National Mom and Pop Business Owner's Day is on March 29th. In honor of day, today's post will tell you how "mom and pop" shops can out compete the big brands.

Community Connectivity — Citizens

No matter how altruistic or charitable a big brand may be, they can never really participate in community the way that a small business can. After all, big brands aren't tied to any one location, and the people in charge of them, even on a local level, need to concern themselves with multiple, regional locations and issues. Local businesses not only depend on the community to thrive, but they're capable of giving back in many more personal and meaningful ways. Every action that a local business takes within the community not only garners brand trust and a positive brand image, it also builds community pride.

If you have ever considered starting a career in the healthcare field and enjoy working with people, consider becoming a patient access specialist. In this role, you will work directly with patients and their families—performing registration duties, medical billing submissions, insurance verification and authorization requests, and financial counseling—all while providing excellent customer service and ensuring compliance to regulatory agencies through adherence to strict patient safety policies.

Becoming an entrepreneur and opening your first business is thrilling and rewarding, but it's not without its risks. After all, so many that are inspired by the American dream and the glowing success of startups, fail and close their doors for good. Today's post will discuss the five most common small business pitfalls as well as how you can avoid them and come that much closer to lasting success.

The PCC CLIMB Center is a proud sponsor of Portland Radio Project's Biz503 show - the new Portland-centric startup and small business talk show on PRP.fm. 

Tweet: A certified nursing assistant (CNA) works under the direction of a licensed nurse—registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN).

A certified nursing assistant (CNA) works under the direction of a licensed nurse—registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN). CNAs do not perform nursing duties, but rather assist with healthcare related tasks and act as a liaison between patients and nurses. There are two levels: CNA 1 and CNA 2. Both require state certification; however, should one desire to work in a hospital setting, a CNA 2 certification is required. CNAs work in a variety of healthcare settings and are responsible for taking vital signs, height and weight measurements, assisting with bathing, toileting, dressing needs, and other daily care needs that an individual may require assistance with.

You’ve decided you want to start a career in healthcare, but with all of the the many options available you may be unsure about which path to take. In this post we’re going to focus on the perks of one specific healthcare career, and that’s medical coding. Medical coders play an integral role in healthcare and are relied upon to translate physician notes into regulated medical codes for physicians and for insurance reimbursement. A medical coder must sift through and decipher medical jargon, physician handwriting, and complex cases to ensure the correct ICD codes are assigned in order to provide the best fiscal outcomes for patients and medical facilities.

The PCC CLIMB Center is a proud sponsor of Portland Radio Project's Biz503 show - the new Portland-centric startup and small business talk show on PRP.fm.

There’s no expiration date on following one’s passions.

Every 43 seconds, someone in the U.S. experiences a heart attack, many of which can result in fatal cardiac arrest. Considering the fact that the Obama Administration started the Million Hearts initiative five years ago, setting the goal to prevent 1 million strokes and heart attacks by 2017, it's no surprise that late last month, President Obama officially proclaimed February 2016 American Heart Month. He also strongly encouraged people to participate in National Wear Red Day (Feb. 5) to share love and support for those struggling with heart disease.

Jessica Larsen has a dream of someday becoming a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Today she is one giant leap closer to her dream thanks to her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) 1 and 2 training at PCC CLIMB.

The PCC CLIMB Center is a proud sponsor of Portland Radio Project's Biz503 show - the new Portland-centric startup and small business talk show on PRP.fm.