Starting a fulfilling career in the healthcare sector may be just around the corner with a medical office administration degree from one of these accredited schools.
There are many parts of a well-functioning medical office. There’s doctors and nurses, of course. But there are also patient-care aids, medical technicians, and front office staff.
Each of these components is essential for optimal patient care and improved outcomes. If becoming a doctor or nurse isn’t up your alley, then consider getting one of these medical office administration online programs from a top accredited online college. Doing so will help launch your career managing the front end of the medical practice.
Those working in medical office administration are often the first contact for patients in a medical clinic. That makes this job so much more than answering phones and filing paperwork.
A well-trained medical office administrator is invaluable. An office administrator can either enhance an experience or be the reason that the patient doesn’t return. The education you can get with one of the programs listed below ensures that you help make patients feel well cared for during their visit.
See Also: 20 Dental Assistant Accredited Programs
What Do You Learn in Medical Office Administration Schools Online?
There are many tasks that medical office administrators may be asked to do in the course of the day. You might answer phone calls, check in patients, or code and submit bills to insurance companies. As a jack-of-all-trades, medical office administrators must have a wide knowledge and practical skillset.
Whether you decide to pursue one of our top-ranked medical office administration degrees, diplomas, or certificates, there are medical office administration online courses common among these programs. Classes you’ll likely need to take cover medical terminology, medical billing and coding, and healthcare administrative procedures, to name a few. Other online medical administration courses might include:
- Medical Law and Ethics
- Medical Insurance Procedures
- Computerized Medical Records Systems
- Statistics
- Operations Management
You should have a solid grasp of how to operate computers, since computers are an essential component of modern medical practice.
While there are classes you’re likely to encounter no matter the program you choose, each program has specific requirements that must be met to graduate. Before taking the plunge and enrolling in a program, make sure you fully understand the graduation requirements of the programs on your list. You might find that the admissions criteria, program length, and courses offered to prospective students make one degree in medical office administration more desirable than the rest!
See Also: Best Online Schools for Medical Billing and Coding Programs and 30 Accredited Online Colleges in Public Health
What are the Best Medical Office Administration Online Degree Programs?
When looking for a school to suit your educational needs, you can’t rely on simple Google searches like “online schools medical office management” or “medical office administration course online.” Instead, we’ve vetted 30 excellent possibilities on your behalf.
Accredited Online College uses the most recent data from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics to rank the best online medical office administration degree programs.
Each program is scored individually. It’s then compared to all other universities offering that degree to determine the final score you see by each ranking. Accredited Online College considers the affordability, student-to-faculty ratio, and the number of programs offered on-campus and online. For more information, see our methodology page.
See Also: 30 Accredited Pharmacy Schools Online
1. Liberty University
Liberty University is in the top spot for the best medical office administration degree online.
This school offers a medical office assistant associate’s degree that takes only two years of full-time study to complete. The program consists of 64 credit hours, of which 75% of the credits can transfer from another college or university.
Classes are in an accelerated eight-week format. This is ideal if you prefer a quick pace. It also enables you to focus your studies on one course at a time.
If you choose Liberty’s program, you’ll learn the ins and outs of working in a doctor’s office or clinic. You’ll also develop skills regarding how to communicate with other healthcare professionals and patients.
With start dates throughout the year, this program gives you the flexibility to pursue your studies on your schedule. You can do so while saving money, too. Liberty University’s tuition is frozen – and has been for many years!
2. Southwestern Community College
Southwestern Community College is the second school on our list of the best online medical office administration programs.
SCC offers an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Medical Office Administration. This degree is entirely online. It consists of around 65 credit hours of coursework. Since this is a standard associate’s degree, you can expect your studies to take approximately two years to complete unless you have previously earned credits to transfer into the program.
SCC eases you into more difficult coursework by offering a General Psychology course or Introduction to Sociology course during your first semester. During the first semester, you will also take courses like:
- College Student Success
- Introduction to Computers
- Word Processing
- Text Editing Applications
With successive semesters, you’ll take more classes directly related to medical office administration, such as Medical Legal Issues, Medical Terminology I and II, and Professional Research and Reporting.
3. Surry Community College
Getting a medical office administration education can really pay off. There are job opportunities in many areas, including:
- Hospitals
- Medical offices
- Dental offices
- Insurance companies
- Other healthcare organizations
Surry Community College offers the opportunity to get a degree or a diploma. SCC also offers an office administration certificate program. The school’s associate’s degree requires 65 credit hours to complete. You’ll take classes such as:
- Records Management
- Medical Legal Issues
- Medical Insurance and Billing
- Office Applications
If you don’t want or need a degree, or if you already have another degree and want in-depth training in this field, check out Surry’s 39-credit-hour diploma program. This program takes roughly four semesters to complete.
The school’s certificate program is the shortest educational route for medical office administration. The certificate consists of 12 credit hours and takes approximately two semesters to finish.
4. Wayne Community College
Whether you’re looking to get into your first career or transition to a new one, Wayne Community College has an Associate of Applied Science in Medical Office Administration that will give you the tools you need to succeed.
This AAS degree consists of 69-73 credit hours of study. You can take 18-22 credit hours each semester. This is a heavy class load. As such, it’s imperative that you have the time to dedicate to your studies.
You begin the program by taking major-specific courses during the first semester. This includes classes like Medical Terminology I, Office Editing, and Word Processing. The rest of the first semester focuses on building foundational skills used daily in the work environment. You’ll take a keyboard skill-building class, a writing and inquiry class, and an introductory computer course.
The remaining semesters include a mix of major-area medical office online courses that focus on the areas of:
- Records management
- Ethics
- Office finances
- Communication
There’s also several work-based learning experiences, which serve as an externship type of learning. This allows you to see how real-world medical offices operate and how your skills fit into that environment.
Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Medical Office Administration at Wayne Community College here.
5. Craven Community College
The Medical Office Administration programs at Craven Community College emphasize practical skills and essential knowledge. The school offers an associate’s degree, which includes two options: General Studies or Medical Billing/Coding. There are also diploma and certificate programs.
Whether you pursue the General Studies or Medical Billing/Coding concentration for the associate’s degree, you must complete 67-68 credit hours to graduate. This option takes most students approximately four or five semesters to complete.
Craven’s Diploma in Medical Office Administration requires 43 credit hours. The program lasts three semesters. You need to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 throughout your studies.
The certificate program also allows you to concentrate on General Studies or Medical Billing/Coding coursework. Certificate programs are 14-15 credit hours. These certificates take two semesters to complete.
6. Vance- Granville Community College
If you complete one of Vance-Granville Community College’s Medical Office Administration programs, you’ll become eligible to take various certification exams. For example, you might choose from:
- Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist
- Certified Medical Administrative Assistant
- Certified Professional Coder
- Certified Billing & Coding Specialist
Various Microsoft Office certifications are also available.
VGCC’s Associate’s in Medical Office Administration degree is a 64-67 credit hour program. The program costs around $5,000 in total.
You can pursue a certificate program along with this degree or work toward a certificate program in a specific area of interest without pursuing a degree. The school’s certificate programs require 12-18 credit hours each. Examples include:
- Medical Coding Specialist Certificate
- Medical Office Administrative Assistant Certificate
- Dental Office Administrative Assistant Certificate
Tuition for the certificate programs is less than $1,500 in total per program.
7. Pitt Community College
Pitt Community College helps you prepare for your future career with a solid medical office degree program. With enrollment in the Associate of Applied Science in Medical Office Administration, you can take courses in:
- Financial Accounting
- Medical Terminology
- Business Communication
- Electronic Health Records
- Healthcare Customer Relations
PittCC’s AAS in Medical Office Administration degree consists of 76 credit hours of coursework. If you take 15 credits per semester, you will graduate in roughly five semesters.
There’s also a Medical Office Receptionist certificate program if you don’t want to complete the full AAS degree. The office receptionist certificate requires 17 credits, which you can complete in as little as one semester.
With a medical office education from Pitt Community College, you can pursue careers in various areas, including medical offices, dental offices, and hospitals.
8. Central Texas College
Central Texas College has an online medical office assistant training program that is particularly suited to veterans and active military members, as it’s a Military Credentialing Program.
Upon completing this program, you can sit for the National Healthcareer Association’s Medical Administrative Assistant certification exam. Combine the ability to obtain a recognized credential along with an affordable program cost of $2,199 (with an exam voucher), and you can see why this school secured one of our top-ten spots.
The program’s tuition includes six months of access to the course’s content, which is self-paced. Since the program is asynchronous, coursework is best for dedicated and organized students who are self-motivated.
The content is expected to take students around 180 hours to complete. This works out to 30 hours per week with the six-month access.
9. Beaufort County Community College
Learning the ins and outs of Medical Office Administration is easier with Beaufort County Community College’s Associate’s in Medical Office Administration.
This 66-credit program consists of six credit hours of required coursework: Med Insurance and Billing and Office Editing. The core curriculum consists of five classes:
- Word Processing
- Medical Office Terms I
- Medical Office Terms II
- Medical Legal Issues
- Office Administration Capstone
Once enrolled in this program, you will also take Business Math, Medical Document Processing, and Procedure Coding courses. Other courses include Diagnostic Coding, Business Math, and Office Applications I.
If you want real-life experience in your future job, you can take three credit hours of work-based learning with a school-approved employer. BCCC’s program focuses on theoretical knowledge and applicable skills necessary for success as a medical office administrator. This gives you the skills you need to succeed in your work-based learning and your career after graduation.
Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Medical Office Administration at Beaufort County Community College here.
10. Wake Technical Community College
Tenth on our list of medical office management degree online programs is Wake Technical Community College. WTCC knows it takes more than the knowledge learned in textbooks to become an outstanding medical office administrator. That’s why this college focuses on teaching you problem-solving skills that are of use in the medical setting and throughout your life.
At Wake Tech, you can get a dynamic Associate of Applied Science as a Medical Office Professional. Financial aid is available for those unable to pay for the full tuition of this 66-credit-hour program.
If you search online for “medical billing and coding Wake Tech,” you’ll also find that this school offers AAS degrees in Medical Billing and Coding and Healthcare Administration. Diploma and certificate programs in Medical Office Professional are available, too. These options are for students who aren’t interested in pursuing a degree. The diploma program consists of 36 credit hours of coursework. The certificate program is 18 credit hours of coursework.
11. Lenoir Community College
One of the most important duties when running a medical clinic is dealing with and getting paid by insurance companies. With training in this aspect of medical office administration, you’ll have great value as a member of the office staff. That’s because you’re responsible for ensuring that the rest of the medical office staff gets paid.
Lenoir Community College recognizes how essential billing, coding, and insurance reimbursement is to medical practices. As a result, they offer a Medical Coding, Billing, & Insurance Certificate program.
This certificate program is 15 credit hours of coursework. The core curriculum includes nine credit hours. The three core curriculum classes are:
- Medical Office Terms I
- Medical Office Terms II
- Medical Insurance and Billing
The other six credit hours necessary to graduate are spread over two classes: Procedure Coding and Diagnostic Coding. Since this is a certificate program, you only take essential classes directly related to your future career.
12. Georgia Northwestern Technical College
The Medical Front Office Specialist Certificate program from Georgia Northwestern Technical College prepares you for jobs as a medical receptionist in many different settings. This includes hospitals and physician offices or clinics.
This certificate program focuses solely on the material you need to know to get a job. It is just 21 credit hours of study, which takes two semesters to complete.
There are seven required courses in this program:
- Structure and Function of the Human Body
- Medical Terminology for Allied Health Sciences
- Medical Office Procedures
- Legal and Ethical Concerns in the Medical Office
- Human Diseases
- Medical Insurance Management
- Administrative Practice Management
To graduate with this certificate, you must pass all classes with a grade of C or higher.
Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Medical Office Administration at Georgia Northwestern Technical College here.
13. Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Two essential components make medical offices succeed or fail: the physicians who provide clinical care and the office administrative staff with whom they work.
Minnesota West Community and Technical College’s Healthcare Administrative Assistant Associate of Applied Science degree program provides the tools and knowledge to ensure you’re an indispensable asset to medical practices.
Healthcare administrative assistants perform various tasks, ranging from scheduling appointments to processing insurance claims to bookkeeping. With so many tasks that could come your way, you’ll need a vast array of skills, which is what you’ll learn with this degree.
This AAS degree program comes in online and in-person format formats. It includes 60 credit hours of coursework. The program length is typically two years.
Each semester, you will take 12-16 credit hours. You’ll start learning applicable knowledge during the first semester of study by taking:
- Body Structure & Function
- Medical Terminology in Healthcare
- Introduction to Medical Coding, Billing & Insurance
- College Keyboarding I
- Business Communications
- Composition I
The remaining three semesters include courses in office management, psychology, and computers, to name a few. There’s even a job-seeking course to help you start your job hunt!
Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Medical Office Administration at Minnesota West Community and Technical College here.
14. The College of Healthcare Professionals
The College of Healthcare Professionals offers a six-module certificate program in Healthcare Office Administration. This is a 48-week program, so you can complete it in less than one year.
The program focuses on the administrative duties of working in a healthcare facility. This includes:
- Managing paperwork
- Coding and billing
- Scheduling patients
- Maintaining patient records
- Working with insurance companies for payment
Likewise, you’ll learn the skills required to be detail-oriented, friendly, and communicative.
Additionally, completing this program prepares you for the next step – the Nationally Registered Certified Administrative Health Assistant exam. You can request info about the exam here.
15. Guilford Technical Community College
Guilford Technical Community College offers an Associate’s in Medical Office Administration. There are three credentialing options:
- Medical Office Administration Associate of Applied Science Degree
- Electronic Medical Records Certificate
- Patient Relations Diploma
With so many GTCC medical coding options, you can tailor your course of study to your unique interests.
The Associate of Applied Science in Medical Office Administration prepares you for the first day on the job in a medical or healthcare facility. You have options when it comes to selecting your Medical Office Administration electives to tailor your educational experience to your interests. These electives include classes such as:
- Introduction to Healthcare Management
- Social Media for Office Professionals
- Records Management
- Office Publications Design
Along with other available courses, the GTCC medical billing and coding curriculum is one of the most customizable on this list.
If you want to gain in-depth knowledge in managing medical records, you’ll want to check out GTCC’s Electronic Medical Record Certificate program. This program is 18 credit hours divided between two semesters of study. You’ll take Office Applications I, Medical Office Terms I, and Medical Insurance and Billing in the first semester. You’ll enroll in Electronic Health Records, Medical Legal Issues, and Medical Office Terms II in the second semester.
16. Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Do you want to pursue an associate’s degree? Or do you plan to complete a bachelor’s degree? Either way, Minnesota State Community and Technical College’s Medical Administrative Assistant Associate of Applied Science program fulfills your needs.
This college has an agreement with Minnesota State University Moorhead that allows graduates with this associate’s degree to transfer up to 50 credit hours of study into MSU Moorhead’s Health Service Administration Bachelor’s degree program. The Medical Administrative Assistant AAS program is 60 credit hours. This means most of your credits apply toward furthering your education.
M State’s program teaches you to become a competent medical office staff member. It also helps you build skills to be a healthcare leader. As a graduate of this program, you can step into more advanced organizational roles.
17. Purdue University Global
Sometimes all you need are the basics to begin a rewarding career. Certificate programs teach you the most foundational knowledge of a particular field, and the Medical Office Administration Certificate from Purdue University Global definitely builds a solid knowledge base.
Upon graduation from this certificate program, you will have the knowledge to sit for various professional exams, including:
- Certified Medical Administrative Specialist
- Certified Coding Associate
- Medical Administrative Assistant
- National Certified Medical Office Assistant
Purdue Global’s certificate program is longer than most others on this list, at 57 credit hours offered in ten-week modules. Students enrolled in this program should plan to spend 9-15 hours each week studying for classes.
18. Minnesota State College Southeast
This program from Minnesota State College Southeast combines 45 credits of technical education and 15 general education credits. The 60-credit-hour Medical Administrative Assistant Associate of Applied Science has both breadth and depth of education.
The general education requirements consist of three-credit-hour courses in:
- Written and oral communications
- Mathematics
- History, social, and behavioral sciences
- Humanities and fine arts
The technical classes in this degree include courses such as:
- Spreadsheets Concepts and Applications
- Anatomy & Physiology Disease Conditions
- Essentials of Healthcare Documentation
- Introduction to Health Information Management
- Word Processing I and II
This degree is also one of the most reasonably priced on this list. The approximate tuition is just over $14,000, including books and supplies. Perhaps best of all, if you choose this program, your classes are taught by professors who have real experience working in the medical field.
19. Kentucky Community and Technical College
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System ensures that its students enrolled in the Medical Information Technology degree program graduate ready to tackle the rigors of a medical front-office job.
Not only will you develop personal and professional skills that will help you in your new career, but you’ll also gain deep knowledge of critical medical office topics. This includes:
- Introduction to computer systems
- Medical office terminology
- Medical insurance
- Legal issues
- Medical records and data management
This associate’s degree program has several tracks from which to choose. You can focus on:
- Medical coding
- Electronic medical records
- Medical office management
- Medical administration
Regardless of which specialization you choose, you need to complete 64 credits to graduate. In most cases, the program takes two years of full-time study to complete.
20. Montgomery County Community College
Montgomery County Community College is twentieth on our list of online schools for medical office administration. At just 16 credit hours, the Medical Office Assistant Certificate of Completion program from MCCC is one of the shortest programs on this list. The program includes just five classes:
- Medical Terminology
- Medical Law and Ethics
- Medical Office Technologies and the EHR
- Medical Office Administration
- The Human Body in Health and Disease
The program trains you to perform basic administrative duties in a medical office. Likewise, you’ll develop critical thinking skills and learn to manage electronic medical records.
After completing this certificate program, you’ll be eligible to take the national Medical Office Assistant certification exam.
The school also offers a Medical Coding Certificate, Medical Assisting Certificate, and Office Management Certificate program. What’s more, Montgomery County Community College provides multiple scholarships for students each year, including scholarships for online students.
21. Riverland Community College
Riverland Community College’s Medical Administrative Assistant Associate of Applied Science is a genuine, recognized business program, as it’s an ACBSP-accredited business school.
Riverland’s AAS degree program allows you to take advantage of specialized knowledge in medical administration while receiving a good liberal arts education. This degree program includes 60 credit hours, so it takes roughly four semesters of full-time study to complete.
You can enter this program three times throughout the year: in the spring, summer, and fall. Once enrolled in the AAS program, you’ll take general education courses with the rest of the credit hours spent learning what it takes to run a medical office.
The core curriculum consists of classes like:
- Business Communication
- Medical Accounts Management
- Medical Office Procedures
- Office Supervision and Management
Other coursework focuses on learning spreadsheets, keyboarding, and human relations, to name just a few topics.
Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Medical Office Administration at Riverland Community College here.
22. Remington College Knoxville
Remington College Knoxville can help jumpstart your career with their Diploma in Medical Office Administration.
As a full-time student enrolled in the diploma program, you can complete your studies in as little as eight months. The Remington College medical billing and coding diploma focuses on teaching you skills such as:
- Medical coding
- Laws and ethics of medical records
- Structure and function of the human body
- Business aspects of medical practice
With the knowledge and skills you gain in this program, you’ll have the qualifications to work in many different medical settings. This includes clinics, nursing homes, and hospitals. You can also find employment in home health and medical supply businesses.
Whatever path you choose, you’ll have a quality education to lean on from Remington College Knoxville.
23. Ultimate Medical Academy
The Ultimate Medical Academy offers two trajectories for its medical office administration programs. One option is an 11-month diploma program, and the other is an 18-month associate’s program. If you pursue the diploma, you’ll deal only with core coursework.
UMA’s Health Sciences – Medical Administrative Assistant Associate’s degree features a total of 62 course credits. Of those, 32 make up the core courses for medical administration. These core courses cover topics such as:
- Medical terminology
- Medical transcription
- Coding
- Anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology
- Healthcare communication
On the other hand, the diploma route requires only 38 credits for completion.
Are Ultimate Medical Academy credits you earn transferable? UMA does not guarantee that, so check with other schools to determine what they will and will not accept for credit.
One of the strengths of UMA is its small class sizes. In addition, there is 24/7 tech support to aid you in correcting any technical issues you encounter during your online studies. Another benefit is that you’re prepared to sit for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant exam upon taking courses at UMA.
The UMA medical billing and coding cost can be lowered if you qualify for financial aid. Check with the program to determine if you’re eligible for aid.
24. Elizabeth Community and Technical College
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College makes it easy for you to gain specialized knowledge and training within the medical field. There’s an array of associate’s degrees, diplomas, and certificates from which you can choose. The school’s Medical Administrative Assistant Diploma program requires that you complete 49 credit hours of study.
The majority of coursework in this program revolves around the technical and support courses directly related to medical administration. The remaining credit hours involve general education classes, such as Basic Anatomy and Physiology with Lab, Editing Skills for Office Professionals, and Writing I.
Alternatively, ECTC’s AAS in Medical Office Management is 49 credit hours in duration, which isn’t much more of a commitment than the 42-credit-hour diploma program. The AAS degree program allows you to gain specialized knowledge in medical office business and finance, among other related topics.
25. Institute of Medical and Business Careers
The Institute of Medical and Business Careers’ Medical Office Administrator Diploma is a fully online program. The program lasts 12 months on average, and each course is six weeks in duration. What’s more, IMBC maintains small class sizes, with a cap set at 25 students.
Because the program is fully online, you don’t have to do an internship to fulfill the graduation requirements. Even without an internship component, you have a solid shot at getting a job. That’s because more than 80 percent of IMBC graduates have a job.
The skills you learn in this program apply to a wide array of work environments. Possible career settings after graduation include outpatient care centers, nursing care homes, and hospitals. You might also find employment in medical or dental offices. In other words, you can pursue many career paths with this diploma in hand!
26. Northland Community and Technical College
Northland Community and Technical College offers a 60-credit-hour Medical Administrative Assistant Associate of Applied Science that will make you a competitive applicant in the job hunt following graduation.
Northland allows you to transfer college credits earned at another university, as long as the credits were earned within the past five years. This can help you shorten the length of time it takes to finish this degree. Even without transfer credits, the program usually only takes two years of full-time study.
You must maintain a minimum grade of C in each class to continue your studies in the program. Many student services are available to help you maintain this level of success.
Courses in this program are in a semester format. To be accepted, you must meet certain biology and health prerequisites. However, a waiver for this requirement might be given if you have recent experience working in healthcare or have recent educational experiences in health-related fields.
Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Medical Office Administration at Northland Community and Technical College here.
27. Alexandria Technical and Community College
The Medical Administrative Specialist program from Alexandria Technical & Community College is unique in that it enables you to obtain specific learning in computer, technical, and general education courses. The broad skills learned through this university allow you to qualify for many jobs in the health field. ATCC’s program results in an Associate of Applied Science degree. This is a 60-credit-hour program.
This program takes four semesters to complete if you attend school full-time. Each semester, you’ll take 12-18 credit hours of coursework, with the average semester requiring 15 credit hours.
Once enrolled in this program, you might take classes such as:
- Document Fund of Editing & Scribing
- Introduction to CPT/HCPCS
- Pharmacology & Lab
- Medicolegal & Reimbursement Issues
28. Dakota College at Bottineau
After earning the Medical Administrative Assistant Associate of Applied Science from Dakota College at Bottineau, you’re ready to sit for the Certified Medical Office Assistant exam through the American Medical Technologists Association.
Students in this associate’s degree program take two years to complete the coursework. You can look forward to classes such as:
- Medical Transcription I
- Business Communication
- Fundamentals of Public Speaking
- Concepts of Anatomy & Physiology
- Introduction to Pharmacology
You will also take courses in medical coding, computers, and business math, to name a few.
The school makes a special point to emphasize that it’s up to you to confirm whether or not the state in which you reside accepts DCB’s Medical Administration Assistant program as grounds for licensure. Before you enroll, verify that your state recognizes the program.
Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Medical Office Administration at Dakota College at Bottineau here.
29. Rasmussen University
By obtaining a Medical Administrative Assistant Certificate from Rasmussen University, you’ll be one step closer to making a real difference in other people’s lives and health clinic experiences.
This program takes just nine months of study for most students. The school ensures that its online students have full access to on-campus support from trained faculty when encountering difficulties in their studies. This means you’ll have a solid support system, even though you’re studying online.
This program aims to develop critical skills in students through courses like:
- Fundamental Office Management Expertise
- Effective Communication Strategies
- Medical Technology Overview
- Healthcare Environment Exploration
You can also expect to take classes such as Technology Today for Medical Administration, Customer Service in Healthcare, and Foundations of Medical Administration.
In all, you will take ten courses for a total of 38 credit hours to earn the certificate.
30. Herzing University
Rounding out our ranking of the best medical office administration online degree programs is Herzing University. You can pursue either an Associate’s in Medical Office Administration or a diploma program at Herzing University, depending on your future goals.
Upon graduation from either of these programs, you can sit for the certification exam to become a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant. Herzing even covers the exam costs for the first attempt!
If you choose Herzing’s diploma program, you can expect to finish in as little as eight months. The associate’s degree takes approximately two years to complete.
If you pursue the associate’s degree, you can take advantage of a generous school transfer policy that allows you to transfer up to 45 credits from another university. The associate’s degree typically takes 20 months to complete. This program requires either a capstone course or internship experience before graduation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do You Need a Medical Office Administration Online Degree to Work as a Medical Office Administrator?
Degrees are slowly becoming one of the distinguishing factors of whether or not someone gets hired for a job, particularly when it comes to healthcare. Technically speaking, you could work as a medical office administrator after graduating high school. No specific laws require a minimum amount of education for entry-level positions in this field.
That said, just because there aren’t laws mandating a certain amount of education doesn’t mean you’ll have an easy time finding employment with just a high school diploma or GED. Employers often give preferential treatment to prospective employees who have earned at least an associate’s degree. Your chances of getting a job in this field are even better if you have a medical office administration bachelor’s degree.
Enrollment in a diploma or certificate program in medical office administration ensures you’ll learn the basic foundational skills and knowledge necessary to work in a medical office effectively. For some employers, all they are looking for in a candidate is a certificate or diploma, while others will want front-office staff to have at least an associate’s degree. Certificate programs typically include under 20 credit hours of coursework, which is done in two semesters of study. The program length of a diploma is around a year.
If you pursue a degree, you’ll need multiple years to complete the program. Usually, associate’s degrees take about two years of full-time study to finish. A bachelors in medical office administration takes about four years of full-time study.
So, why would an employer in the healthcare industry prefer to hire someone with an associate’s degree rather than a diploma or certificate, when all of the applicants have a foundational knowledge of medical office administration?
Sometimes those who complete an associate’s degree are viewed as having more dedication and drive than those who don’t. Associate’s-degree holders are also required to complete general education classes, which teach you how to speak, write, and think logically and professionally. A bachelor degree in medical office administration gives you an even greater opportunity to build these skills.
Workers without an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree may have these skillsets. However, a degree provides assurance to healthcare administration employers that those refined skills are present, particularly if the degree comes from an accredited institution.
While earning an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree may give you an advantage when it comes to getting your first job, it may also lead to higher pay. Employers often pay higher wages if you have additional education. A degree can also open more career paths for you to pursue.
Now, this is not always the case. If you already know where you’d like to work after attending a medical office administration program, you should talk with that employer about their minimal hiring qualifications and pay. You may find that the employer only requires a certificate program, which will save you both time and money.
See Also: 30 Accredited Online Colleges in RN to BSN (RN Required)
How Much Can You Earn After Attending an Online College in Medical Office Administration?
The number on the paycheck you take home at the end of the month depends on a few factors. This includes the specific healthcare clinic that employs you and the specific job you perform in the clinic.
There are a variety of jobs that you might pursue after completing a program in medical office administration. You could work as a medical secretary and administrative assistant, medical records specialist, or medical and health services manager.
Suppose you choose a career as a medical secretary and administrative assistant. In that case, you’ll utilize the broad knowledge you learned in a medical office administration program to schedule appointments, bill patients, and compile and record medical charts, reports, and correspondence. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants earn a median annual salary of $37,450, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
On the other hand, medical records specialists spend most of their time managing medical records and coding and billing insurance. The BLS estimate that this career will grow at an average to above-average rate, or about 5-10%, through the rest of the decade. Medical records specialists can expect to earn around $22.43 per hour, which comes to $46,660 annually.
If you want to earn a bigger paycheck, becoming a medical and health services manager is where you’ll find it. You likely need at least a bachelor’s degree for this job, although around 19% of individuals working in this career only have an associate’s degree. It’ll pay off if you go back to school for your bachelor’s degree to qualify for this job. Medical and health services managers are earn $101,340 per year!
If you’re interested in pursuing higher education, you should check out the 30 Accredited Online Colleges For Medical Assistant and the 30 Accredited Online Colleges for Occupational Therapy!