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All your life, you’ve known you wanted to have a career in the medical field.
Helping people is important to you, and medicine has always been one of your biggest interests.
But now that it’s time to choose your path, you’ve realized you don’t want to attend school for years to obtain a degree. Luckily, several options for you don’t require a long commitment to the school.
Let’s look at medical programs that only require a certificate so that you can start your career immediately.
Types of Medical Programs
Certificate programs are acquired in a shorter time and are much less expensive than paying for a college degree.
Getting a certificate will allow you to get a jump start on your career much sooner than if you were to go to college.
In this blog, we’ll discuss 4 different medical programs that require only a certificate.
Medical Assistant
One of the most popular medical programs is receiving a medical assistant certificate.
Medical assistants help out in clinical settings with both administrative and clinical work.
They may be specifically trained for something, such as clinical procedures, but all medical assistants will have similar duties, depending on the size of the office they work in.
Many medical assistants will help doctors perform minor surgical procedures and do other treatments on patients. At the same time, some will spend more time on administrative work such as billing and insurance.
It’s a good idea to look for any sites specific to your field for salary data. These sites may have info on industry average wages. These jobs are typically full-time and during normal business hours. Depending on the practice, some medical assistants will need to work evenings and weekends.
A typical day for a medical assistant will vary depending on the office.
Generally, medical assistants will prepare the patients before the doctor enters the room.
They will be in charge of greeting patients, seating them, taking their blood pressure, and updating their charts with new information on their health status.
Medical assistants may also be responsible for ordering supplies needed for the office, assisting the doctor with processing prescriptions for patients, making appointments, and documenting medical records.
If becoming a medical assistant sounds appealing, you’ll need to consider enrolling in medical programs.
Receiving a certificate as a medical assistant will take just 45 weeks to complete. So in about ten months, you could be working in the medical field.
Dental Assistant
Another popular career choice for people interested in the medical field is the dental field. Consider becoming a dental assistant instead of attending a school that will last several years.
Check any sites specific to your field for salary data, as they may have info on industry average wages. These positions are typically full-time, and the hours will be during regular business hours. There may be some evening and weekend hours at some dental offices.
Dental assistants have similar responsibilities as medical assistants.
They are in charge of greeting and seating a patient, helping the patient feel comfortable, preparing for treatment, and assisting the dentist in some treatments.
Some more advanced duties include sterilization, assisting in surgeries or treatments, taking x-rays, and informing patients on treatment plans.
Dental assistants will also be responsible for administrative duties such as scheduling, maintaining patient records, reviewing consent with patients, and discussing billing and payments.
Pharmacy Technician
Another great way to enter the medical field is through pharmaceutical work. Becoming a pharmacy technician is an achievable goal that won’t take too long to accomplish.
Unlike medical or dental assistants, pharmacy technicians will usually work inside retail or hospital pharmacies, not in medical offices, so their responsibilities are much different.
Pharmacy techs will work under a pharmacist to fill prescriptions, compound, measure medications, keep the correct inventory of drugs, and secure the medications.
They are also responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of patients’ records, handling insurance claims, and conducting transactions with patients for their prescriptions.
According to the BLS, as of April 2018, demand for pharmacy technician workers is expected to grow by as much as 12% over the next ten years, so this may be a great career option for you.
Healthcare/Medical Office Specialist
If you are interested in the medical field but would rather be solely responsible for administrative duties, this job may be for you.
Healthcare office specialists will perform the administrative tasks crucial for every medical office’s survival.
Office specialists’ duties may include greeting patients, scheduling appointments, maintaining updated and organized files, completing insurance forms correctly, and submitting prescription orders to pharmacies.
They may also be responsible for processing billing and payment information, answering phone calls and e-mails, and helping medical assistants with any other duties around the office.
People interested in this job should be highly organized, attentive to details, personable, friendly, responsible, punctual, hard-working, and great at communicating.
Your Dream is Within Reach
Having a career in the medical field doesn’t have to mean going to school for several years. It is achievable by the certificate programs that you can complete in less than one year.
The road to having your dream job just became much shorter and more affordable. Enroll in a medical certificate program today. Financial aid is available for those who qualify. And there is job placement assistance for graduates.
There is no reason not to take the next step. The longer you wait, the more you may put your life on hold.
InterCoast Colleges offers a Medical Assistant Program and a Pharmacy Technician Program; please get in touch with us. We are eager to help you on the path toward fulfilling your dreams.