Positions Available to Allied Health Professionals
The healthcare industry is not solely made up of people who have worked for expensive degrees to be doctors and nurses. There is a great deal of demand for Allied Health professionals who are essential to the provision of good services in the health industry.
With a high school diploma or equivalent, you can train to become certified in any number of healthcare positions that do not require a college degree.
These positions still come with competitive pay, great hours, and career advancement opportunities within the healthcare field.
Allied Health professionals work at the front line of patient care and help doctors, nurses, and dentists by supporting patient care as well as fulfilling clerical functions.
There is a wide variety of work available to Allied Health professionals. If you cringe at the thought of taking blood or even being around it, that does not mean the healthcare industry is not for you.
There are plenty of administrative healthcare positions that do not require you to be in the actual exam room. Certifications in these administrative types of positions are just as important as those with more patient care interaction.
The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) offers an important lifeline for people who want to get into the healthcare industry.
An NHA certification offers amazing job prospects for such people for two reasons: their certification is highly reputable, and the industry they certify is undergoing serious growth.
The NHA provides certifications for key allied health roles such as:
- Medical Billing and Coding Specialist
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- This is the position that is responsible for health insurance claims for doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other healthcare offices. They must ensure that claims are recorded and coded correctly in the patient’s file.
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- Medical Administrative Assistant
- The responsibilities of this position are varied and can include some or all of the following: scheduling appointments, medical coding, filing insurance claims, communication with patients, accounting, and billing
- Electronic Health Record Specialist
- These positions require the ability to ensure the entire patient record is kept up to date within the electronic systems used by the healthcare provider.
- Clinical Medical Assistant
- Job specifications vary from office to office, but some of the responsibilities of a clinical medical assistant can be to record vital signs, take medical histories, prepare patients and rooms for an exam, assist with exams, or explain treatment and procedures to patients.
- Phlebotomy Technician
- Phlebotomists take samples of blood from patients. They must be able to prepare the equipment they need, prepare the patient for the blood draw, collect the blood samples and label and ship them correctly for testing, as well as properly dispose of equipment.
- Electrocardiogram (EKG) Technician
- EKG technicians operate equipment that measures and records heart activity.
Fast Track Your Healthcare Career Opportunities
Many adults find themselves seeking a change of profession that better fits their lifestyle. A career in the healthcare industry could do just that.
You can be trained and ready for the certification test for the above-listed positions in as little as 28 weeks.
The hours of the careers listed above are perfect for anyone looking to add stability to their lives and/or wanting the ability to be at home on the weekend and during the evenings.
Additionally, if you are bilingual, the healthcare industry is in desperate need of your skills. By becoming certified in any one of the categories above, in addition to speaking another language, your attributes will outweigh those of others applying for the same positions.
NHA certifications will vastly raise your chances of landing an entry-level position, and it brings a host of other benefits as well.
Benefits of NHA Certification
Increased Appeal as a Job Candidate
One primary benefit certification brings is an edge over other interviewees going for the same position as you.
If you are shortlisted for a job as a medical biller and the HR team sees that you are a Certified Biller and Coding Specialist (CBCS) while competing candidates are store clerks hoping to switch careers, who do you think they’ll choose?
Certification shows them that you are dedicated, focused, and serious about your choice of careers. It demonstrates that you have invested time, money, and energy to independently get certified even though the job may not strictly require it. It shows the kind of initiative that makes a great employee.
Broader Job Prospects
Another benefit of certification – especially stacked certifications – is an increased chance of being considered for other jobs within the organization, even if you miss out on the role you applied for.
For example, if you train up in CCI’s Medical Assistant program, you’ll be ready to sit the certification exam for Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and Phlebotomy Technician Certification (CPT).
You might apply for a medical assistant role, get shortlisted, but not quite get the position. But then you get a call a few weeks later with a job offer – the same company has a phlebotomist position opening up; with your previous interview and your CPT certification they feel confident hiring you.
Career Advancement Opportunities
Certification also provides significant career advancement opportunities. Training for an NHA certification will only take a few months but learning the same volume of information while on the job will take much longer.
By minimizing the on-the-job training and education you need to undertake you’ll settle into the role faster, which means you will be ready to move forward in your healthcare career sooner.
You will likely meet other people who are already in the healthcare industry as well, enabling you to start a network of other professionals in the industry. This can help you learn more about what the industry expects from its candidates and how to advance in your career.
Why Choose CCI Training Center?
It’s important to undertake thorough training before getting your certification. Doing so will make sure you are confident and well-prepared to give you the best chance of success during the certification test.
At CCI we offer small class sizes and very experienced instructors, who guide you while you prepare for your certification test. They are extremely knowledgeable about the field and will be able to help you decide what path is right for you.
Courses are offered in a hybrid format of online and in-person classes. Generally, it requires one to two times a week that you would need to go to a training center at our Dallas or Arlington campuses.
Flexible course schedules allow you to earn a certification while attending to other work or family obligations.
CCI’s dedication to students extends beyond preparing for certification exams or classroom teaching. We want to make sure everyone who graduates is more successful when they leave than when they started.
Our Career Services professionals provide career development assessments, job interviewing and resume building services, networking opportunities, and post-employment consultations.
If you’re ready to start your healthcare career journey, CCI is here to help.
