As the global demand for health practitioners keeps escalating, health practitioners are faced with the need to improve themselves continuously.. This improvement can be attained via a plethora of quick certifications in the medical field.
To remain relevant as a medical healthcare practitioner, you would need to gain some quick certifications in the medical field. Besides keeping up with the progression, gathering advanced knowledge in your area gives you intellectual value and increases your earning power.
Thus, you must understand the new trends, especially as human science continues to evolve.
In this read, we have carefully selected a list of 15 quick medical certifications that you can easily get.
Table of contents
- What is a Medical Certification?
- What are the Benefits of Quick Certifications in the Medical Field?
- 15 Quick Medical Certifications You Can Get Easily
- #1. Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
- #2. Professional Medical Billing and Coding Specialist
- #3. Pharmacy Technician Professional
- #4. Medical Assistant
- #5. Behavioral Technician Specialist
- #6. Patient Care Technician (PCT)
- #7. Phlebotomy and EKG Technician
- #8. Lab Technician
- #9. Home Health Aide
- #10. Emergency Medical Technician
- #11. Surgical Technologist
- #12. Neurodiagnostic Technologist (NDT)
- #13. Certified Cardiac Monitor Technician
- #14. Medical Front Office Administration Specialist
- #15. Sterile Processing Technician
- FAQ on the 15 Quick Certifications in the Medical Field that you can get easily
- Conclusion
- References
- We Also Recommend
What is a Medical Certification?
Medical certification is proof that you have demonstrated to an eminent medical certification board that you have mastered the subject matter required for your chosen specialty with supreme competence.
Furthermore, certification shows that you are part of an elite group of distinguished physicians who have met the rigorous standards for medical knowledge and ethics set forth by the organizational body issuing the certificate.
It also further acknowledges that the medical enthusiast has met an organization’s standards for compassion in a particular aspect of medical practice.
Why Choose a Quick Certification in the Medical Field?
Medical certificate programs are training courses with shorter durations that can be finished faster than a degree. They are a form of an alternative degree program that can help you acquire the knowledge and skills needed for a certain profession.
The following are some reasons you should complete a medical certificate program:
- Enrolling in a quick certification program for medicine is less expensive than doing so for a degree.
- Having a certification will improve your abilities and skills while also making you stand out in the job market.
What are the Benefits of Quick Certifications in the Medical Field?
Every organization looks out for certifications while employing workers. This is used to assess the individual’s level of skillset and knowledge acquired.
Furthermore, it shows commitment and willingness to expand one’s coast and grow.
Here are the benefits of medical certifications for medical programs;
- Medical certification will qualify you for jobs with employers that set the highest standards.
- You can expand your scope of practice.
- You can increase your earning potential.
- It builds your professional credibility.
- Medical certification shows expertise in a particular field.
- Enhanced reliability to clients and employers.
- Competitive advantage over non-certified individuals.
Read this: 8 Best Medical Schools in Tennessee, USA
15 Quick Medical Certifications You Can Get Easily
The healthcare industry is growing at a rapid pace, thus, creating job opportunities in various Health occupations.
Many employers often prefer their workers to obtain certifications. Certification indicates that you meet a certain standard of competence and can give you a competitive advantage, more job opportunities, a higher pay scale, and job security.
That being said, here’s an outline of 15 quick medical certifications you can get easily;
#1. Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician is one of the quick certifications in the medical field that you can get easily. The role of a phlebotomist is vital to the healthcare industry as doctors request blood work for patients daily.
As a phlebotomist, you draw blood for transfusions, donations, and tests. Empathetic individuals do well in this role as they may need to keep patients calm while taking blood samples.
Where do they work?
Phlebotomists work in labs, hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices as CPT.
Training duration: 11 weeks
Median pay: $34,480 per year
Top pay: $49,060+
#2. Professional Medical Billing and Coding Specialist
In less than 6 months, you can become a professional coder and work in any healthcare office. As a professional medical billing and coding specialist, you get to organize and review patient medical records and draft codes for each diagnosis and treatment.
You also prepare coded information for use by health care insurers or researchers. Therefore, this is one of the quick medical certifications you can get easily
Where do they work?
Professional coders usually work in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Training duration: 20 weeks
Median pay: $44,751 per year
Top pay: $51,752+
#3. Pharmacy Technician Professional
This is one of the quick medical certifications you can get easily. A pharmacist supervises pharmacy technicians to help develop and fill medical prescriptions.
Their job is to handle most customer interaction, except explaining medications, which are handled individually by the pharmacist.
As a pharmacy technician, you could be involved in pricing medication to process insurance claims and administer prescriptions to patients.
Where do they work?
Pharmacy Technicians work in pharmacies or healthcare facilities.
Training time: 24 weeks
Median pay: $30,753 per year
Top pay: $36,604+
#4. Medical Assistant
As a medical assistant, you may provide clinical and administrative care. In this role, you may take vital signs, prep patient rooms, record medical histories, offer patient education, and more.
Of all the quick certifications that pay well, this one has the highest anticipated job growth. Also, you can get it easily.
Where do they work?
You may find work in outpatient facilities, specialists’ offices, and hospitals.
Training time: 27 weeks
Median pay: $33,610 per year
Top pay: $47,250+
#5. Behavioral Technician Specialist
A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) works in clinical settings under Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) guidance to provide treatment plans for patients like autistic children.
Furthermore, they work with doctors, nurses, and other health professionals to give care to patients suffering from behavioral conditions.
They help to achieve treatment plans and work one-on-one with patients at hospitals, schools, mental health facilities, or patients’ homes. This is one of the courses you can get a quick medical certification.
As a behavior technician, you’ll work under a BCBA to create the most impactful changes for an individual patient. You could teach children language and communication skills, daily living skills, and more while recording and analyzing data. So, this is one of the quick medical certifications you can easily get.
Where do they work?
Behavioral Technician Specialists typically work in mental health facilities, medical centers, school districts, and childhood development centers.
Training time: 11 weeks
Median pay: $31,522 per year
Top pay: $43,000+
#6. Patient Care Technician (PCT)
Due to an aging population, the need for Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) is growing quickly.
The role is vital to healthcare facilities, as PCTs work closely with nurses by assisting patients in managing food intake, administering IVs, drawing blood, and much more.
This is a great first step in moving toward a career as a Registered Nurse and is an opportunity to work closely with patients and build a bedside manner.
Furthermore, you can add this certificate to the list of medical certificates you can get easily.
Where do they work?
Patient care technicians find work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, or long-term care facilities.
Training time: 23 weeks
Median pay: $36,605 per year
Top pay: $67,872+
#7. Phlebotomy and EKG Technician
This is one of the quick medical certifications you can get easily. The EKG/Phlebotomy Technician program is designed to prepare students to become skilled entry-level healthcare technicians.
Their primary obligations will involve:
- Drawing blood and/or performing EKG tests.
- Taking vital signs.
- Monitoring EKG machines.
- Preparing EKG study reports.
The program will concentrate on teaching students the practical skills necessary to start a career in health care.
Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to seek employment as electrocardiography technicians and phlebotomy technicians
Certification / Registry Exam Eligibility
EKG/Phlebotomy graduates will be eligible to take certification exams offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) and the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT).
Eligibility requirements for the EKG and phlebotomy certifications are solely determined by NHA and NCCT, and are subject to change at any time. NHA and NCCT are independent organizations. AIMS does not guarantee certification/registry exam eligibility.
Program Length
- 160 clock hours
- The day and evening programs can be completed in approximately 2 months.
- The weekend program can be completed in approximately 6 months.
Also, check this: Top 15 Medical Certifications in the World | 2022
#8. Lab Technician
Certificate training programs in the laboratory sciences usually take about 1 year to complete. You can definitely use this training as a starting point for more schooling and advanced degrees in the field.
The average yearly salary for medical laboratory technicians is $52,330. Entry-level earned about $29,910, and the top 10 % earned $80,330.
Furthermore, this is one of the quick medical certifications you can get easily.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Lab Technician?
- Complete an accredited 1-year lab technician training program.
#9. Home Health Aide
Home health aide training programs are about 75 hours long so, it can take a few weeks to a few months depending on how much time you devote to your study.
Also, there are generally time limits for home health aide courses. The average pay for home health aide workers is $24,200.
Entry-level earned about $18,740, and the top 10 % earned $31,650 plus. This is one of the quick medical certifications you can get easily
How Long it Takes to Become a Home Health Aide
- Complete an accredited 75-hour HHA training program
#10. Emergency Medical Technician
This certificate is one of the quick medical certifications you can get easily.
EMTs are entry-level patient care workers who get their training at medical trade schools or community colleges.
The next step in this training is advanced emergency medical technicians (AEMTs), and then the highest level of EMT’s are paramedics.
As an EMT you’ll earn $34,320 on average, with those who have been in the career around ten years making over $58K.
How Long Does it Takes to Become an EMT
EMT: 1-3 months of EMT training from an accredited school
AEMT: additional 400 hours of additional training to be qualified for certification
#11. Surgical Technologist
The surgical team is a popular and adrenaline-charged career path in hospital operating theatres, emergency rooms, and even ambulatory care centers.
Surgical technologists are important team members who spend their time in operating rooms assisting both the patient and the medical team (especially nurses, anesthesiologists, and surgeons).
It’s possible to become a certified surgical tech with just over one year in a training program.
Here, students can expect to learn everything from prepping surgical tools, guaranteeing a sanitary environment that’s ready for procedures, and both pre-and post-operative patient care.
So, getting this medical certificate is a good one.
Certification: Approximately 14-17 months.
#12. Neurodiagnostic Technologist (NDT)
If you’re fascinated by the idea of studying normal and abnormal electrical activity within the body, a healthcare job in neurophysiology might be right up your lane.
During the NDT training, students learn about electrical activity in the brain and nervous system. They’re then trained to record and go over the results with the acting physician.
In addition to EEGs (electroencephalography), future NDTs might practice nerve condition studies and/or polysomnography (otherwise known as sleep studies).
Therefore, this is one of the quick medical certifications you can get easily
Certification: Approximately 12-18 months.
#13. Certified Cardiac Monitor Technician
If you want a more defined role, there’s an extremely quick route into cardiology as a cardiac monitor technician. Working under the direction of physicians and cardiologists, these techs use electrocardiogram (EKG) machines to check for heart problems like birth defects and disease.
During their expedited certification training course, cardiac monitor techs are required to study EKGs, stress testing, ambulatory monitoring, and how to explain these results.
In addition to short program lengths, many technical schools offer flexible scheduling which allows many students the opportunity to work and/or take care of their families while studying.
Certification: Approximately 3-6 months.
#14. Medical Front Office Administration Specialist
Front Office Administrative Specialists play an essential role in medical practice. They act as the first point of contact for patients checking in at the front desk and perform a variety of administrative tasks.
They compile medical records, schedule appointments, transfer lab results, and operating office equipment. This position is perfect for prepared individuals with great people skills. Therefore, this is one of the quick medical certifications you can get easily.
Where do they work?
Medical Front Office Administration Specialists can find work in hospitals, clinics, and physician offices.
Training time: 13 weeks
Median pay: $30,000 per year
Top pay: $38,378+
Check this: Free Medical Billing and Coding Online Courses With Certificates
#15. Sterile Processing Technician
The Sterile Processing Technician certificate program provides students with the knowledge and skills required to work as an entry-level sterile processing technician (also known as a surgical processing technician or central service technician).
The primary responsibility of a sterile processing tech is to ensure that a clean and sterile healthcare environment is maintained at all times.
Also, this is primarily achieved through the process of purifying and sterilizing all surgical instrumentation and equipment.
Students enrolled in this program will learn various sterilization techniques, including the proper method for purifying and sterilizing surgical instruments and equipment. They will also gain a solid knowledge of microbiology and infection control.
Certification / Registry Exam Eligibility
Sterile Processing Technician graduates will be eligible to take the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) exam offered by the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM). Graduates who pass the exam will earn the CRCST credential.
Start date: Jul 6
Duration: 9 – 11 Months
Schedule: Monday – Thursday (9:00 am to 2:00 pm)
FAQ on the 15 Quick Certifications in the Medical Field that you can get easily
Here are the benefits of medical certifications;
1. Medical certification will qualify you for jobs with employers that set the highest standards.
2. You can expand your scope of practice.
3. You can increase your earning potential.
Depending on the type of certification requirements and where you decide to go to school, some programs can be completed in 12 months or less.
A patient care technician can work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, or long-term care facilities
No, a medical assistant can only prep patient rooms, record medical histories, offer patient education, and more.
Conclusion
Today, there is a high demand for the best hands and brains to join the sector at various levels in the healthcare world. Due to this trend, you must look out for related medical certifications and grab as much as you can. Remember, knowledge is the best salesman.
References
- https://www.medcerts.com/blog/7-quick-certifications-that-pay-well-in-healthcare
- https://topnursing.school/3-to-6-month-and-1-year-medical-training-programs/
- https://www.aimseducation.edu/blog/8-healthcare-certificates-in-1-year-or-less/
- http://www.americanmedtech.org/Blog/Blog-Post/ArticleID/5/5-reasons-certification-can-boost-your-allied-health-career-even-when-it%E2%80%99s-not-required