

HEDIS abstraction work is seasonal. The season begins in December or January so hire in October /November. A great way to get some experience reviewing medical records and using EHRs (if you are doing records retrieval). 90 HEDIS measures are abstracted. If you are an abstractor there will probably be 10-12 measures that you are focused on. You will look for those data elements in the records you are provided for the previous year, following specific rules about which entries are eligible for abstraction.

There are three main roles in HEDIS:

  1. Record retrieval or field technician
  2. Abstraction
  3. Over-reading

You are generally given a login to the EHR and you print to file into an electronic system, the records and documents that are required. It is a great way to become familiar with navigating different EHRs.

For abstraction, you review the records for the prior year to abstract information related to the measures you are assigned. In 2022, you will be reviewing records from 2021. Over-reading is the quality role. You will be reviewing the work the abstractors have completed for accuracy. When you are hired for HEDIS, you will be trained on the guidelines you will follow for records retrieval or abstraction. Before you can start working on the project, you will need to pass an open-book exam regarding those guidelines. If you do not pass the exam, you will not be assigned to the project.

Links related to HEDIS and the measures:

Information from an HIM faculty member 4/2020
  • Becker’s Hospital and Healthcare Review: Information on health care from hospitals, insurance, technology, government, compliance, and regulations. www.beckershospitalreview.com
  • The Lund Report: I call it the Willamette Week of healthcare in the Pacific Northwest. They have a yearly premium subscription but you can subscribe to their newsletter and read their non-premium news stories for free. www.thelundreport.org
  • AHIMA Salary Survey: www.ahima.org/salarysurvey
Information on Medical Coding

Medical coding is an exciting field, especially if you like reading and are detail-oriented. You can specialize in either inpatient or outpatient coding. Here are some videos to look at. All of the below medical coding videos have additional videos covering medical coding. You can subscribe to their channels if you want to learn more.

Career and Employment Information
Continuing Education

I’ve heard very good things bout www.absolutecodinginstitute.com preparing people for the CPC exam and for www.primacodemasters.net preparing people for the www.primacodemasters.net, which might also be a good review even for someone with the CCS who is not doing inpatient coding.

Knowledge Connex – www.knowledgeconnex.com

Bachelors in HIM
HIM Job Titles and Career Areas
  • Data Analyst
  • Data Reviewer
  • Medical Biller
  • Imaging Clerk
  • Medical Records
  • Admitting
  • Tumor Registrar
  • Health Informatics
  • Medical Coder
  • Medical Claims
  • Record Analyst
  • Patient Relations
HIM Skills and Qualifications

Medical Assisting-Specific Information and Sites

CMAs need to keep their certification current at 60 CEUs in 5 years 30 need to be AAMA approved (10 admin, 10 clinical, and 10 general).

Certification
Certifications Explained
  • CMA (AAMA) – preferred by employers and the most difficult curriculum/standards/testing. PCC Medical Assisting Program prepares students to meet the AAMA national credential.
  • RMA (AMT) – is not as common, but is completely acceptable. They also support MLT folks.
  • NCMA (NCCT) – is very common and completely acceptable. Testing is less challenging and less rigorous, but employers will recognize this credential.
  • CCMA (NHA) – is the easiest exam and is commonly taken by graduates from programs that are not “programmatically accredited”. This means the training and schooling is all over the map. No standard and Legacy Medical Group has been trying to move away from hiring with this credential.
General Information

PCC Medical Assistant Program’s resume tips for DP and employment resumes

Contact information for Paula Purdy CMA (AAMA):
Director Clinic Services
Med-X Staffing Services
931 SW King Ave | Portland, OR 97205
Main: 503 922-1393 | Fax: 503 345-6696
Email: paula@trustmedx.com

Search words for OHSU – MA/LPN, Administrative/Office Support, Allied Health, Hospital/Clinic Support, Laboratory, Professional Research

How to prepare for various MA exams
AAMA
  • www.aama-ntl.org/cma-aama-exam/study
  • On this page it highlights the content you would be expected to know which gives you an outline to go off of.
  • There is also a practice exam which I highly recommend, but typically only after you’ve had time to study the material.
  • They also recommend looking at Quizlet, but make sure you search for the specific exam you plan on taking. Example: “AAMA Exam Prep”
NHA
NCCT

MLT-Specific Information and Sites

Associations

Here are some of the most important societies in this field:

Career Advancement
Job Search Terms

MLT, HLA, CHT, Technician

OMT Skills, Qualifications, and Resources

This program is accredited by the ICA (International Council of Accreditation) and certified through the JCAHPO (Joint Commission of Allied Health Professionals in Ophthalmology).

Portland Community College OMT Program Videos
General Information
Vision Screening

Community Vision and Eye Health Screening Event, Portland Community College 2/2018

Created patient education material using display boards to share knowledge on conditions that can cause blindness such as AMD and Glaucoma. Also presented a low vision education board, and “how vision works board”

Screened patients visual acuity, checked their peripheral vision, screened for AMD, imaged the retina and optic nerve, and screened patients for high eye pressure (IOP). Demonstrated patient education, soft skills, and provided community resources for vision and eye health care.

Jikei Japanese Student Exchange

Intercultural exchange with orthoptist students from Osaka Japan. Give a tour of the OMT lab showing Jikei students tools used in the US, present examination techniques that are done in the US, and share Pacific NW culture.

OHSU Community Vision Screening

Participated in a community vision screening event in partnership with the OHSU mobile van program. Check patients into the exam, screen patients for vision abnormalities or eye diseases, perform VA, IOP, CVF, EOM, check angles, autorefraction, refractometry, and dilate patients for an ophthalmologist. Help patients choose glasses if needed, and check patients out of vision event with referral information.

Job Posting Sites
Career Advancement

After becoming a COT you can become a COMT on the job.

Further steps on the career ladder – JCAHPO Certifications and www.joomag.com/magazine/criteriaforcert-fullpdf/0566603001413908626/p14?short

COA – OMP Accredited 960 Hours

Job Description Example

Below is a real and exceptionally thorough job description use this for keywords to craft your resume.

Clinical Department Job Description Ophthalmic Technician

Experience and Qualifications
  • Must be experienced in back-office procedures.
  • Must have computer experience and a pleasant telephone manner.
  • Must be able to work closely and pleasantly with others and share job duties. Ability to work with little supervision.
  • Ability to start and stop jobs with flexibility.
  • Must be able to work at a fast pace and cope with stressful situations, if and when they arise.
  • Must be compulsive about finishing jobs.
  • Must be well organized.
  • Must be thorough and accurate.
  • Must be pleasant but firm in carrying out job responsibilities as described for interaction with patients.
  • Must be tactful with patients, personnel, and the general public. Must be able to work in harmony with other personnel.
  • Must be able to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such
  • action.
  • Must be a minimum of eighteen years of age, and of good moral character. Must be able to minimize waste of supplies, misuse of equipment, etc.
  • Must be able to follow written and verbal instructions.
  • Must be willing to attend and participate in meetings, as well as to maintain a professional status.
Educational Requirements
  • Must possess, as a minimum, a high school diploma.
Physical Requirements
  • Must be able to move independently and intermittently throughout the work day. Must be able to speak, read, and understandably write the English language. Must possess sight and hearing senses, or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately so that the requirements of the position can be met. Must function independently, have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work positively with other personnel. Must be in good general health and demonstrate emotional stability.
Specific and Shared Responsibilities
  • Start patients prior to physician’s exam, including accurate history taking; updating of general health, ocular history, updating of current medications; VA testing; tonometry; screening of EOMs and confrontation fields; evaluation of pupils; refractometry; glare testing, and any other indicated diagnostic test(s).
  • Ability to use the following instruments: auto refractor/keratometer; auto lensometer; plus cylinder phoropter; BAT; tonopen, rebound, and Goldmann tonometers; Zeiss IOL Master and Quantel Axis II (for axial length measurements); manual lensometer and keratometer (very infrequently used); interferometer/retinometer; CCT -both EyeSys and Atlas; external and anterior segment digital camera; pachymeter; AC and PS OCT; set up surgical instruments for office procedures; and other diagnostic instruments as needed.
  • Assist in refractive surgery as needed.
  • Contact Lenses: Working with other technicians in assessing patients’ lens­ wearing suitability; fitting RGP, soft, and bifocal contact lenses; instructing patients regarding inserting, removing, cleaning, and disinfecting lenses. Consult and coordinate with other technicians regarding contact lens problems. Complete ordering, receiving, dispensing, and returning of contact lenses.
  • Educate patients and answer questions regarding particular diagnoses, surgery, treatment, and follow-up. Maintain patient education handouts in “assigned” exam room(s).
  • After performing As and Ks, input data for Holladay IOL power calculations and complete Bio lnterp form as indicated.
  • Document carefully interactions with patients, phone calls, and prescription refills.
  • Maintain data entry for the Holladay database.
  • Share cleaning and restocking of exam rooms with other techs; erase/recycle videotapes of patients’ surgeries; distribute sampled eye meds.
  • Maintain confidentiality according to HIPAA policy.
  • Maintain certifications by completing continuing education credits as required.
  • Assist with health fairs, conferences, etc., as needed
  • Accept and complete other related duties as assigned.
Safety and Sanitation
  • Follow TB testing and Hepatitis B vaccine requirements for healthcare facility employees.
  • Follow all established safety procedures and precautions when operating office
  • equipment.