"Hi Mrs. Harris." I wondered who in the world could be calling me Mrs. Harris. I turned around and it was one of my students from my first class that I taught at the community college. I was

surprised to see her. I went over and gave her a hug and asked how she was doing. She informed me that she was working in the field and passed the national exam. She has also gotten married and introduced me to her new husband. I congratulated her on her accomplishments.

She informed me that she has stayed in touch with a couple of the students and they are working and also passed the national exam. I told her that I was glad that she was doing so well. She asked me if I was still teaching and I told her that I was invited back for the 2009 fall semester. This student was one of the brightest students in the class and I knew she would be successful. When you are teaching you never know if you are getting through to students. Sometimes you doubt if what you do can make a real difference in someone's life. Well, I can say for sure that in some small way I made a difference in the life of a young person. This encounter will remind me that teaching does have its rewards.

 My kids and husband take all the things I do around the house for granted. They automatically assume that I will take care of every aspect of keeping the house clean. My husband accuses me of being obsessed with cleaning and he sometimes calls me a clean freak. It has crossed my mind to go on strike and just let the house become a complete pigsty.  Now, it appears that I didn't have to go on strike for my hubby to notice that if someone doesn't do the laundry there may not be clean underwear.

I was brought up in a home where everyone was assigned jobs to do around the house. My mother believed in keeping a clean house and the thought of unwashed dishes in the sink overnight or unmade beds was not an option. As an adult, I kept the same cleaning rituals. My kids must make their beds every morning and clean up after themselves.  I cannot stand a chair that is not pushed back under the table and placemats must be free of crumbs and placed in their proper position on the table. I am not sure why I didn't do laundry this week. It wasn't an act of defiance but I just did not care whether the laundry got done. I am not sure whether my husband thinks that I might be exhibiting early signs of Alzheimer's. One thing I know for sure is that the lack of clean underwear can really make your hubby appreciate you more than you know.

As an online instructor, you must compete with so many distractions for a student's time. The need to jazz up the online experience to engage and keep the students interested is a necessity. The use of savvy technology in the course room is a way of keeping students focused during your lecture. Incorporating innovative technology can be beneficial to both the instructor and the student. The student benefits by keeping their focus on the information being presented to help them understand the material. This can translate into better participation on discussion boards and tests or quiz scores. The instructor benefits by challenging themselves to be more creative in the classroom. This helps to think outside of the box.

There are so many new innovative technology ideas that can be incorporated into the classroom. I am making it a point to learn how to use a new technology in my classroom to make the course interesting to my students. I have learned about a new technology this past week called Animoto. Animoto allows you to take your pictures and music and create a cool movie trailer. You can use your own music or use the music library from Animoto. Once you have created your video you can download and email the video to friends, family, etc. Animoto is quick, fun and best of all, free for the 30-second videos. If you create a longer video there is a charge. I will encourage students to make their own videos and share with the class. I plan to use Amimoto to create a better online community with my students by adding their photos and sharing birthday information.

I have been hesitant to join any of the social networking sites because I am concerned about the loss of privacy. I am uncomfortable with my personal information sitting somewhere in cyberspace. Because we are living in an age driven by technology, it is almost impossible to avoid being part of some kind of online network community. There are advantages to being connected to so many in social networking communities. With unemployment still sinking into the abyss, this can be a way of marketing yourself to potential employers. There is a trend in human resources to find out more about potential employees by seeking out their MySpace or Facebook pages. The information you post on your page can reveal the kind of employee you would be. Hiring managers found information on social networking sites to solidify their decision to hire an applicant. Here is some frequently cited positive information:

• Candidates background supported their qualifications
• Candidate had great communication skills
• Candidate good fit for company
• Candidate displayed professional image
• Candidate had great references posted about them

Social networking sites can have a down side. It is amazing that people forget the information and pictures they post can be seen by a potential employer. A number of things can send up a red flag to potential employers. Nude pictures, vulgar language, crude jokes and displaying other unprofessional behavior can have negative results. For the younger generation they are not thinking about the long-term effects of the information they post. A careless decision can cost them admission to college or loss of a job. Recently, in my area a couple of young teachers were fired because of photos and comments they made on a social networking site.

I have set up a profile on a social networking site but it is not very creative. I am still hesitant to share information about myself. My 12-year-old daughter has volunteered to help me set up a creative and professional profile. I have made it a priority this week to get started on my profile and use this to network with other professionals.

In addition to obtaining CPC credits, I have to maintain my RHIA credential. To maintain the RHIA credential, I must have thirty continuing education credits in a two year cycle. My primary concern is the cost associated with maintaining dual CEs. The registration fees and travel costs associated with attending workshops can be expensive. Since I work under contract, I must pay for my own continuing education.

There are options to attending workshops. The AAPC allows you to take quizzes from the Coding Edge magazine to earn continuing education credits. You can also earn CEs by attending local AAPC chapter meetings. The best part is that this is all free. This definitely helps me stretch my dollars. I think the hardest part will be juggling the two different continuing education credits associated with the two credential bodies.

If anyone has any information on other types of free continuing education available, let me know.

There were a couple of coders that work at home as independent coders. I think most of us dream about working from home. These coders pointed out that working from home is not for everyone. If you are a social person and like the interaction with coworkers, working from home may not be right for you. I could relate to this because I am not a social butterfly. When I teach online, I can go days without having to leave my house.

The great thing about being a coder is that the job requires for more than just coding. The skills sets of a coder are woven into so many areas of the physician practice.

Ms. Fawcett received treatment at UCLA Medical Center. Before the actress could inform her family that her cancer her returned the tabloids posted the information on their Web site. Ms. Fawcett was convinced that the breach occurred at their facility. It was later discovered that an employee not involved in Ms. Fawcett's care had viewed her records multiple times. Ms. Fawcett wanted the name of the employee involved in the breach but UCLA would not release the information because of employee privacy. UCLA denies that the employee involved sold or release the information to the tabloids.

I wondered why Ms. Fawcett would make a documentary about her personal struggle with cancer. After watching her documentary and the news accounts of her battle with the tabloids to keep her health information private, I have a better understanding of her decision. It is important for her to tell her story and not let the tabloids distort the truth. It is unthinkable that you could be fighting a terminal illness and have to worry about your health information being made public.

Because UCLA treats high profile individuals, the temptation by employees to snoop into their medical records is greater. It is clear that UCLA needs more rigorous controls in place to avoid this incident from occurring again. Celebrities like all patients deserve the right to privacy.

I left home a half hour early so that I would not be late for the exam. As I was headed down the interstate, my mind was just racing with so many thoughts. I drove myself crazy with the worst case scenarios. What if I couldn't find the testing center? What if my paperwork wasn't in order to take the test? As I was contemplating the next "what if," three deer appeared from out of nowhere. Lucky for me they had made it across the interstate just at the right moment. Was this a bad sign of things to come?

I found the testing center without any problems. I checked in with the proctors and everything was in order for me to take the test. I had 30 minutes before the test began so I used this time to set up my coding books, pencils and erasers. All of a sudden, I started to experience major gastrointestinal issues. I raced to the restroom and prayed that this would be over soon. I cannot believe that I have come this close and I am about to blow my test before I even get started. Finally, my GI issues subsided and I raced in to the testing center.

It was now time for the big moment. As the proctor went over the instructions, I could not hear what she was saying. My physical body was there but I was mentally checked out. It was time to begin the test. I took a deep breath and tried to get my nerves under check. After the first hour, I had answered only 25 questions. I panicked and thought I am not going to make it through the exam.

I needed to calm down my nerves and move through the questions quickly. So, I answered the questions that I knew and skipped others that I was unsure of. When I reached the fourth hour, I still had fifty questions left. I became increasingly anxious and felt that I could not finish the test. I pushed myself to complete the test. When the proctor announced the 15 minute warning, I was going back through the test to be sure that I had answered all questions. There were a few that I had not answered so I answered them as quickly as I could.

I left the testing center mentally and physically exhausted. I was completed drained and felt like I had failed the exam. I don't recall being so unhinged during the RHIA exam I took many years ago.

After months of studying for the exam, it is finally over. I have been very difficult to live with over these few months. I think my husband was more excited than I was that I had passed the exam. I am now a sane person again!

I am definitely looking forward to summer. This is the time of the year when students are preparing for their final exams and submitting projects. The level of anxiety among students is extremely high. Not to mention that they are preparing to go on externships. I will spend my weekend fine tuning the final exams and grading projects. Sometimes, I think it would be better to be a student than the instructor grading all the exams and reading all the research projects.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that the spring semester is just about over and I can look forward to summer. Since I will have a lighter course load during the summer, I plan on focusing my attention on having some summer fun. My kids are also preparing for their end of grade tests and they also have their share of anxiety about testing. My son wakes up every morning and announces how many days are left until the beginning of summer break. We have already planned our summer vacation. The excitement is really building to pack up and head to relaxing place in sun.

The idea of earning money from your own home is attractive for many reasons. First of all, you don't have to leave your home. This eliminates the expense of commuting to work, paying for lunch, clothing and other expenses associated with the traditional office environment. Secondly, if you have children there are no child care expenses to worry about. Finally, there are no major equipment you have to purchase to get started. You just need a computer and you are in business.

The problem with these online scams is that they are usually too good to be true. They lure you in with the promise of making a tremendous amount of money. Some of the television ads promise that you can make thousands of dollars in a month. They show interviews with people that earned more than in a month than they did in a year from their regular jobs. In fact they earned so much money, they quit their jobs to work full-time.

There are some legitimate online services that allow you to earn income without the exaggerated claims. It is important to research these companies before spending time and money on a scam. If you are asked to send money, this is a red flag that something is not right. If you are asked to give our personal information, to get started with this business this is another red flag.

The best thing to remember is if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

The only problem is that I must pack up my laptop and all my resources to go on this vacation. Since my sister lives in Atlanta, we can stay with her and see the sites. I can set aside time to work and still be with the family on vacation. I want have to worry about getting an Internet connection at a hotel because I use my sister's Internet connection. Well, so I thought. I have software that is unique to one of my schools and it can only be loaded on my computer. In order to access my sister's Internet connection on my laptop, I have to type in an encryption code, router number and password. Well, my sister could not remember any of this information, which meant that I could not work. My first thought was I would have to go someplace and hope that I could get an Internet connection. My second thought was, "If I don't get access to the Internet this will turn into a permanent vacation."

Finally, we were able to get access for me and I was able to start work. The thing about online work is that you cannot just break away from it. It is like an addiction that you have to satisfy even though you know that you are current with everything. On the second day of the trip, the weather was horrible so I used this time to get completely caught up on everything. I promised the hubby that the next day, I would go out with him and the kids. The next day happens and I did not leave my sister's house. The hubby and kids went on an adventure without me. There always seems to be a crisis that needs my immediate attention.

My husband later returned and said, "I have the perfect title for your next article." He said; call it "How to have a vacation when you are on vacation." I could tell by his tone that he was being sarcastic. The thing about sarcasm is that there is always some truth in it. I guess I will have to learn how to take a vacation when I am on vacation. I guess I could always write a book on this topic. I am sure that I have plenty of stories to tell.

I am a huge fan of HGTV in which they make over a room and transform it into your wildest fantasy.  For years, I have dreamed of one of the designers from HGTV showing up at my door to transform not only a room but the way I work.  I have fantasized about having a home office that inspires me and creates an environment that doesn't make work feel like work.

In my mind I have the office planned out with the furniture, office accessories, pictures and personal items.  I want to be able to have all of my textbooks, notebooks and other resources accessible on bookshelves.  I would like my files to be organized with the information that I need to refer to frequently. The problem is that I share my home office with my husband.  He uses the office as an escape away from the kids.  It is more like he uses this space for pleasure.  His job does not require him to use the office.  In fact he will be retiring in 2 years and he has more books and magazines on his numerous hobbies in the home office.  There are so many books they must be stacked on the floor. 

Today, we visited the IKEA store, which sells home furnishings, office furniture and accessories.  This was my first trip to IKEA and I was astonished by two huge floors that have everything you can image.  I found the office of my dreams on the second floor of the store.  It had the computer desk that has room for a laptop, printer and room to work with my textbooks and other resources.  The book shelves have plenty of room for my books and there were baskets that fit into slots that will contain more of my stuff.  The best thing was the chair and ottoman that was just nestled under a window.  The lighting and soothing music was icing on the cake.

The problem now is that my hubby and I will be jockeying for position with ideas for our fantasy home office.  I am not sure how this is all going to turn out but I plan on taking over the office the same way I have with our closet.   I don't see any point on changing the way things really should be. 

Over the years I have attended numerous workshops on time management and thought I had developed techniques to deal with time constraints. As I think back to those workshops, the information dealt with juggling the demands of the office, employees and the expectations of the boss.

Today, I am a professional in an entirely different environment. I don't have employees to supervise and the issues surrounding this responsibility. I don't have an office that I must commute to daily. I don't have a boss that I must see daily.

The employees have been replaced with students who require my guidance and support. I can save myself time by clearly stating the expectations for assignments and developing a grading rubric that is detailed and leaves no room for gray errors. Communication is the key to avoiding endless amount of time sending emails trying to clarifying what I meant. The more places I post information and provide resources the less likely it is that I will be flooded with email that I have to respond to. Getting it right the first time is the key to saving time.

A major percentage of my time is spent grading. This ranges from grading individual projects, discussion boards, live chats and tests. To save time with live chat sessions, grading participation right after the session ends is a quick way to complete this task. This avoids going back though the archives later trying to determine who attended and how much they participated. Instead of grading the individual projects all at once, I can grade a couple of these each day so that I am not stressed trying to meet the grading deadline.

When you must juggle so many responsibilities at once, working smarter is the best way to avoid stress and save a precious few minutes for yourself.

The commute to the office for most Americans is the worst part of the day. They can spend an eternity commuting to and from work. Most people will either commute by car or some form of public transportation. The average American will spend almost a full work week in traffic, according to a new study by the Texas Transportation Institute. Regardless of the mode of transportation, commuting will take up valuable time that most of us don't have. The level of stress associated with commuting can take its toll on your emotional and physical well being. As estimated 54 percent of American morning commuters experience stress while traveling to work or school, according to WebMD Health News.

My commute to the office has been replaced with my commute to my upstairs home office. I have everything I need to be productive. I have a laptop and two desktop computers, a printer that allows me to fax and scan documents. I rarely need to use the phone to communicate with my boss because all of our conversations take place via e-mail or instant messaging. The meetings that I attend take place on my computer in which I can talk to other faculty members across the country. We can exchange ideas and socialize in real time.

The employees have been replaced with students. Of course I don't supervise students but the majority of my time is spent communicating with students. There are no office disputes that require my immediate attention. Instead of monitoring employee performance, I provide support to help students reach their educational goals. Eventually, this will help them to reach their career goals.

The boss that I had to report to daily has been replaced with a chairperson. I have never met my online boss in person. I refer to my online boss as my cyber boss. In fact, I don't even think of this person in terms of a boss. The difference is that this is a person who helps you to improve your instructional techniques in the classroom. They function like a coach on the sidelines who provides direction and gives you that extra push to help you strive for excellence. The common goal you both share is the success of your students.

I am still dragging more than usual in the morning. My son has to be up at 5:45 a.m. to catch the bus by 6:30 a.m. Even he is having a tough time adjusting to this change. He is usually the one who gets me up in the morning. Lately, he has not heard his alarm clock go off and I spring into action once I see a little daylight creep into my bedroom. We both scurry around to get his breakfast, lunch and book bag ready before the bus arrives. Lucky for us, the bus driver is having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the time. This buys us some valuable time to make sure that we have everything ready to start the day.

I used to look forward to the time change because I knew that spring would soon follow. Now, that I am older I need my extra hour of sleep. This body is not as quick as it used to be. It takes time for all the parts to function in unison.