General Health

Why a Degree in Medical Billing Can Kickstart Your Career

Emily Lockhart

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If you’ve been looking for a career in the healthcare field, but aren’t interested in investing the time and money required to go through medical school and clinical experience, a degree in medical billing might be exactly what you’re looking for. You’ll get one-on-one experience working with patients helping solve healthcare problems without the responsibility of a nurse or doctor. can work with patients and help solve healthcare problems without having to go through years of medical school and clinical experience. It’s the perfect sweet spot.

1. Competitive Pay

First things first — what’s the pay like? When looking for a job, this is one of the most important things people generally consider. How can they make a fair wage to support themselves? Medical billing is a great job because the pay is competitive. Not only that but it’s competitive right from the get-go. You don’t have to worry about putting in time and working your way up the ladder in order to make a decent living.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for medical billing, also known as medical records and health information technician, is just under $40,000. Not too shabby for only a few months of education!

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2. Job Security

We’ll get into this more later on in the article, but as of right now, there are plenty of jobs in the medical billing field. As a result, you’re guaranteed to have long term job security. This is a far cry from many other careers out there that could abruptly end at the drop of a hat! Medical billing is a field that is growing at a rapid rate. The BLS reports that the field is expected to grow by 13-percent from now and into the year 2026. This would bring the total number of jobs to an approximate 243,000.

This number could grow even more as the population in America continues to grow and the lifespan of U.S. citizens continues to increase as seniors live longer and longer. Thanks to improvements in healthcare, the aging population lives much longer which means there is a greater need for people working in the healthcare system.

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3. No Clinical Experience Needed

This almost seems too good to be true — no medical experience necessary? How is that possible? People who are looking to enter the healthcare field, but don’t have the time or resources to go through medical school should consider a degree in medical billing. You won’t have to spend years shadowing doctors and nurses in order to start working on your own. Believe it or not, you can go to school, get a degree and actually start working!

A career in medical billing doesn’t require any clinical experience because you’re not required to perform any medical procedures. In fact, you don’t even have to step into a hospital in order to do your job. As a result, it’s not necessary to gain any hands-on work experience in the field, so don’t worry about plugging away extra hours following a doctor or nurse around.

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4. Flexible Work Hours

Many people shy away from a career in the healthcare system because the hours are long and unpredictable. This isn’t the case for medical billing! Unlike doctors and nurses who often work in 12-hour shifts (as well as on call) all around the clock, the hours for medical billing are flexible. You will be able to choose from part-time hours, work from home, or just flexible hours in general. There’s none of that nine to five grind or weekend shifts. It’s the dream job because it can be done from any location. All you need is a computer!

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5. Only Takes a Few Months

One of the biggest perks about a degree in medical billing is that it doesn’t take as long as many other careers in the healthcare field. Things have gotten even more simple than they were in the past. Years ago people interested in being a medical billing technician had to seek out community colleges and vocational schools that offered this specific program and were required to be in a classroom in order to receive their training. Nowadays, it’s all online. Super convenient.

If you’re interested in becoming a medical billing technician, all it takes is a few months. The Medical Billing & Coding Certification says most medical billing diploma programs take only three to six months to complete. Once you’ve finished the course, there are no further steps to take. You’re ready to hit the ground running! If you decide to use this as a stepping stone to attain a higher paying more competitive job, there may be additional training involved along the way, but for those interested in being a medical billing technician, it really is that simple.

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6. Plenty of Jobs

There are many great careers out there to choose from, but what they don’t all have is many jobs. The amount of jobs in a field is important because it doesn’t matter how much education you have or experience, if there aren’t any jobs then there isn’t any work for you. A degree in medical billing opens the door to so many different opportunities so you’ll never run into this problem.

The healthcare field is always looking for more medical billing professionals. According to the AAPC, the medical billing coding field employs more than 206,000 people in the United States, and counting! This number is expected to increase to 27,800 by 2026. This means a career as a medical billing technician will continue to be in high demand, so don’t think it’s too late! It’s never too late. The amount of jobs are only expected to grow.

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7. Jobs You Can Choose From

We’ve talked a lot about the degree in medical billing, but what kind of jobs are actually available for someone with this type of education? Yet again, one of the perks of this degree is that there are plenty of options for work, many of them are very popular.

You could be a medical transcriptionist whose sole job is to transcribe doctors notes. This can be done either electronically or by hand. You could be a medical assistant, working alongside patients taking them to and from labs. It’s important to note that in order to do this job you will need some extra training to provide lab and clinical experience. Another option would be a dental assistant. This job entails scheduling appointments, providing patient care, and even handling some recording keeping. Again, all it takes is one extra year of training.

Other popular job options are a pharmacy technical which also requires one additional year of training or a medical and health services manager who plans, directs, and coordinates medical services in many different settings.

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8. Ideal First Step

As we previously mentioned, this is the perfect career for someone who wants to get into the healthcare field, but is looking for less of a commitment than what’s required to be a nurse or doctor. It’s the perfect choice for someone who needs to jumpstart their career, such as someone who’s older and switching careers or a student who took time off to figure out what they want to do and are now ready to enter the workforce quickly and efficiently.

It’s the ideal first step to take for those interested in the healthcare field. It’s easy to learn, only takes a few months, and you’ll rack up experience quickly. In addition to that, when all is said and done, there are plenty of work opportunities available.

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9. How to Get Started

Now that you know all there is to know about this degree, there’s just one last thing to cover: how to get started. There are plenty of online colleges that offer degrees in this field. All you have to do is go online and do some research. There is probably a college near you offering this program. Do your own research online and find the college and program that is the right fit for you.

Once you find the right program, you’ll be on your way to building the career you want. There is so much variety to this degree and it can be perfectly tailored to what you want in a job, whether it be a flexible career working from home, working with patients, or in lab alongside other technicians. The opportunities are endless.

To get a medical billing degree you’ll need to get your diploma, then a certificate or degree. There are many online programs that are super flexible, allowing you to work at your own pace. It’s the perfect option for students who work full time or someone with kids at home. Hop online, do a quick search and find the program that caters to you.