Certificate Programs In Oak Lawn, IL, And The Greater Chicago Area
Achieving certification status as a medical assistant, dental assistant, or medical coding specialist is a worthwhile investment in your healthcare career. Certificate programs at Northwestern College provide additional skills for individuals currently working in healthcare, and useful qualifications for those entering the healthcare industry. Our certificate programs are job-focused, providing networking opportunities for students, including externships and career services.
Focused, Short-Term Healthcare Certificate Programs
Available at our campus in Oak Lawn, Illinois, and online, Northwestern College offers healthcare certificate programs for medical assistants, dental assistants, and medical coding specialists that can be completed in just one year. There are no general education classes required, the coursework is focused on gaining the knowledge and practical skills to help students work in healthcare. Our healthcare certifications are attractive to employers and help students advance their medical careers.
Our certificate programs include:
Medical Assisting
Students can gain the training they need to pursue medical assisting on a schedule tailored to their needs with this online medical assisting program.
Dental Assisting
Develop skills in patient education and administrative coordination to increase the delivery and quality of oral health care.
Coding Specialist
Enhance your coding knowledge and gain skills for entry-level coding positions by learning about current classification systems and how to use them in both acute and ambulatory care settings.
Our Medical Assistant Certificate Program
Earn a certificate in medical assisting that can open doors across the healthcare industry. Each healthcare environment offers opportunities to develop more skills and learn more techniques. Certified medical assistants have skills that are easily transferable to a variety of healthcare settings, including
- Physician offices
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Assisted living facilities
- Research facilities
- Medical specialty offices
- Government agencies
Medical assistants usually interact with patients, often taking vital signs, placing them in examination rooms, and educating them about medical conditions or treatments. But they also handle billing and coding paperwork and electronic health records, schedule appointments, and perform other tasks.
At Northwestern College, the medical assistant certificate program consists of 48 credit hours and requires an externship. Graduates are eligible to sit for the American Medical Technologists Registered Medical Assistant exam. This program is the only one we offer on campus and 100% online.
Our Dental Assistant Certificate Program
Dental care is important to human health, and the dental field needs qualified, motivated staff. With a dental assisting certificate from Northwestern College, graduates find work in several areas, such as:
- Private dental offices
- Specialty practices, such as orthodontia, oral surgery, or periodontics
- Government agencies
Dental assistants make sure the office runs smoothly, interacting with patients and handling scheduling tasks, billing duties, and patient records. In some cases, dental assistants may help with direct patient care and laboratory tasks, as well. Certified dental assistants have earned transferable, valuable skills, and they often obtain specialized skills in every dental setting.
Consisting of 48 credit hours and requiring an externship, the dental assistant certificate program at Northwestern College is taught on campus in Oak Lawn, IL. Furthermore, graduates are qualified to sit for the American Medical Technologists Registered Dental Assistant exam.
Our Medical Coding Specialist Certificate Program
Students enrolled in the Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Technology at Northwestern College can also earn the medical coding specialist certificate. If you are new to the healthcare industry, learning more about medical codes, and becoming a medical coding specialist can positively impact your career.
Employers throughout the healthcare sector need skilled medical coding specialists to maintain the accuracy of electronic health records, track billing and payment data, and assist medical researchers. Medical coding specialists work in many facilities, including:
- Hospitals
- Public health clinics
- Research departments at universities
- Government agencies
- Insurance companies
- Nursing facilities
As the need for digital data increases in healthcare, certified medical coding specialists contribute skills that are both highly desirable and necessary. This certification program is administered completely online and consists of 37 credit hours. Graduates of the certification program are qualified to sit for the Certified Coding Specialist Physician-based (CC-P) exam.
Apply For a Healthcare Certificate Program in Oak Lawn, IL
Are you ready for a new or advanced career in healthcare? Would you like to add practical, transferable skills to your resume? Earning a healthcare certificate at Northwestern College can help you reach your career goals. The healthcare industry is growing every year, creating job openings in a large variety of healthcare workplaces.
Our flexible, one-year certificate programs can help you improve job function, connect with new opportunities, start a new career, or lead to advanced degrees. When medical assistants, dental assistants, and medical coding specialists earn their certificates at Northwestern College, they are ready to take their places as valuable healthcare team members in Oak Lawn, IL, the greater Chicago area, and beyond. Request info and apply to certificate programs today.