2 answers
Lauren
Student
Union, New Jersey
2
Questions
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What certifications would be good for the health Administration field?
I'm majoring in Health Administration. I want to know what the best certifications that would benefit me. I know that First aid and CPR are some good ones. What are some other suggestions #healthcare #health #certifications #healthcare-management
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2 answers
Tia Jefferson
Public Health Nerd
9
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Tia’s Answer
I'm excited that you are interested in health administration. It's a great field and one that I became interested in during my first year of college. While knowing CPR and basic first aid is great, they aren't necessary credentials for being a health administrator. I encourage you to supplement your health administration coursework with additional business classes, particularly in accounting and finance. Understanding the financials of a healthcare organization is a necessary part of the job.
If your class schedule allows, I suggest finding a part-time position in the business office of a hospital or other healthcare facility, such as a health center, board of health, or doctor's office. You can also volunteer - that's how I got my first job. My best advice is to get as much hands on experience as you can working in various healthcare environments. Education and credentials are important, but any experience you can gain while you're in school will make you a stronger job candidate when you graduate. Happy to answer any other questions you have.
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If your class schedule allows, I suggest finding a part-time position in the business office of a hospital or other healthcare facility, such as a health center, board of health, or doctor's office. You can also volunteer - that's how I got my first job. My best advice is to get as much hands on experience as you can working in various healthcare environments. Education and credentials are important, but any experience you can gain while you're in school will make you a stronger job candidate when you graduate. Happy to answer any other questions you have.
healthadministration healthcaremanagement
Sue Butler
Manager
13
Answers
Lansing, Michigan
Updated
Sue’s Answer
A degree in health administration provides you will several opportunities for employment. Depending on your interest, one could go in the direction of medical billing and coding which involves reviewing medical documentation and assignment diagnosis and procedures codes. One could oversee a medical records department (including the electronic health record). One could become a manager in an office, billing service, hospital billing department and much more...do the research.
There are several professional organizations that offer various certifications. The most highly recognized is the AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders, aapc.com; offer certifications for medical coders, medical billers, risk management, office management, auditing, and more) and AHIMA (American Hospital Information Management Association; ahima.org, offer certifications for medical coders and those who work in facility (hospital or similar environment and more). The best recommendation I can give is to review these websites and others, think about what type of work you want to do and where you want to eventually be working. Review job postings, they will indicate if you need a certain certification, the amount of experience an individual should have and more. All of these certifications require you to be a member of the organization(s) and you can be a member of more than one, pay for each certification exam you want to take, pay yearly dues and maintain your certifications by obtaining CEUs (continuing educational units). A particular organization will indicate how many CEUs you need and how often they are to be submitted. Some CEUs will have a cost to them, others may be free or minimal costs. Something else to think about when becoming certified.
There are several professional organizations that offer various certifications. The most highly recognized is the AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders, aapc.com; offer certifications for medical coders, medical billers, risk management, office management, auditing, and more) and AHIMA (American Hospital Information Management Association; ahima.org, offer certifications for medical coders and those who work in facility (hospital or similar environment and more). The best recommendation I can give is to review these websites and others, think about what type of work you want to do and where you want to eventually be working. Review job postings, they will indicate if you need a certain certification, the amount of experience an individual should have and more. All of these certifications require you to be a member of the organization(s) and you can be a member of more than one, pay for each certification exam you want to take, pay yearly dues and maintain your certifications by obtaining CEUs (continuing educational units). A particular organization will indicate how many CEUs you need and how often they are to be submitted. Some CEUs will have a cost to them, others may be free or minimal costs. Something else to think about when becoming certified.