Earn a Medical Degree on Your Own Time with Online Training
Finding you have more time on your hands during the pandemic. Why not try earning a medical degree on your own time with online training.
It is now easier than ever to earn an online degree in one of the quickest growing industries reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Not all medical careers involve becoming a nurse or physician. Many jobs do not require four or more years of education and are just as essential in the healthcare field.
Fastest Online Medical Degrees
Many healthcare careers you can obtain in one to two years of formal education. Below are some medical degrees you can earn on your own time in less than two years from any accredited online healthcare schools.
Surgical Technologist
Surgical Technologists serve as critical members of a surgical team. Surgical technologists are trained to work closely with surgeons and nurses during surgeries. Some of their job duties include setting up operating rooms following specific protocols, maintaining sterile procedures, preparing patients for surgery, and handing medical instruments to surgeons.
Online programs for surgical technicians include classes in anatomy and hands-on experience in surgical suites under supervision. To be certified, you need to take a program from an online school recognized by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
While not necessarily a degree or certificate helps find employment as a surgical technician. The median pay for a surgical technician is approximately $48,300.
Licensed Practical Nurse
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) handle nursing tasks under the supervision of a registered nurse. LPN’s duties include providing direct patient care, wound care, medication administration, patient histories, monitoring vital signs, and bathing patients. To be admitted into a program for an LPN, a high school diploma is required. To earn their state license, LPNs must pass the National Council Licensure Examination to achieve their state license.
Studies for the LPN course include nursing fundamentals, psychology, biology, health assessment, and pharmacology. LPNs typically work in outpatient care facilities, hospitals, assisted living or long-term care, and physician offices.
A licensed practical nurse’s average salary is $47,480, and a certificate or diploma is needed from an online school accredited by the National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission.
Phlebotomist
Phlebotomists work around blood. Whenever you need blood drawn for tests, you see a phlebotomist. Job duties for a phlebotomist include drawing blood from patients or donors, maintaining patient records, accurately labeling blood samples, delivering to laboratories, and verify a patient’s identity before drawing blood.
Courses for online phlebotomy programs include medical terminology, safety, ethical considerations, laboratory procedures, communicating with difficult people, and hematology.
Phlebotomists make on average $35,510 per year. To earn certification, phlebotomists must pass a competency exam from one of five organizations, including the National Phlebotomy Association.
Emergency Medical Technician
Becoming an emergency medical technician takes one to two years of education and training. Colleges offer online courses for this program, including studying trauma identification, emergency skills, emergency childbirth, treatment, airway obstruction, and patient assessment. Hands-on training involves using medical equipment, emergency bandaging, stabilization of head and neck injuries, oxygen delivery, and stretchers. Candidates must take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam to receive their license and are required to renew their license every two to three years.
Emergency medical technicians work with ambulance services, local governments, and healthcare systems. The average salary for this occupation is $35,400.
Medical Assistants
Medical Assistants is typically the first person a patient meets when they come in for an appointment. This course’s online training includes anatomy, biology, chemistry, medical terminology, and a practical experience placement.
Medical Assistants record patient histories, assist physicians in exams, take vital signs, schedule appointments, and maintain patient records. The average salary for medical assistants is $34,800 per year.
Certified Nursing Assistant
A certified nursing assistant is an entry-level job in the healthcare field. In this position, individuals gain hands-on experience with patients, dressing, bathing, assisting patients with eating, collecting urine and stool samples, transporting samples to laboratories, taking patient vital signs, bed making, handling bedpans, and organizing laundry.
Certified nursing assistants take their direction from licensed practical nurses and registered nurses. Certified nursing assistants work in homes, hospitals, long-term or assisted living care facilities, and rehabilitation centers. The average salary for a certified nursing assistant is $29,640 per year.
Final Thoughts
The careers listed are just of the medical degrees you can earn from an online program. Most occupations in the healthcare field require a certificate or associate degree from an accredited college. The benefit of online training is you can learn at your own pace and earn your degree on your own time.