Academic Partnerships: How CareerStep’s Training Programs Can Help Students Succeed

CareerStep is a training organization that prepares students to take 3rd-party certification exams that many employers acknowledge. More than 140,000 Learners have completed our courses and started exciting jobs in healthcare, administration, and technology. Our career-focused training programs are designed with employer feedback to help professionals succeed in the workforce—and are approved by a number of industry specific organizations:

• American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
• Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI)
• Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
• Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
• Board of Nephrology Examiners Nursing Technology (BONENT)
• American Medical Technologists-Dental Assistant (AMT)
• American Medical Certification Association (AMCA)

CareerStep has been providing quality education since 1992. The Medical Transcription training program was released in its online format in 1999. Since then, CareerStep has added more than 50 new healthcare, administration, and technology programs.

CareerStep training programs are all focused in growing industries. These fields offer an increasing number of job opportunities as new jobs are created due to overall industry demand for well-trained professionals.*

Because CareerStep programs are focused in areas of high growth, there is increasing demand for well-trained professionals, making it much easier for your students to get hired after completion. Each CareerStep curriculum is designed in collaboration with industry employers and experts to make sure Learners gain the skills they need to succeed in the workplace, and over 1300 employers nationwide have hired CareerStep Learners.

CareerStep programs prepare Learners for careers that offer salaries ranging from $32,000 to $95,000 a year.*

CareerStep Career Services include the following:

• Personal consultation with a Career Advisor
• Personalized interview tutorials and training
• Individual resume and cover letter review, tips, and advice

All of these resources offer the personalized help needed after completion to quickly and easily transition to the workplace. With this individualized attention, the majority of our Learners are hired within a few months of completion.

CareerStep’s Learner support covers several different areas and is designed to ensure that Learners are not alone as they work through their online course. Enrollment in a CareerStep training program offers unlimited access to the following:

Learner Support Instructors and Advisors who have professional experience in the industry and are uniquely qualified to answer questions about both the curriculum and the industry. They provide prompt answers to questions about the program material and offer a number of personal consultations throughout the training.

Technical Support Advisors who are knowledgeable, experienced, and available to help Learners work through any technical or computer issues encountered within the training program.

Career Support Advisors who help Learners transition to the workforce after completion. Career Advisors will help Learners prepare the best resume, develop solid interview skills, and learn valuable job search techniques.

Though the programs are entirely online, your students are never on their own. CareerStep’s support teams are available to offer personal, on-going support all the way through the training program. The course website contains complete information for contacting the support teams by email, phone, and chat.

CareerStep Learners are prepared to sit for appropriate industry certification exams upon completion. However, they are not certified when they finish the course. Learners wishing to earn an industry certification must take the exam independently. Information about the industry certifications and where to find schedule information is included in the courses.

CareerStep completers are prepared for the following certifications (not a complete list):

Vouchers to take these industry certification exams (in some cases, the exam of the Learner’s choice) are included with the courses in most cases. Learners receive the vouchers upon completion.

Online training offers your students the flexibility to study on their own schedules. With 24/7 access to the curriculum, your students have the freedom to study around their normal daily activities. The CareerStep learning platform also offers the following benefits:

Automatic grading – Exercises and tests are graded automatically so Learners don’t have to wait for feedback. Test scores are stored in the gradebook for easy review. Grading is precise, encouraging further development and attention to detail.

Self-Paced Curriculum – All CareerStep programs are self-paced, allowing Learners to complete their coursework at a pace that fits their schedule.

Learner Community Center – The online learning platform also includes its own forum and chat features, providing tools to communicate with other Learners and CareerStep Advisors.

Medical coders and billers work closely together, and their jobs are interrelated. In the reimbursement process, medical coders take a patient’s medical record and assign standardized codes to diagnoses, tests, treatments, and procedures. After these codes are assigned, medical billers use this data to compile and submit claims for payment. Medical coding requires an understanding of clinical terms and concepts in addition to complex code sets. Medical billers must be more finance-oriented.

CareerStep has two training programs designed to prepare your students for these specific career fields. The Professional Medical Coding and Billing program prepares Learners to be medical coders. This program includes a lot of education on medical coding and an overview of basic billing concepts. The Medical Billing program prepares Learners for careers as specialized medical billers. They learn all of the ins and outs of billing with a brief introduction to coding. Determining the right training program depends on the Learner’s career goals.