A study released today by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce states 5.6 million new jobs will be created in the healthcare industry in the next eight years.
Jobs will be required to fill two labor markets in the industry: professional and support, according to the report. While professional jobs demand postsecondary training and advanced degrees, support jobs often require certifications or a few years of college or career training. Possible career choices include medical office administration, nursing, medical coding and billing, and hospital administration.
To help meet the demand for healthcare professions, several schools offer programs in a variety of health care fields.
- Associate of Applied Business in Medical Office Management, University of Northwestern Ohio: This private, not-for-profit university offers several online degrees in healthcare administration, including an associate degree program. Students in the 108-credit-hour, six-quarter program will take courses in business presentations, database and spreadsheet applications, management, medical law and ethics, medical terminology, medical coding, health insurance, medical accounting software, records management, and medical machine transcription.
- Associate of Science in Insurance Billing and Coding Specialist, Herzing University Online: The associate degree program in billing and coding, one of many health care degrees offered by Herzing Online, can be completed in as few as 16 months. This 61-semester-credit-hour degree program can lead to a career as a medical coding specialist, health information specialist, or medical clerk. Coursework includes medical terminology, diagnosis coding, procedure coding, basic pathophysiology and pharmacology, insurance claims processing, healthcare operations, and ethics and health information management.
- Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration, Drexel University Online: Philadelphia-based Drexel University Online offers a variety of online health care degrees including a degree-completion bachelor’s program that requires applicants to have at least 60 approved semester credits in core courses under their belt prior to enrollment. With a strong foundation in general management, this 120-semester-credit degree program provides a curriculum in healthcare ethics, healthcare law, healthcare human resources, financial management in healthcare, non-profits and healthcare, healthcare policy, management of health services, and leadership in health services administration.
- RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing, University of Phoenix: Students who are already registered nurses but would like to boost their credentials and salaries and provide more patient care by earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing can benefit from an online RN to BSN program like the one offered at private, for-profit, University of Phoenix. The 120-credit-hour program includes coursework in professional nursing, health care communication, health and chronic disease management, epidemiology and public health, and health informatics.
- Master of Science in Health Care Ethics, Creighton University: Based in Omaha, Neb., Creighton University offers a variety of online degrees. Its interdisciplinary master’s in health care ethics is geared toward existing healthcare professionals who want to become more effective in their roles. Core courses include health policy, research ethics, social and cultural contexts of healthcare, philosophical bioethics, and theories of justice.
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