State Attorney Visits Prism Career Institute Upper Darby Meets With Students About Paralegal Career Opportunities

By: Kevin Quinn, Vice President of Admissions/Marketing,
Prism Education Group

“When I walk out of the courtroom and I know I nailed it, that’s the best feeling on the world, I never go home not feeling challenged.” That’s what Susan Huntley, a Deputy Attorney General in the NJ Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law & Public Safety, told Paralegal students in a recent presentation at Prism Career Institute’s Upper Darby campus.

Huntley accepted an invitation to share her legal experienceand provide good advice to Prism Paralegal students pursuing Associate in Specialized Business Degrees (ASB). She highlighted the vital role Paralegals play daily interfacing with attorneys while relating her own story that reinforced the value of education and completing personal goals.

Between graduating from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland with a B.A in English and receiving her Juris Doctorate from the Widener University of Law, Huntley taught English in Japan, worked as a flight attendant with United Airlines and was an Area Marketing Manager with Borders Books & Music. She was also bitten by the “pageant” bug at age 17 and went on to become a “triple crown” pageant titleholder having won titles of Mrs. Pennsylvania International 2008, Mrs. Pennsylvania United States 2010 and Mrs. Pennsylvania America 2012.

She shared with Prism students that “Paralegal is a great career if you like to think, solve problems and research. I ask my Paralegal all the time to do research and in a typical day there’s documentation work, assignments drafting motions and legal brief writing.”

She encouraged Prism students to invest in themselves, graduate and pursue their dreams. “I’m still paying off $100,000 in law school student loans but it was worth every penny. Your education is too.”

Prism student, Ken Carpenter of Media, attended the talk. “Mrs. Huntley spoke on the necessities of becoming a successful Paralegal. She’s a very unique and down to earth person and I’m sure she inspired the students to be confident and with hard work they can help win court battles for their law firm.”

Prism Career Institute Upper Darby campus is located at 6800 Market Street, directly across from the 69th Street Terminal. More information about the Associate in Specialized Business Degree (ASB) earned by Paralegal graduates is available at www.prismcareerinstitute.edu or by calling 1-800-571-2213.

One of Philly’s “Top Doctors” Visits Prism Career Institute… Speaks To Students About Readiness For Medical Careers

Main Line Health’s Dr. Hernandez, cardiologist/electro physiologist, is recognized as on the top physicians in the greater Phila. area.  She was featured on the May 2010 cover of Philly Magazine in their Top Doctors edition.  Dr. Hernandez attended medical school at Stanford University and completed her residency at New England Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Hernandez students and staff members from Prism’s medical programs.  Highlights ofDr. Maribel Hernandez, her presentation included:

  • Advice on how to find success in the Medical Assistant, Medical Billing & Coding and Health Information Technology fields
  • Motivation on how to establish career goals and meet them using her personal story growing up poor in Puerto Rico
  • Importance of volunteering in the medical field
  • Emphasis on the importance of great customer service in the medical office
  • Skill requirements and attitude her office looks for when hiring medical personnel
  • The role of accuracy and proper communication in the medical cycle from reception through examination and medical records documentation
  • The culture of safety in the medical practice
  • How Medical Assistants and Medical Billers/Coders play such a critical role in a smooth function medical office practice
  • The value of being compassionate, caring and friendly in the medical environment providing for a great bedside manner

Prism Students in Medical LabAt the end of the presentation, Dr. Hernandez remarked how appreciative she was of Prism’s staff and that meeting and speaking with Prism students was “inspirational and rewarding.”

For more information call 1-800-571-2213.

 

 

Prism Career Institute’s Upper Darby campus is located at 6800 Market Street, directly across from the 69th Street Terminal. Other Prism locations include NE Phila., Cherry Hill and Egg Harbor Twp., NJ.

Community College Wasn’t a Good Fit…

See how Nursing student John Wells found Prism, after trying college options that didn’t work for him.  John is now well on his way to pursuing a rewarding medical career. Check out this 2-minute video and hear John’s story:

John was selected to be profiled by The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU).

Prism Student Profiled by National Association

Check Out the 3-Minute Video Highlighting the Achievement of One Prism Career Institute Student

Prism Career Institute student Carmelita Clemons has been selected by The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) to be profiled on their “Real Students Real Stories” YouTube channel.

Carmelita is pursuing Medical Assisting training at the Cherry Hill, New Jersey campus. After years in the workforce, Carmelita found Prism as a way to achieve her goals.


About APSCU
APSCU is an organization of accredited, private, postsecondary schools, institutions, colleges and universities with over 1,800 members. APSCU’s vision is a future where the focus of U.S. higher education is to develop a globally competitive workforce and to enable all students to achieve their educational and career dreams.

Prism Help Students Find Rewarding Local Job Opportunities

Most every accredited career school has a Career Services Department that helps assist students find career opportunities in their field of study after completing training programs. Various training programs offer externships that enable students to get valuable on-the-job type experience while training.

Prism Career Institute, with locations in NE Philly, Upper Darby, Cherry Hill and Egg Harbor Township is one such system of schools. Paul Alvarez is the Director of Career Services at the Egg Harbor Township campus. Paul is in constant contact with medical and paralegal employers in the South Jersey area to help them find trained candidates to fit their hiring needs.

“A Prism Patient Care Assistant graduate, Taina Manging, just completed her externship at Gen- eral Family Day Health Services in Somers Point and was just hired because the owner/operator, Crista Moffat, a RN and instructor at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, felt they couldn’t be without Taina,” Alverez mentioned. “Rite At Home, Home Instead, Atlantic Adult Daycare, Westmoreland, Vesper & Quattrone Law Office, and Accurate Diagnostics are area employers where we’ve recently placed Prism graduates,” he added.

Prism Career Institute offers training programs in Medical, Practical Nursing, Paralegal, Early Child- hood Education, Health Information Technology and Business Accounting at its various locations. Along with Career Services assistance, Prism provides individual help for all students applying for financial aid they may qualify for. Day and evening classes are available. For more information, visit www.prismcareerinstitute.edu or call 800-644- 4443.

Prism Career Institute Graduate Finds Opportunities In Medical Billing & Coding Career

Prism Career Institute Medical Billing & Coding graduate, Rosalyn Garcia, working at Affiliates In Psychotherapy in Northfield, NJ. Ro- salyn is also a Certified Billing & Coding Specialist (CBCS) through the National Healthcare Association.

 

Each time a patient with insurance sees a doctor, a healthcare professional adept at medical billing & coding files a claim with an insurance company. That medical billing & coding specialist needs to be detailed oriented so that they can spot errors and carefully check their work. With vast amounts of health information passing through medical of- fices daily, medical billers & coders keep things organized so that doctors can be kept up-to-date on the patients they help.

To enter this field, training is necessary and it es- pecially worked out for Rosalyn Garcia who grad- uated from the Medical Billing & Coding program at Prism Career Institute in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Prism’s program features a valuable Externship pro- gram where students receive on-the-job-type ex- perience at local medical facilities. Rosalyn works at Affiliates In Psychotherapy in Northfield, NJ. And how did she get hired? “I was fortunate to be hired through my Externship program that Prism placed me in at Affiliates,” she said. “I perform all front office procedures, checking in patients, pull- ing and filing medical records, performing medical billing for office visits and verification of insur- ance coverage. I also serve as a translator.”

Patty Ford is the Office Manager at Affiliates In Psychotherapy and heads up the medical billing department. “I enjoy having Rosalyn on site and it’s a pleasure working with Prism students, as- sisting them in developing their medical billing skills, and eventually even offering employment when there are openings,” she said.

Rosalyn’s job responsibilities may sound like a big handful but she credits Prism’s training for making her well prepared. “I have a B.A. in American Studies but I could only find work as a substitute teacher. I also worked in a department store but

Prism Career Institute Medical Billing & Coding graduate, Rosalyn Garcia, working at Affiliates In Psychotherapy in Northfield, NJ. Ro- salyn is also a Certified Billing & Coding Specialist (CBCS) through the National Healthcare Association.

realized I needed a new career. I kept hearing about how much the medical industry was growing and enrolled at Prism. My education at Prism was quite the experience. The teachers were helpful and patient. They taught me that I should never use the word can’t when it comes to success. I also became a Certified Billing & Coding Specialist (CBCS) from the National Healthcare Associa- tion with Prism’s guidance. ”

Juggling family and school isn’t always easy and Rosalyn says her family “team” support helped tremendously to help her complete the program. “Everything worth having in life includes sacri- fice. I would recommend anyone interested in the medical field to enroll at Prism. They will get all the help they need to succeed.”

In addition to Egg Harbor Twp., Prism has campus- es in Cherry Hill, NJ, NE Phila. and Upper Darby, PA. For more information visit www.prismcareer- institute.edu or call 800-571-1902.

Many Training Opportunities

There are many options to consider when looking to gain skills, training and education to be prepared to compete in the job market. One option is to consider one of the many accredited career schools as a place to get a career-focused education in many growing occupations and career fields.

One such school is Prism Career Institute with campuses in NE Phila. and Upper Darby, PA, and Cherry Hill and Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Campuses in NE Phila. and Cherry Hill offer training in Practical Nursing, one of the most in- demand career fields according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010- 11 Occupational Outlook Handbook. The handbook expects this field to grow 21% through 2018 with 155,600 jobs expected to be added during this period. Both campuses are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) and approved by the PA and NJ Departments of Nursing.

Prism Practical Nursing students are screened into the program with a limited amount of students accepted each year. Graduates are prepared to take the NCLEX-PN exam to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and attract many employment opportunities at residential and nursing care facilities, hospitals, doctor’s offices, government agencies, outpatient clinics, long term care units and private care.

Only field trained instructors with Registered Nurse (RN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) creden- tials teach in the program. Mary Cooper is the Director of Nursing program at Prism’s Cherry Hill campus. Mary has 44 years experience in the Nursing Field and has her Master of Science in Nurs- ing degree from Seton Hall University. Her areas of expertise include nursing in the hospital setting, staff education, public health, infection control, hospice, long-term care and community involve- ment. “When I’m asked why some one should pursue a nursing career I always answer by saying if you want to make a difference in people’s lives, then become a nurse,” said Cooper. “And Prism Ca- reer Institute is a great place to start.”

Prism Nursing graduates work in various healthcare facilities throughout the region. ACW Healthcare, a Haddon- field, NJ homecare nursing provider of services for injured and rehabilitation patients, has hired 6 Prism graduates. “I’m so impressed with the quality of Prism Practical Nursing graduates that I’ll continue to hire more as my needs continue,” said Ann Wells, manager of the company. Ann works closely with Margie Strong, Prism’s Career Services Director who is responsible for helping graduates find employment and career opportunities. Prism offers a free ser- vice for employers looking to hire quali- fied workers in the medical field includ- ing Nursing, Medical Assistant, Patient Care Assistant and Medical Billing and Coding.

There are many opportunities for career growth offered by accredited career schools. For more information about Prism Career Institute visit www.prismcareerinstitute.edu or call 800- 644-4443.

Helping Adults Make Career Changes Possible

We live in a world that is constantly changing and evolving. Many adults are faced with having to make a career change by choice, or because of a lay off or job loss. Career changes can be exciting and attainable, but the idea can be challenging. Then, the next step is making it all work out given family responsibilities; children need to be taken care of and schedules need adjustment.

That’s where career schools come in. Career school training typically is career focused and takes much less time to complete compared to traditional colleg- es. Training can be finished in months, not years, in a variety of disciplines with classes normally starting throughout the year, not just in the spring or fall.

Candice Bosher decided to make a career change a few years ago with the help of Prism Career Institute in Cherry Hill, NJ. Candice worked in the health field right out of high school and then became a tattoo artist for 11 years. Her life changed when she became a mom and then she found herself taking care of her terminally ill grandmother. “I always wanted to go back in to the medical field but had fears of being too old at age 33,” Candice said. “But I knew I had to make a change so I pursued an interest in the nursing field and was accepted into Prism’s Practical Nursing program. It was 15 months of work but I graduated with perfect attendance and became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).”

Candice works for cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Naomi Lawrence, at The Center For Dermatologic Surgery, Marlton, NJ. She’s assists as a nurse in Mohs surgery, skin care procedures and cosmetic surgery.

“My life is completely different because of the Prism Career Institute graduate Candice Bosher working as a  opportunity I was given LPN at The Center For Dermatologic Surgery, Marlton, NJ to attend the LPN program at Prism Career Institute. I still, to this day, call the school and thank them for being such a help to me.”

In addition to Cherry Hill, Prism Career Institute has campuses located in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, NE Philadelphia and Upper Darby, PA. Other programs are offered in Medical, Paralegal, Accounting, and Early Child- hood Education at various locations. For more information about Prism Career Institute, visit www.prismcareerinstitute.edu or call 800-644-4443.

Partnering With Universities To Provide Unique Training

Prism Career Institute Medical instructor, Roseanne Leung, monitoring her students in Drexel University’s simulation lab.

 

Career schools often partner with colleges and universities to offer additional training seminars and exercises to help students gain knowledge and expertise in their chosen field of study. One example occurs right here in our area. Students at Prism Career Institute’s Northeast Philadelphia campus take part in a unique training partnership with Drexel University called the Patient Sim- ulation Experience.

Prism students have participated in the Patient Simulation Experience at Drexel for several years. Over 300 Prism Medical Assistant and Practical Nursing students have attended a three day training program that meets three times per year. The program allows stu- dents to take part in a “live” simulation.

The simulation team consists of a Medical Doctor, Drexel Nurse, Drexel Medical students and Prism students. The simulation labs are located at Hahnemann Hospital in center city Philadelphia. Each student is assigned by an instructor to a simulation team. Each simulation team conducts two to three medical experiences each day over the training period.

Prism students benefit as the Patient Simulation Experience provides the opportunity to train without risk to patients. A simulated environment is safe and risk free for trainees and helps build their competence and confidence.

“Incorporating the Prism Career Institute students into simulation with nursing students has raised the level of education for both sets of students,” said Linda Wilson, RN, PhD, CPAN, CAP, BC, CNE, Assistant Dean for Special Projects, Simulation and CNE Accreditation, Drexel University,

College of Nursing and Health Professions. “We hope to contin- ue to build simulation experiences. That leads to more effective team efforts on behalf of patients” she added.

In addition to the NE Philadelphia campus, Prism Career Institute has locations in Upper Darby, Cherry Hill and Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Programs in Medical, Practi- cal Nursing, Paralegal, Accounting and Early Childhood Education are offered at selected campuses. For more information, call 800- 644-4443 or visit www.prismcareerinstitute.edu.