Associate in Healthcare Administration Programs Guide

From its modest beginnings as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971, Liberty University has grown its programs and expanded its reach to become the world’s largest Christian university and the fifth largest university of any kind in the United States. Much of that growth has come about due to its commitment to online education. And, among its many other online programs, Liberty offers an associate of applied science degree in medical office assisting. Generous transfer policies – including the possibility of transfer credit for work experience or for military training – mean you could be finished in a much shorter time frame than two years.

Liberty University’s online associate’s degree program is designed to prepare you for a career as a medical office assistant in various healthcare environments including public health departments, hospitals, and clinics. The program requires 61 credit hours in total, with 22 credit hours of coursework required in the major. In addition to the general studies classes required for the associate’s degree, you’ll study many facets of the healthcare industry with classes in Medical Terminology, Introduction to Health Professions, Medical Office Systems and Procedures, Medical Office Billing and Bookkeeping, and more. Liberty University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Over the course of the past 40 years, Keiser University has grown to become Florida’s third largest, not-for-profit university, serving approximately 20,000 students, 3,800 employees, and over 66,000 alumni. As part of its extensive online programs, Keiser offers students an Associate of Arts degree in Health Services Administration, providing them with instruction in basic health services administration skills. You’ll learn the computer skills and software applications needed to prosper in a healthcare business environment. You’ll be prepared to excel in both business and health service administration, taking courses on business law, management and marketing principles, medical anatomy, physiology and terminology and front office management.

Over the course of the 60 credit hour degree, you’ll take 36 credit hours in required general education classes as well as 24 credit hours in the health administration major. The course of study is designed to attain the following objectives:

• Develop students’ understanding of software systems used in administrative healthcare.
• Familiarize students with medical terminology, anatomy and physiology.
• Train students in the application of business principles to healthcare administration.
• Assist graduates in obtaining entry-level employment in health services administration.

Keiser University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The associate of arts degree in healthcare management offered by Florida Institute of Technology combines knowledge specific to the healthcare industry with the principles of business management. The importance of efficient management for healthcare providers large and small means that qualified and knowledgeable professionals are needed throughout the country to run it efficiently. An online AA from FIT can help you be a competitive candidate for entry-level positions in this growing field.

In this 61 credit hour program consisting of 20 courses, you’ll learn how to understand and apply contemporary trends in the organizational structure of managed healthcare. You’ll also learn the basics of planning, strategy, staffing, leadership, and change management. Graduates of this program will be prepared to start careers in a number of in-demand positions, including risk manager, case coordinator, and medical administrator. Florida Institute of Technology is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

For more than 100 years, Concordia University of Wisconsin has worked to fulfill its mission as a liberal arts college associated with the Lutheran tradition. One of the most affordable private colleges in Wisconsin, Concordia offers a number of online degrees to complement its residential programs. Education at Concordia is marked by a commitment to teaching values as well as academic knowledge – a combination aimed at preparing its graduates for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. Its students come from a diverse range of backgrounds, faiths, cultures, and age groups, making for a dynamic learning environment.

Students in Concordia’s 64 credit hour associate’s degree program in healthcare management will gain knowledge and skills in a number of areas including the following:

• Analyzing health-care systems demonstrating acceptance of individuals as holistic beings created by God, respecting the dignity, worth, and rights of the individual
• Synthesizing knowledge from the sciences, humanities, and management theories as a basis for problem-solving and decision-making in health care
• Working cohesively and communicating with members of the interdisciplinary health-care network
• Evaluating research results applicable to health-care practice
• Creating a reflective self plan for personal and professional growth
• Recognizing and analyzing current trends and issues relative to health-care management
• Respecting diversity within the healthcare community for both those who are served and the providers of care

Graduates of the program may go on to a number of job opportunities including medical records coordinator, nursing home administrator, practice manager, assistant administrator, and pharmaceutical sales representative. Concordia University of Wisconsin is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The associate’s degree program in medical office administration at Herzing University is designed to prepare students with the skills and academic knowledge needed for entry-level office positions in the healthcare industry. Along with required coursework in computer skills, business management, and healthcare-specific issues, the program also includes a comprehensive general education curriculum that prepares students for advancement in the professional arena. All together, 60 credit hours are required for graduation, of which 7 courses are in the major. In addition, a research project and internship in the field are required, making this one of the most comprehensive programs we surveyed.

Upon their graduation from Herzing, students will be able to perform such important medical office administrative tasks as:

• Create and enter data into different healthcare documents
• Apply legal concepts to medical practice
• Employ professionalism
• Demonstrate billing and reimbursement processes.
• Explain various disease and treatment processes

Graduates of this program have gone on to career opportunities in medical offices, clinics, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other healthcare office settings. Typical job titles for these graduates include medical secretary, receptionist, unit support representative, office manager, medical receptionist, front office manager, and medical office specialist. Herzing University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Oklahoma State University at Oklahoma City offers an associate of science degree in healthcare administration that provides students with the tools they need to support today’s complex medical organizations. Upon completion of the program, graduates will enter a career field where remarkable changes in health care policies and administration have increased the need for excellent administrators on the front lines of service to patients.

The program consists of a total of 64 credit hours, including general education requirements as well as classes in the major. You’ll study ethics and law as well as the administrative and financial aspects of healthcare. Graduates are in demand, and they have found a variety of career paths including:

• Front-office clerical and office management
• Medical assistance
• Hospital administration
• Sales and marketing
• Customer care
• Long-term care facilities administration
• Billing, coding and information technologies

After graduation, you’ll be prepared for any of these entry-level jobs, often with starting salaries in the range of $30,000-35,000. Oklahoma State University at Oklahoma City is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The associate’s degree in business administration offered by Kentucky’s Midway University is based around the needs of the business world, giving students the knowledge and skills that employers are looking for. In this program, you’ll grow in your written and oral communication skills, the ability to analyze and solve problems, mathematical ability, and knowledge of your historical and cultural background. The business administration associate major at Midway offers students a combination of a strong liberal arts background with a solid foundation in the topics needed for business administration careers.

The associate’s degree at Midway consists of 19 credit hours of general education requirements and 21 credit hours in core topics for the major, including accounting, management, and software skills. Then, the remaining 20 credit hours required for the degree can be used to take healthcare administration classes to provide advanced knowledge in the medical administration field. You’ll learn how to plan and supervise the delivery of healthcare services by doctors, nurses, and technicians. Whether your place of work is a small health clinic or a major medical center, you can play a role in keeping it on the cutting edge in an ever-changing industry. Midway University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The healthcare administration associate’s degree program at Colorado Christian University provides its graduates with a solid introduction toward becoming a frontline leader in the field. In addition, courses at CCU are taught with a Christian worldview. Students who see their work as part of their ministry and Christian vocation will learn the importance of ethical considerations in their work, while also understanding crucial aspects of leading others as a servant leader.

In the 60 credit hour program, you’ll take 36 credit hours in general education, 18 in the major, and 6 in electives. You will be introduced to health care terminology, delivery systems, and informatics, so that you can make the best possible decisions regarding patient outcomes. Additionally, the program provides a background in human resources – because health care, at its core, is about dealing with other people. You’ll combine all of this with an examination of spirituality and ethics in health care – and you’ll understand how work in health care is, indeed, a sacred calling. Core requirements for the major include:

• Healthcare terminology
• Healthcare delivery systems
• Healthcare administration and management
• Managing healthcare human resources
• Health informatics
• Healthcare law, policy, and regulations

After graduation you might serve as an administrator in a local doctor’s office, a health care clinic, or a long-term care facility. Jobs open to you might also include positions within a local hospital, managing the facilities or resources or a unit. If you’re hoping to further your education, the associate’s degree in healthcare administration also offers a foundation for further career advancement. Colorado Christian University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The School of Health Sciences at Purdue University Global offers a number of online programs, all of which are geared towards understanding the needs of today’s healthcare industry and anticipating the needs of tomorrow. As part of those offerings, Purdue University Global is focused on helping students enter one of the most important areas of growth in the industry: the management of medical information. As the program site explains, in every medical office across the country, you will find a team of trained professionals who work with patient records, medical documents, and other medical office matters – and Purdue University Global is poised to help you become one of those professionals.

The 57 credit hour medical office administration program at Purdue University Global is designed to help you qualify for positions such as medical administrative specialist or medical secretary. Duties for these positions could include medical records management, insurance processing, coding and billing, management of practice finances, information processing, and fundamental office management tasks, and career opportunities for medical office managers may exist in doctors’ offices, medical facilities, hospitals, insurance offices, pharmaceutical companies, and labs. Purdue University Global is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

California’s San Joaquin Valley College offers several medical office programs designed to prepare graduates to work in front-office positions for a medical practice, healthcare facility or insurance company. The coursework is targeted to help students learn the skills required to start a career in administrative support in a healthcare environment. If you’re looking to start your career quickly, you may opt for the 7-month, Certificate credential level of the program, which offers all of the training required to provide basic administrative support in a medical office setting.

However, if you’re looking for a degree program, the 14-month associate of science (A.S.) degree level of the program provides advanced training in medical billing, coding and office management. Students in SJVC’s medical office programs learn how to manage complex topics including:

• Medical insurance principles
• Medical office operations
• Human relations
• Medical law and regulations

In addition, an externship component allows students to gain hands-on experience under the direction of a medical office manager or director. San Joaquin Valley College is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.