NOT LONG TO LEARN: Short-term training opens the door to careers in health care
NOT LONG TO LEARN: Short-term training opens the door to careers in health care
health care matters: Part two of a two-part series
In as little as one semester, job seekers can complete training and go on to become certified in one of an array of available entry-level health care jobs.
“We see a lot of folks needing to retrain, and they don’t want to stay for two years,” says Connie Stack, associate dean of the Health and Public Services Division at Alamance Community College (ACC) in Graham. “They’re looking in the medical field because they figure it’s not going to go away.”
Three of the 12 careers targeted in the state’s 12 in 6 worker training initiative are in health care. The initiative, announced earlier this year as part of Gov. Bev Perdue’s JobsNOW program, was designed to offer training that takes less than six months to complete. The health care positions chosen were nursing assistant, phlebotomist, and medical coder and biller.
Those and several other health care jobs with quick-training options in the area provide steppingstones to higher-paying positions, says Tiffany Morris, director of nursing programs at Rockingham Community College.
“I tell my students that even the certified nursing assistant (CNA) and phlebotomy programs give you an entry into the (health care) field,” Morris says.
Due to an aging population and the number of medical tests and procedures performed by providers as a result, health care jobs included in the 12 in 6 initiative are expected to grow faster than average through 2016 for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Medical coding and billing
Nadine O’Neill, financial counselor with Alamance Ear Nose and Throat, prepared for her new career through the medical coding, billing and insurance certificate program last year at ACC. O’Neill took the necessary coursework and passed the certification exam through the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). The certification and a job-shadowing opportunity arranged by one of her professors helped O’Neill secure her current job at the Burlington office, where she codes and bills, schedules surgeries and coordinates insurance paperwork.
When a patient receives health care services, codes are assigned for each diagnosis and procedure. There is a demand for those who understand the seemingly endless number of codes used by health care providers and payers, according to Joyce Johnson, who heads ACC’s office administration and medical office administration departments.
“UNC-Chapel Hill (Health Care) came to us and asked us about training people for medical coding,” Johnson says. “They were desperate for coders.”
The ACC program consists of six courses that can be completed in as few as two semesters. Although figures vary across different work settings, entry-level pay at UNC-CH Health Care, for example, is between $31,000 to $32,000 a year, Johnson said. Nationwide, the average salary for certified medical coder salaries is $44,750, a 4 percent increase from 2008 to 2009, according to an AAPC salary survey. Noncertified coders average $38,290, a 2 percent increase from 2008.
Coders work at hospitals, doctors’ offices, insurance companies and other health care sites.
“It’s more far-reaching than some people realize,” Johnson said. “Companies that offer medical devices and file with insurance companies use coders.”
Using the correct codes determines if and how much providers get paid, so medical coders serve an important role in the reimbursement process. If they advance into supervisory auditing roles, they can drastically increase earning potential, Johnson said.
Training programs in the field are also offered at Forsyth Technical Community College, Rockingham Community College, Randolph Community College and GTCC, which recently added a medical administrative assistant program as part of the 12 in 6 initiative, which parallels the school’s Quick Jobs with a Future program. Medical coding and billing also is offered through several private schools in the area.
Practical nursing
In three semesters, successful students such as Angie Akers can complete the requirements for becoming a licensed practical nurse. LPNs provide bedside care under the supervision of registered nurses.
Akers, 37, entered the practical nursing program at Rockingham Community College in August 2008. She completed it July 31, took the state licensing exam in August, and in September started working for Britthaven, a nursing home in Madison.
Practical nursing programs, available at local community colleges, prepare students to take the licensing exam to become licensed practical nurses. They also offer an entry point from which LPNs can step up to the next level if they choose. Akers is now enrolled in Rockingham’s LPN to RN bridge program, which prepares licensed practical nurses to become registered nurses.
Since the six-semester associate degree nursing program has more prerequisites, Morris says some choose the practical nursing program to get started in the field, then return to school for the additional three semesters to prepare for the exam to become an RN.
But even before crossing that bridge, job opportunities for LPNs are numerous, Morris says.
“LPNs can work in physicians’ offices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities and home-care agencies,” she says. “They’re making an average of $13 to $14 an hour.”
Phlebotomy
A phlebotomist, another position targeted in the 12 in 6 initiative, specializes in drawing blood from patients.
RCC’s phlebotomy program can be completed in six months. At ACC, phlebotomy has been combined with other training leading to a medical laboratory assistant certificate.
“It’s phlebotomy, plus some computer skills and some basic anatomical and physiological understanding,” Stack says. Training also includes an administrative office assisting course, which is intended to give students an understanding of how to effectively communicate with patients. “Employers were saying to us, ‘We need people to draw blood, but we need people with some other skills,’\u200A” such as strong communication abilities.
The ACC program consists of 18 credit hours, which can take one or two semesters to complete. Graduates who finish either program can become certified phlebotomy technicians by passing an exam through the National Healthcareer Association.
The NHA estimates the job opportunities in phlebotomy will increase by 10 percent to 20 percent over the next decade. Jobs are available in hospitals, doctors’ offices, public health clinics and blood and plasma donation centers.
“Phlebotomists make $10 to $12 an hour if they’re certified,” Morris said. “That’s a really good entry-level health care position, especially for somebody who can’t pay for two or three years of college.”
— Special sections writer Patrick Collins contributed to this report.
Angie Akers assists James W. Hobbs 110109
Licensed practical nurse Angie Akers assists James W. Hobbs, 67, a patient at Britthaven, a nursing home in Madison. Akers completed the practical nursing program at Rockingham Community College on July 31, took the state licensing exam in August, and in September started working for Britthaven.
Nancy Sidelinger Special Sections Photographer
short-term health care training
There are many programs available to train for health care jobs that can be completed in less than two years, and sometimes in as little as one semester.
Find out more about medical coding, practical nursing, phlebotomy and other health care jobs with quick-training options by contacting one of the following community colleges.
Alamance Community College, Graham
Opportunities in medical office administration, dental assisting and medical assisting (including phlebotomy)
578-2002
www.alamancecc.edu
Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston-Salem
Opportunities through the JobsNOW 12 in 6 initiative: Medical coding and billing, medical unit secretary, nursing assistant, phlebotomy and pharmacy assistant
761-1002
www.forsythtech.edu/business-advancement/jobs-now-12-in-6
GTCC, Greensboro
Opportunities through Quick Jobs with a Future and JobsNOW 12 in 6 Worker Training Initiative: Dental administrative assistant, direct care worker, health insurance billing clerk, medical receptionist, nursing assistant and pharmacy technician
334-4822, ext. 2562
www.gtcc.edu (click on “Quick Jobs” on the right side of the screen)
Randolph Community College, Asheboro
Opportunities in health care management technology
633-0200
www.randolph.edu
Rockingham Community College, Wentworth
342-4261
Opportunities in nursing assisting and phlebotomy
http://www.rockinghamcc.edu/news_events/2009-06-16.php
