TOMS RIVER — Meeting the growing need for allied health professionals is one of the areas in which Ocean County College’s Workforce and Professional Education (WPE) excels. WPE delivers purposeful education in Healthcare, Business & Technology and Education, taught by industry-certified staff and instructors.
As the population ages, there is a growing need for staffing of medical offices at all levels. Front office employees, such as medical administrative staff and insurance specialists are in demand. OCC’s WPE department offers the four-month Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Certificate program that provides its graduates with three certifications — certified medical administrative assistant, certified electronic health records specialist, and certified billing and coding specialist.
This program is taught by veteran adjunct instructor, Marilyn Knight, who has taught this course at OCC for 35 years. The Monday-Friday daytime program is perfect for students who can commit to full-time coursework; the evening and online classes are ideal for those working at other jobs who are interested in changing careers or moving up the career ladder.
“Many of my former students are now supervisors, office managers and/or practice managers, and many others have opened their own home-based billing companies,” says Knight.
In this course, students achieve the necessary building blocks to establish strong skills in the financial management of medical records and they gain confidence and self-esteem to not only attain a job but to retain that job as a coder/biller and many move into supervisory and management positions.
Typically, the course includes an externship consisting of 24 hours in a medical office setting where the students observe and perform a variety of functions — helping at the front desk, working in the office and practicing billing procedures, learning how to work with electronic health records, and so on. While externships have been on hold during the pandemic they are expected to resume soon.
“We have had much success with our graduates finding employment,” says Knight. “With my experience in this community, I have developed community partners in various settings, and often help find placements for our students.”
WPE offers a variety of certifications, including phlebotomy, veterinary assistant, EKG and many other related certifications.
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