Health Care
- Case Management Certificate
- Geriatric Care Management Certificate
- Life Care Planning Certificate
- Pharmacy Technician Certificate
- Medical Coding Certificate
- Medical Billing Certificate
- Medical Office Specialist Certificate
- Medical Transcription Certificate
Click on a program from the list above to view more information about that program.
Case Management Certificate
If you are interested in promoting quality, cost-effective health care and human services for patients and their families, consider becoming a case manager. Study how to perform assessments, conduct research, analyze data, and plan and manage services and care. By earning a Kaplan University certificate, you could pursue employment opportunities in diverse and rewarding practice areas, including acute and long-term care facilities, workers' compensation carriers, managed care organizations, and human services agencies.*
What Does a Case Manager Do and Earn?
Description:
Perform assessments, plan and manage patient services and care, conduct research, and analyze data utilizing the methodologies of the case management process. Case managers incorporate case management standards of practice and utilize case management and quality measurement tools in a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates all members of the health care team in the promotion of quality, cost-effective health care.
Typical Workplaces:
Insurance companies, managed care organizations, workers' compensation carriers, home health agencies, acute and long-term care facilities, government agencies, human service organizations, and independent practice.
Potential Earnings:
The median expected salary of a case manager is $57,849 per year.†
Geriatric Care Management Certificate
You could work with elderly clients and their families in your own geriatric care management practice.* Study how to identify and assess senior health and social services needs. You could recommend, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate care and services to assure that quality, cost-effective care results in an optimal lifestyle for your senior clients.
What Does a Geriatric Care Manager Do and Earn?
Description:
Geriatric care managers assess, coordinate, and monitor the health and human services needs of their elderly clients. A comprehensive approach incorporates the identification and analysis of factors that influence the well-being and quality of life of the elderly client including health, psychosocial, family, and economic issues.
Typical Workplaces:
Independent practice, insurance companies, government agencies, home health agencies, assisted-care facilities, long-term care facilities, and social service agencies.
Potential Earnings:
Geriatric care managers report earnings that average $74 per hour.*
Forensic Nursing Certificate
Description:
Forensic nurses work with law enforcement to collect evidence at crime and accident scenes and care for survivors of assaults or violent accidents and victims of negligence, abuse, or violent crimes. Forensic nurses may identify injuries and/or death and their causes, preserve and document the chain of custody, and refer victims for appropriate follow-up care.
Typical Workplaces:
Hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and independent practice.
Potential Earnings:
Forensic nurses could earn an average annual salary of $65,700.§
Life Care Planning Certificate
If you are a rehabilitation professional or registered nurse interested in facilitating the care, treatment, and/or rehabilitation of individuals with significant disabilities or chronic health problems, consider the rewarding field of life care planning. The self-paced Life Care Planning Certificate is the first step on the path to the prestigious CLCP credential.**
What Does a Life Care Planner Do and Earn?
Description:
Develop plans to improve the quality of life and make care recommendations for individuals with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and catastrophic injuries. Life care planners analyze, research, evaluate, and work with other professionals to develop life care plans that assess patients' future medical, psychosocial, and economic needs.
Typical Workplaces:
Government agencies, law firms, insurance companies, HMOs, and independent practice.
Potential Earnings:
Ranging from $80 to $150 per hour.*
Legal Nurse Consulting Certificate
You could provide expertise and research in medical lawsuits and insurance claims. Study how to use your nursing background and find gainful employment at law firms and insurance offices.*
What Does a Legal Nurse Consultant Do and Earn?
Description:
Combine nursing expertise with legal knowledge to assist attorneys and their clients in understanding the health care issues related to medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits. Legal nurse consultants perform legal and medical research, identify standards of care, review medical records, interview witnesses, and assist attorneys in all aspects of litigation.
Typical Workplaces:
Law firms, insurance companies, HMOs, government agencies, and independent practice.
Potential Earnings:
Ranging from $70 to $200 per hour for professional legal nurse consulting services.***
Pharmacy Technician Certificate
Consider Kaplan University's online Pharmacy Technician Certificate program if you are interested in seeking entry-level employment as a pharmacy technician in retail, hospital, or mail-order pharmacies, or in home health care settings.* You could work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, handling many of the daily operations of the pharmacy, including transcribing and preparing physicians' prescriptions.
What Does a Pharmacy Technician Do and Earn?
Description:
As a pharmacy technician, you may oversee many of the daily operations of a pharmacy, allowing the pharmacist to perform more critical tasks. Some of your duties may include:
- Transcribing physicians' prescriptions
- Pricing prescriptions
- Preparing unit dose medications, IV admixtures, and sterile irrigations
- Selecting medications for dispensing, labeling, and refill authorization
- Handling and processing insurance claim forms
- Maintaining patient profiles
- Assisting with quality management and security measures
Communication skills are important to a pharmacy technician, as you may be the pharmacy's key liaison to medical professionals, doctors, pharmacists, and patients. By phone or in person, you may answer simple questions from customers, locate their items, or refer them to the pharmacist for medication information.
You may organize and sell over-the-counter medications, products, and supplies, and in some cases, deliver medications and supplies to patients, hospitals, or other locations.
Typical Workplaces:
Retail, hospital, or mail-order pharmacies; and other health service provider locations.
Potential Earnings:
Median hourly earnings of pharmacy technicians in May 2006 were $12.32. The middle 50 percent earned between $10.10 and $14.92.§§
Medical Coding Certificate
You could gain the technical skills and knowledge necessary to becoming an entry-level medical coder.* Study how to abstract clinical information from medical reports and assign diagnostic and procedure codes to patient records. You could work to assist insurance and health care providers to ensure proper reimbursements, assess clinical care, and support medical research.
What Does a Medical Coder Do and Earn?
Description:
As a medical coder, you may review medical records and enter patient information into computer databases for insurance purposes, in compliance with federal legislation mandating the use of electronic record-keeping. Some of your duties may include:
- Abstracting clinical information from medical records
- Assigning appropriate codes to each diagnosis or procedure
- Using computer software to categorize patients into a "diagnosis-related group" (DRG)
- Communicating with physicians' offices, hospitals, and other health care providers
Attention to detail, effective communication skills, and strong time-management abilities are essential to be a successful medical coder.
Typical Workplaces:
Physicians' offices, hospitals, health care organizations, outpatient care centers, and nursing and residential care facilities.
Potential Earnings:
The average salary for medical coders in various employment settings is $43,995.***
Medical Billing Certificate
You could gain the technical skills and knowledge necessary to become an entry-level medical biller.* Medical billers are key players in reimbursement and claims processing. You are tasked with processing insurance claims and making sure all parties involved in the care and payment for treatment are correctly informed.
What Does a Medical Biller Do and Earn?
Description:
As a medical biller, you are responsible for facilitating the insurance claims process and are an integral member of the health care industry. Some of your duties may include:
- Processing and reviewing insurance claims and patient records for diagnostic and treatment information and medical codes
- Completing and submitting claim forms to government and private health insurers
- Utilizing valuable medical billing software that is updated to maintain integrity and compliance within HIPAA regulations
- Referencing patient information in computer databases for insurance purposes
- Recognizing various diagnoses, treatments, and terminology
- Communicating with insurance agencies, clinics, and hospitals, and other health care professionals
Attention to detail, effective communication skills, and strong time-management abilities are essential to becoming a successful medical biller.
Typical Workplaces:
Insurance companies, physicians' offices, health care organizations, outpatient care centers and facilities, and even your own home.
Potential Earnings:
The average salary for medical billers in various employment settings is between $27,476 and $33,362.† This can vary by geographic location and other criteria.
*KCE's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, KCE does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job or employed at all.
†Salary.com Salary Wizard, Medical Billing Clerk, on the Internet at http://swz.salary.com/.
These facts and figures are provided for informational purposes only. Although KCE will assist graduates with job placement, KCE does not guarantee that graduates will obtain employment or earn any specific salary. The salaries listed are estimates only and will vary based on experience level and employment location.
Medical Office Specialist Certificate
In 12 months or less, you could prepare to enter the dynamic field of health care and pursue a career as a medical office specialist.* Your job is to keep medical facilities organized, and you may be tasked with managing medical records, billing clients, coding insurance claims, and keeping financial statements in order. Medical office specialists ensure patients receive their health care in a well-run medical practice.
What Does a Medical Office Specialist Do and Earn?
Description:
As a medical office specialist, you will provide the administrative services required for the efficient and profitable operation of physicians’ offices, clinics, dental offices, medical labs, and other health care facilities. Some of your duties may include:
- Coordinating administrative office functions to ensure efficiency
- Overseeing the daily operations of a medical office
- Managing physical and electronic medical records and office budgets
- Analyzing medical office practices and implementing improvements
Typical Workplaces:
Hospitals, research labs, government health departments, chiropractic clinics, veterinary offices, dental offices, hospice care centers, and medical research centers.
Potential Earnings:
The average salary of an entry-level medical office specialist is $35,762.†
*KCE's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, KCE does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job or employed at all.
†Payscale.com Salary Survey Report for Office Manager, Medical Office, http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Office_Manager%2c_Medical_Office/Salary.
These facts and figures are provided for informational purposes only. Although KCE will assist graduates with job placement, KCE does not guarantee that graduates will obtain employment or earn any specific salary. The salaries listed are estimates only and will vary based on experience level and employment location.
Medical Transcription Certificate
Medical transcriptionists transcribe physician dictation, resulting in documents that can be easily read and shared among providers, third-party payers, regulators, consumers, and health information systems.
This certificate program could help you prepare for the Registered Medical Transcription (RMT) exam offered by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity.*
What Does a Medical Transcriptionist Do and Earn?
Description:
Some of your duties may include:
- Working with medical terminology, abbreviations, and pronunciations
- Creating and editing medical records using industry-standard formatting processes
- Transcribing medical dictation and reports so other professionals can easily read them
- Analyzing medical transcription techniques and implementing improvements
Typical Workplaces:
Insurance companies, home health care agencies, hospitals, and even from your own home.†
Potential Earnings:
The average annual salary for entry-level medical transcriptionists is $24,500.‡
*Individual state requirements concerning practice as a medical transcriptionist may vary. These requirements may change at the discretion of the state. Kaplan Continuing Education makes no representations or warranties as to whether the Medical Transcription Certificate meets specific state licensure or regulatory requirements. It is the student’s sole responsibility to contact the appropriate state agency for information concerning the licensure and regulation of medical transcriptionists within that state.
†Kaplan Continuing Education's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, KCE does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job or employed at all.
‡Advance magazine, 2008 Salary Survey, http://health-information.advanceweb.com/article/2008-salary-survey-4.aspx.
These facts and figures are provided for informational purposes only. Although KCE will assist graduates with job placement, KCE does not guarantee that graduates will obtain employment or earn any specific salary. The salaries listed are estimates only and will vary based on experience level and employment location.
In an independent survey of students and graduates of for-profit schools, Kaplan University ranked #1 for quality and value in a survey of online students. †††
Please note our health care certificates are not eligible for Title IV Federal Financial Aid.
*Kaplan University's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, the University does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job or employed at all.
* Based on a survey published in AARP Data Digest, No. 82, November 2002
†Salary.com Salary Wizard® Basic Report, Case Manager, on the Internet at swz.salary.com
**Although certain programs at Kaplan University are designed to prepare students to take various certification or licensing exams, the University cannot guarantee the student will pass those exams. In some cases, field experience and/or background checks may be necessary to be eligible to take or to successfully pass the exams.
††Based on a survey of CLCP members.
‡‡Demand for Legal Nurses at All-Time High," American Chronicle, July 20, 2006.
§§Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008–2009 Edition, Pharmacy Technicians, on the Internet at www.bls.gov
***Lifeworks, National Institutes of Health (NIH) website, science.education.nih.gov
†††February 2006 Higher Education Survey Report of current and former students of for-profit secondary institutions. For additional information, go to www.kaplan.edu/ku/surveyresults.