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  • Degrees in Human Resources: The Right Path for You?

    Degrees in Human Resources: The Right Path for You?

    The term “human resources” refers to a rather large swath of professional opportunities and careers. There are a lot of great options out there for someone with a degree in HR, though knowing more about the career path is a great place to start.

    One of the most sought-after online degrees, degrees in HR are far-ranging in scope. There’s just a lot to learn in the field! There are degrees available at nearly every level of higher education, from associates to bachelors, all the way up to MBA degrees. Today we’re going to talk about these in a bit more depth.

    Human Resource Degrees

    Associate degree

    Seeking an associate degree in HR is a fast way to get your foot in the door. An AD is a great way to get started in an entry level HR position, such as a generalist at a larger office or a clerk in a smaller office.

    Secondary tasks such as payroll, benefits specialization and development coordination could fall to a generalist or a clerk. Of course, the pay grade of someone with this degree would be lower than someone with higher degree.

    Bachelor’s Degree

    A holder of a bachelor’s degree in HR opens a lot more opportunities for their career. You could enter into the field from any of a variety of entry points. For instance, you could come in and get work as a manager at a smaller company, or as a full HR specialist at a larger company.

    Generally speaking, seeking out a bachelor’s is a better long-term investment than an associate degree, if you can afford the tuition and extra time. Ideally, you can specialize in your HR focus so that you’re more appealing to companies as an HR specialist. Many programs offer business degrees with roughly 120 credit hours that have specialized focuses in human resources.

    Master of Business Administration

    MBA degrees with a focus in HR aren’t terribly common, and so those who hold them are highly sought-after. If you’ve got your eyes set on advancing your career through an HR path with a major company, an MBA is an invaluable asset. If you have a desire to hold a leadership position, this is the degree that will give you the training you need to do just that.

    In short, if you hold an MBA with a human resources focus, it’s unlikely you’d have difficulty holding a leadership position anywhere in the US. When acquiring your degree, consider how focused you want your studies to be. A more general MBA with a loose focus on HR allows you to cultivate transferable skills. On the other hand, a more focused path can set you apart from other candidates for sought-after jobs.

    Length of Time

    Another consideration when it comes to higher education is the amount of time it takes to acquire a degree. Generally speaking, it takes roughly two years to acquire an associate degree and four years to acquire a bachelor’s degree. MBA programs, which you take after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, can take an additional one or two years, depending on your course load and school.

    Careers

    On average, an HR specialist makes around $50,000 per year, or roughly $20 per hour. They tend to work in office settings, though there are some exceptions. Salaries can change dramatically based on education level and employer, as well as work history and experience.

    HR managers, on the other hand, make an average of $108,600 per year, or roughly $52 per hour. If that sounds like the career path you’d like to pursue, consider looking into a degree in HR today! There are numerous online programs that could be right for you.


  • Careers in Medical Billing and Coding: Online Degrees

    Careers in Medical Billing and Coding: Online Degrees

    Getting a degree online is one of the smartest things you can do when you’re looking to change careers. A very popular online degree course for new career-seekers is a career in medical billing and coding. There’s a lot to love about this career path, and today we’re going over what you could expect from a career in medical billing and coding. Let’s talk shop.

    Medical Billing and Coding

    Job Description

    What, exactly, does a medical billing and coding specialist do? Well, there are two answers to that. The straightforward answer is that a billing and coding specialist sends people the bill for the medical services they were provided. Pretty simple, right? Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

    A more complex answer is that the billing specialist oversees what’s known as the billing cycle. The billing cycle is the main interaction between patients and doctors once medical services are completed. A billing specialist oversees the registration, processing, recording and handling of sensitive patient records, which makes this a very important job.

    Responsibilities

    When a patient comes in for a visit to the doctor, the billing and coding specialist has to translate all of the services rendered and activities to codes. These codes indicate a record of what kinds of medical services are being billed for. Then, this recording is sent to whoever is paying for the visit, which is usually an insurance company.

    Other than billing and entering code, specialists also handled denied claims and work with insurance agencies to understand why claims are denied. When bills are past due, specialists have to reach out to the patients or insurance agencies in question regarding the late payments to acquire the missing funds.

    Job Satisfaction

    This means most of the work a billing and coding specialist does is highly specialized and technical, but not incredibly fast-paced of inherently stressful. The work is usually done in a medical setting, such as a doctor’s office, though some specialists work independently and are contracted.

    If you’re interested in a job in the medical field that doesn’t involve directly dealing with patients, this might be a good job for you. Those with a good eye for details, strong work ethic and who enjoy clerical work are ideal candidates for billing and coding specialist jobs.

    Where You Work

    There are a number of places that billing and coding specialists work, but primarily they find their work in hospitals. Private practices are also common employers of billing specialists, as are nursing care facilities, outpatient clinics, health insurance companies and pharmacies. In short, you can find work as a billing and coding specialist in nearly any aspect of the medical profession.

    Other specialists work from home as independent contractors. While it is possible to begin a career as a work-from-home coding specialist, these cases are much rarer than working in a medical setting. That said, there are some medical billing specialists who make a living from home, just know that you likely won’t start in the field as a contractor right after getting your online degree.

    Average Pay

    The average pay for a medical billing and coding specialist varies depending on their experience, the setting they work in and what kind of work they’re doing. In general, however, a billing specialist makes an average of $34,000 per year, or around $16 per hour. That’s assuming an average amount of experience, a college degree and work in an office of some kind.

    Keep in mind, contractor work will end up paying more than full-time employment, but contract work means you need to have your own insurance and pay taxes yourself.