Medical Insurance Coding and Billing Associate Degree Program Also to Be Offered
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Westwood College has launched a new yearlong medical assistant program that will provide students with hands-on coursework and an externship to prepare them for a job providing quality healthcare. The healthcare industry is the fastest growing industry in the U.S., expected to produce 3.6 million new jobs between 2004 and 2014*. In California, the expected growth rate for medical assistants between 2008 through 2018* is 31 percent and Westwood’s launch of its new program creates additional programs in the market to support this growing sector.
In addition to the hands-on curriculum, students in the new medical assisting program will take courses focusing on the front- and back-office functions of the medical field as well as on healthcare terminology, procedures and administration. The first California students enrolled in the program are expected to graduate in March 2013.
Driving the job growth in the medical assisting field is the increasing number of group practices, clinics, and other healthcare facilities that need a high proportion of personnel who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. Some key facts to consider:
- Medical assisting employment is projected to grow much faster than average, ranking medical assistants among the fastest growing occupations over the 2008–18 decade.
- About 62 percent of medical assistants work in offices of physicians.
- Although some medical assistants are trained on the job, many complete one-year or two-year diploma and associate degree programs.
“Westwood College is thrilled to now offer hands-on medical assistant training in California,” said John Hanson, regional vice president for Westwood College. “Helping students achieve the education they need to find careers in rapidly growing fields is what our college is all about.”
The new Medical Assisting program is available at all four of Westwood’s California campuses including Anaheim, Inland Empire, Los Angeles and South Bay.
In addition to the Medical Assisting program, Westwood is also adding a Medical Insurance Coding and Billing Associate Degree at two of its California campuses (Anaheim and Inland Empire) beginning in August 2012. For those students interested in the business side of the medical field, coding and billing is also a growing field. Coding and billing specialists play a key role in healthcare financial operations to help hospitals and medical offices provide smooth, no-hassle patient care.
Parties interested in either Medical Assisting or Medical Insurance Coding and Billing can learn more at Westwood’s School of Healthcare page.
*Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
About Westwood College
Westwood College is an institution of higher learning with 14 campuses located in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois and Virginia. Westwood offers a hands-on, career-focused curriculum in sought-after fields such as healthcare, technology and business. Westwood is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, visit http://www.westwood.edu.
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