Oak Ridge Today

Roane State to offer new programs in medical informatics, financial services

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.

 

Roane State Community College will offer two new programs beginning in fall 2014: an associate of applied science in medical informatics and an associate of applied science in financial services.

The Tennessee Board of Regents approved the programs at its June meeting.

The two-year medical informatics program combines information technology, or IT, and health care. As health care providers increasingly use complex computerized records, they need qualified employees with computer skills and expertise in digital health care record-keeping.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of medical records and health information technicians is expected to grow 20 percent through 2018. Technicians who also have IT skills are expected to be in particularly high demand. [Read more…]

Roane State launching new surgical technology program this fall

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Roane State Community College will launch a two-year program in surgical technology this fall.

The associate of applied science in surgical technology is co-sponsored by Roane State and Walters State Community College through the Smoky Mountain Health Sciences Consortium. The program will be offered at the Sevier County campus of Walters State and the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State. Streaming video technology will be used to offer courses to students at both colleges.

Labs will be held in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus. The new 64,000-square-foot, $13.8 million building will host its first classes this fall. Students will complete clinical requirements at area hospitals.

Surgical technologists prepare operating rooms, arrange equipment, and assist doctors during surgeries. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of surgical technologists is projected to grow 30 percent through 2022. [Read more…]

TAs unite in opposition to outsourcing proposal as schools consider changes

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Oak Ridge TA Outsourcing Teachers and Parents

Stacey Callison, left, says teaching assistants play important roles in the education of her children, and she thinks Oak Ridge Schools should seek another solution before outsourcing their jobs.

Note: This story was last updated at 12 a.m.

Teaching assistants have been united, and sometimes fierce, in their opposition to a proposal to outsource their jobs to a private company, and on Monday, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said administrators might have to “go back to the drawing board.”

The outsourcing proposal began as an attempt to help the school system comply with the reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act and to avoid potentially large fines of up to $1.2 million for errors that might be made in following the new federal health care law.

But in the second half of a 3.5-hour school board meeting on Monday, teachers, teaching assistants, family members, and parents said the TAs would be concerned about their health care and retirement benefits if they were to become employees of PESG of Nashville. The 10 speakers also questioned the benefits of outsourcing in general, and they praised the work of Oak Ridge’s teaching assistants. [Read more…]

Healthcare employers invited to participate in Roane State job fair

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Employers are invited to participate in a Feb. 26 job fair for Roane State Community College students who are pursuing careers in health care.

The fair is planned for Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 1-4 p.m. at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Ave. Setup begins at noon.

Employers are asked to register by Feb. 14. There is no registration fee. To register online, visit www.roanestate.edu/placement. [Read more…]

Open house offers information on Affordable Care Act on Saturday

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ACA Volunteer Jim Nelson

Affordable Care Act Volunteer Jim Nelson is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

An open house to provide information about the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called “Obamacare,” will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church in Woodland.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the new health care act is invited to attend this educational event, especially those who need to get health insurance in the new marketplace. Those attending will be able to access both printed information and computers to get online resources, a press release said.

Community volunteers, including some experienced with the Tennessee Health Care Coalition, will be present to make sure their neighbors have access to affordable, quality health care, and accurate information about the ACA, the release said. [Read more…]

Free Medical Clinic moving to larger location this weekend

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After nearly four years in its original location on Robertsville Road, the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge is moving. The clinic will be closed Friday and Monday for the move. When it reopens Tuesday, it will be at its new location at 116 East Division Road.

The new location is across the Oak Ridge Turnpike from Methodist Medical Center and behind Zaxby’s restaurant. The (865) 483-3904 phone number and (865) 481-0203 fax number will remain the same, a press release said.

The release said the larger space has more examination rooms, reception and waiting areas, and administrative office space, and it will help FMCOR better meet the needs of the increasing number of patients. [Read more…]

Pellissippi State receives $4.6 million federal grant

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez on Wednesday announced $474.5 million in grants to community colleges and universities around the country, including Pellissippi State Community College, for the development and expansion of innovative training programs in partnership with local employers, a press release said.

The 57 grants will support 190 projects in at least 183 schools in every state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Pellissippi State’s grant is valued at about $4.6 million. Located near Oak Ridge in west Knox County, the community college is the leader of a consortium that received a total of roughly $12.7 million. [Read more…]

Clinton Library has workshops on Affordable Care Act

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The Clinton Public Library is hosting a pair of workshops on the Affordable Care Act.

Presented by local insurance agent David Vudragovich, it’s designed to answer questions about the controversial health care legislation, which became law in 2010. [Read more…]

Obama administration delays employer health care mandate until 2015

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Mark Mazur

Mark Mazur

Responding to business concerns, the Obama administration announced Tuesday that it would delay until 2015 the new health care law’s mandate that employers provide workers with health insurance.

New reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act will also be delayed a year. Questions about the new employer mandate and reporting requirements have been a concern for businesses across the nation, including in and around Oak Ridge.

“We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively,” said Mark J. Mazur, assistant secretary for tax policy. Mazur made the announcement on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website. [Read more…]

Healthcare employers invited to participate in Roane State job fair

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Employers are invited to participate in a Feb. 27 job fair for Roane State Community College students who are pursuing careers in health care and plan to graduate this year.

The fair is planned for Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 2-5 p.m. at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Ave. Setup begins at 1 p.m.

[Read more…]