If one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2020 is to start a new career, Pellissippi State Community College has options to help you meet that goal in just 12 months.
Pellissippi State is launching Career in a Calendar Year in January for Medical Office, a concentration in the college’s Administrative Professional Technology program.
By attending accelerated classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights as well as some online courses, students who start in January can earn two certificates in the medical office field by December.
“This format appeals to many of our students,” said Program Coordinator Regina Buckley.
Students who take the prescribed three classes in spring 2020, two in summer 2020 and four in fall 2020 will finish the calendar year with their two certificates, as well as 27 credit hours toward an associate degree in Medical Office, a concentration in the Administrative Professional Technology program.
While 27 credit hours are shy of the 60-61 hours needed to complete the associate degree, students who complete the 27 hours will have two Pellissippi State certificates that enable them to work in the medical office field: Medical Insurance Coding and Reimbursement and Electronic Health Records Specialist.
They also will have the education and skill set required to sit for three national certifications: National Healthcareer Association Certified Billing and Coding Specialist, Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist and Microsoft Office Specialist.
These certificates and national certifications can springboard students to medical office careers such as coding, billing and insurance specialist; compliance specialist; electronic health records specialist; hospital unit coordinator; office manager and scheduler.
“Medical offices depend on health care administrators, those important people who are tasked with nonclinical patient care,” Buckley said.
The 27 hours of Career in a Calendar Year count toward Pellissippi State’s associate degree in Administrative Professional Technology as well. Those students who wish to go on to complete the associate degree can choose from traditional, online or accelerated classes.
The associate degree program also provides a built-in internship in a medical office setting to give students real-world experience before graduation.
The deadline to apply to Pellissippi State for spring 2020 is Jan. 13. Classes begin Jan. 21. To apply, visit www.pstcc.edu/admissions. For more information about studying Medical Office at Pellissippi State, contact Regina Buckley at rbuckley@pstcc.edu or 865.694.6413.