Careers in healthcare come in a variety of roles and responsibilities. They each contribute to the health of local and underserved communities in different ways. Some careers are patient-facing, while others work behind the scenes to verify information, protect patient records, or file claims.
As these roles do not require a doctoral or nursing degree, they are categorized as allied health professions. The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) estimates 60% of the U.S. healthcare workforce hold allied health professions.
What is Allied Health?
Allied health refers to healthcare professionals who are not classified as doctors, nurses, dentists, or pharmacists. Allied health professionals may work alongside or with physicians, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists. Allied health professionals may work independently to care for patients, but usually work under the supervision of a medical professional.
Allied health professionals can provide services related to topics such as:
- Disease identification, evaluation, and prevention
- Health system management
- Insurance billing
- Identifying pharmaceutical interactions, dosage, and calculations
Allied health professions can also provide support by scheduling appointments, ensuring accurate insurance billing, or taking x-rays. These roles can be ideal for those wanting to assist medical staff and patients without spending years in medical school.
Some allied health roles include:
- Dental Assistants
- Medical and Health Service Manager
- Medical Billers and Coders
- Medical Clinical Assistants
- Pharmacy Technicians
- Surgical Technicians
Why Consider a Career in Allied Health?
Allied health is a broad field with various career opportunities and pathways. It offers the flexibility to choose between patient-facing or behind the scenes roles while still contributing to a patient’s health. It’s a great career choice for those seeking a change or a fulfilling career helping others.
Careers in allied health are a great way to gain firsthand experience in healthcare. Allied health is also a good entry-point for those interested in becoming medical professionals later in life. This experience can be invaluable for determining a specialty before committing to a nursing or doctoral program.
For those uninterested in pursuing additional education, allied health careers are still a great choice. Training for these roles is often quick, hands-on, affordable, and provides ample room for growth and career advancement.
Allied Health Training Programs at MMC
At Miller-Motte College, we provide a variety of allied health training programs. Each program is career-focused to help prepare students for entry-level positions upon completion. Learning mode availability and award type may vary depending on location and program.
Allied Health Management
Students in our online Allied Health Management program become familiar with medical office systems, management techniques, and more. We strive to train empathetic yet knowledgeable healthcare professionals by exploring topics such as:
- Ethical Principles in Healthcare
- Human Resource Management in Healthcare
- Healthcare Law and Legislation
- Principles of Public Policy and Administration
Upon completion of our Allied Health Management program, graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree. This program can be completed entirely online in as little as 33 months.
Dental Assisting
For Dental Assisting, Miller-Motte offers an associate’s program and a diploma program. Qualified graduates of our Dental Assisting programs are eligible for our associate degree completion program.
Students in our hybrid Dental Assisting degree and diploma programs study anatomy related to the head, neck, and oral cavity. They train for their CPR and First Aid certifications as well as practice chair-side assisting. They also train to handle administrative tasks such as entering charges and payments, maintaining patient records, and telecommunication.
As of March 2023, our Dental Assisting degree completion program is offered online to graduates of an eligible diploma program. This program offers general education courses, so students may meet the requirements for an Associate of Applied Science degree.
Our Dental Assisting diploma program can be completed in 15 months at our Chattanooga, TN and Tulsa, OK campuses. Our Dental Assisting associate’s degree program can be completed in 18 months at our Raleigh, NC and Wilmington, NC campuses.
Our Dental Assisting degree completion program can be completed in 4 to 6 months online. To participate in this program, students must earn a diploma in Dental Assisting from one of our campuses.
Healthcare Information Technology
Students in our hybrid Healthcare Information Technology degree programs explore healthcare delivery systems and accreditation related to health records. Students familiarize themselves with legal and ethical responsibilities of health information practitioners as well as insurance billing and coding.
Students also practice analyzing and interpreting healthcare research to better understand risk factors, the impact of policy changes, and more.
Our Healthcare Information Technology program can be completed in 18 months through our Augusta campus. Upon completion through our Augusta campus, graduates receive an Associate of Occupational Science degree.
Our Healthcare Information Technology program can also be completed in 18 months online through our Chattanooga campus. Upon completion, graduates of the online program receive an Associate of Applied Science degree.
Healthcare Management
Students in our online Healthcare Management program prepare for entry level managerial roles in healthcare. They practice organizing and overseeing medical information as well as managing healthcare staff. They are trained in medical billing and coding, healthcare policy, organizational behavior, leadership, and more.
Our Healthcare Management program can be completed entirely online in as little as 33 months. Upon completion, graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree.
Medical Assisting
As of March 2023, MMC’s Medical Assisting program is only available as a degree completion program. Graduates of our Medical Clinical Assisting program are eligible to complete this program in 4 to 6 months entirely online. This program consists of general education courses to meet the educational requirements for an Associate of Applied Science degree.
Medical Billing & Coding
Students in our Medical Billing & Coding programs practice insurance billing using diagnostic and procedural coding. Students also become familiar with common types of insurance plans, claim forms, and procedures for filing claims. Students gain experience using Electronic Health Records (EHR) and prioritizing tasks.
Miller-Motte offers a hybrid, 15-month Medical Billing & Coding certificate program through the following campuses:
- Augusta, GA
- Columbus, GA
- Macon, GA
- Fayetteville, NC
- Jacksonville, NC
- Wilmington, NC
- Charleston, SC
Students may also complete our Medical Billing & Coding diploma program online. Upon completion, graduates receive a diploma.
We also offer a hybrid Medical Billing & Coding diploma program through our Chattanooga, TN, and Tulsa, OK campuses. It can also be completed in 15 months. Upon completion, graduates receive a diploma.
Medical Clinical Assistant
Students in our hybrid Medical Clinical Assistant programs build their understanding of medical office systems to perform administrative tasks. They practice gathering laboratory samples for testing as they demonstrate their knowledge of safety procedures and infection control. Students can also practice preparing patients for exams and providing assistance to physicians during procedures.
Our hybrid Medical Clinical Assistant certificate program can be completed in 13 months through the following campuses:
- Augusta, GA
- Columbus, GA
- Macon, GA
Our hybrid Medical Clinical Assistant diploma program can be completed in 15 months through the following campuses:
- Charleston, SC
- Conway, SC
- Fayetteville, NC
- Jacksonville, NC
- Raleigh, NC
- Wilmington, NC
Our hybrid Medical Clinical Assistant diploma program can be completed in 13 months through the following campuses:
- Chattanooga, TN
- Tulsa, OK
Pharmacy Technician
Students in our hybrid Pharmacy Technician degree program practice using measurement conversions, specialty calculations, and metric systems. They study medication effects and incompatibilities, practice dosage calculation, and use sterilization techniques to maintain safe working environments. Students also train to review patient prescriptions to assess safety and accuracy.
Upon completion of the Pharmacy Technician program in Macon, graduates receive an Associate of Occupational Science degree. Upon completion of the Pharmacy Technician program online, graduates receive an Associate of Applied Science degree. Both options can be completed in as little as 18 months.
Surgical Technology
Students in our Surgical Technology program demonstrate their understanding of surgical and diagnostic procedures in our operating room training suite. During clinical simulations, students can enhance their understanding of patient care, preoperative tasks, aseptic techniques, and infection control. Students also prepare for the Surgical Technology Certification Exam* as part of our program.
Upon completion of our Surgical Technology program, graduates receive an Associate of Applied Science degree. This program can be completed in 18 months at our Chattanooga campus.
*Miller-Motte does not guarantee third-party certifications. Certification requirements for taking and passing certification examinations are not controlled by Miller-Motte. These requirements are subject to change by third-party agencies without notifying Miller-Motte.
Miller-Motte cannot guarantee graduates will be eligible to take certification examinations regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.
In Summary
Allied health careers provide ample opportunities for professional growth and training can be completed quickly. Miller-Motte offers a variety of healthcare training programs to help you prepare for entry-level allied health careers.
Want to learn more about our programs? Call us at (800) 705-9182 or complete this form for more information.
Information within this blog is for general information purposes only. Miller-Motte does not assume or guarantee certification/licensures, specific job/career positions, income earning potential or salary expectations based on the programs offered at Miller-Motte. Career and program information statements in this blog do not guarantee that programs or other information mentioned are offered at Miller-Motte.
