Millions of people every year look at health care degrees online and wonder if the healthcare field would be right for them. Thousands of these people decide against pursuing a healthcare career because they decide they wouldn’t be able to handle the rigors of healthcare work because they fear they aren’t mobile enough or strong enough to perform the arduous duties of healthcare, including long hours on their feet, moving and lifting patients and working odd schedules. It’s a shame, because there are actually healthcare careers that feature regular hours, minimal patient contact and a relatively easy physical stress level. These types of management or office-oriented careers give you the best of both worlds. You would have a satisfying healthcare career and the opportunity to hold a desk job.

Online Healthcare Degrees Can Boost Your Career Options

One of the best health care degrees available online is in Health Services Management. This bachelor’s degree program is an outstanding way to move into management while still working within the healthcare field. If you are currently a licensed practical nurse, physician’s assistant or work in some other way on the floor of a hospital or in a clinic, you may feel that it’s time to move up the career ladder. Perhaps you would like more pay, more structured hours or you simply feel that it’s time for a desk job to get you off of your feet for a change.

Health Services Management is the perfect solution. Most of the work is directly related to healthcare while focusing on management of personnel and services. Rather than providing these health services yourself, you will be overseeing a staff of healthcare providers, organizing and managing the process and structure of the clinic, physician’s office or hospital department where you work.

A Well-Rounded Education

A bachelor’s degree in Health Services Management broadens your knowledge base beyond patient care and anatomy. You will also learn about the legal and accounting aspects of successful healthcare facilities, human resources skills, staff management and medical ethics. If this sounds like a great way to improve your marketability, you’d be right. Many individuals with Health Services Management degrees find opportunities to use their education in other careers as well. For instance, the insurance industry, law firms specializing in medical cases, home health care services and medical staffing firms all seek out professionals who have pursued health care degrees online and achieved a bachelor’s degree that’s broad in scope.

The demand for healthcare workers is increasingly on the rise and with an aging population, the demand will continue. Hand-in-hand with the need for more healthcare workers is the need for more talented, trained individuals to manage the healthcare staff at all types of facilities. If you are considering getting a healthcare degree online, be sure to take into consideration the vital role management plays in the success of any healthcare facility. If you have the people skills and are interested in working in a professional office environment, a Health Services Management career may be perfect for you.

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Medical assistants are one of the high growth jobs in the healthcare industry. If you are thinking about embarking on a new career, you might want to consider being a medical assistant. The health care field is growing on a daily basis, mainly to due to advances in medicine. There is always a great need for medical assistants in hospitals, medical centers and clinics. The aging of America’s largest generation is also pushing the need for additional medical assistants over the next several years.

Medical Assistants are responsible for administrative and clinical tasks. These assistants are responsible for keeping health care offices running smoothly. The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office. Some of the administrative duties performed by medical assistants include answering phones and scheduling appointments, updating and filing patient medical records, filling out insurance forms, and billing. There are also clinical duties to be performed by medical assistants. These duties can vary according to differences in state law. Some of the tasks performed medical assistants include taking vital signs, preparing patients for examinations, or assisting doctors with examinations. Medical assistants also collect specimens, administer medication as authorized by a physician and telephone prescriptions to pharmacies. They are also responsible for taking blood, changing sutures and dressing, and keeping examination rooms clean and tidy.

Medical assistants can move up in their careers by specializing in particular healthcare areas. There are also advancement opportunities by moving up to office manager. With additional certification and education, medical assistants can advance to other health care jobs such as nursing. Medical assistants with further formal training and current job experience are great candidates for career advancement. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that medical assisting will be one of the fastest growing jobs on average through 2014. This is due to the increasing use of medical assistants across the healthcare industry. The earnings of medical assistants vary, depending on their experience, skill level, and location. Median annual earnings of medical assistants were $24,610 in May 2004.

Now is the time to get in on the ground floor of this fast growing occupation. Healthcare employers prefer graduates of formal programs in medical assisting. Such programs are offered in vocational-technical high schools, postsecondary vocational schools, and community and junior colleges. Postsecondary programs usually last 1-year, resulting in a certificate or diploma, or 2 years, resulting in an associate degree.

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