Online Healthcare Administration Associate Degree Curriculum

Achieve your true potential! This course will help you sharpen existing skills, build on your strengths, and discover the best ways to learn. You'll identify your learning styles, learn new behaviors to ensure college success, and maximize your learning as you complete your program of study.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

• Identify personal strengths and traits used to succeed in motivating and setting goals to complete higher education.
• Describe the requirements for successful online learning.
• Discuss the value of goal setting and time management.
• Explain methods to achieve effective reading comprehension and note-taking.
• Recognize effective academic writing and types of plagiarism.
• Describe strategies for online testing.
• Explain the role of critical thinking in problem solving.
• Identify the necessary skills for successful online research.

Credit Hours: 3

Introduction to Computers provides you with foundational skills and knowledge needed for today's technology-based careers. You'll learn the components of systems—from the CPU and memory to input devices and peripherals—and how these components interact with an operating system to perform critical tasks. Keeping current with fast-changing computer technologies, this course will discuss the computer technologies today that are allowing the creation of a virtualized mobile workforce. It will explore how computers connect to the internet, what services can be found online, and what dangers exist in the form of viruses, Trojans, and other malware. The course will also familiarize you with the basics of today's office productivity applications and help to establish a foundation for working with these different types of applications, including spreadsheets and presentation-creation tools.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

• Identify all of the major types of computing devices and their internal and external components.
• Compile a list of the various computer operating systems that are utilized today and identify characteristics about each one.
• Relate the various cloud-based technologies to the virtual and remote abilities that are utilized in a professional environment.
• Describe modern office productivity suite applications.
• Illustrate basic office software tasks using Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
• Characterize the role computer networking plays in society and identify current networking technologies.
• List the hardware components, software applications, and IT protocols that make the internet possible today.
• Apply basic maintenance tasks on your computer to combat viruses, malware, and computing inefficiencies.

Credit Hours: 3

This course offers an introduction to basic writing skills that are especially relevant to academic assignments. The course focuses on APA paragraph development and organization in conjunction with a review of basic grammar and mechanics. The course also covers basic techniques for critically editing and revising one's work.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

• Use appropriate style, grammar, and mechanics in writing assignments.
• Compose a strong paragraph with attention to the following: topic sentences; and effective use of transitions.
• Identify and use a variety of essay structures, including expository, descriptive, narrative, comparison and contrast, and persuasion/argumentative.
• Organize, develop, and produce a fully developed five-paragraph essay.
• Differentiate and apply correct techniques for prewriting, writing, and proofreading using a variety of styles.
• Correctly apply the rules of APA for use in direct or indirect quotations and reference citations.

Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an overview of technological advances over the span of human history. Topics include the interrelationship of technology and culture; ethics and morals as they relate to technological progress; energy; ecology; demography; war and politics; and the unintended consequences of globalization, including social inequality, climate change, and global warming.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

• Explain how technology and culture are interrelated, and outline technological advances from ancient times to the present.
• Discuss different perspectives on ethics and morals as they relate to technological applications.
• Explain basic concepts related to energy, including the pros and cons of nonrenewable and renewable sources of energy.
• Discuss basic concepts of ecology, including the environmental challenges of global warming and climate change.
• Explain basic concepts of demography, especially as they apply to population growth.
• Describe how war and politics have affected nations as they adapted to advances in technologies.
• Explain the origins of global inequality, including colonialism and capitalism.
• Discuss different approaches to measuring the evolution of technologies, the unintended consequences of globalization, and the prospects of a paradigm shift.

Credit Hours: 3

This course will familiarize you with medical terminology and the structure of the human body. Lessons are organized based on the systems of the human body: integumentary, skeletal, muscular, digestive, cardiovascular, blood and lymphatic, respiratory, urinary, endocrine, nervous, and reproductive systems. The special senses, oncology, radiology, nuclear medicine, and mental health are also discussed.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

• Explain the basic principles of medical word building and describe the organization of the human body.
• Define and apply medical terminology associated with the integumentary, skeletal, and muscular systems.
• Describe and apply medical terminology associated with the digestive, cardiovascular, blood, and lymphatic systems.
• Describe the structure, components, and pathology of the respiratory and nervous systems.
• Explain the structure, components, and pathology of the urinary and endocrine systems as well as the diagnosis, pathology, and treatment of these systems.
• Examine the structure, components, and pathology of the eyes and ears of the human body.
• Describe the structure, components, and pathology of the male and female reproductive systems and the diagnosis, pathology, and treatment of these systems.
• Describe the basic diagnostic procedures, laboratory tests, and imaging techniques associated with oncology, radiology, and nuclear medicine, and the symptoms, contributing factors, and diagnosis and treatment procedures for mental disorders.

Credit Hours: 3

The ability to communicate well is essential to success in any professional environment. English Composition II is organized to provide you with a broad understanding of multiple types of written communication. Far from being just academic exercises, formal writing skills allow you to relate to the world in ever-increasing ways. Simply put, good writing is good thinking. As you master various techniques of effective writing, you'll note a change in the way you process information, and those around you (including your employer) will also note the transformation.

English Composition II begins with the assumption that you've attained basic writing skills through completion of English Composition I. So, in fact, English Composition II is a continuation of English Composition I. In that light, you'll be expected to access and review basic concepts covered in English Composition I and, in particular, the sections on grammar and mechanics.

English Composition II begins by offering you tips on college writing, active reading, and study strategies at the college level. Next, you'll explore the framework for drafting a college essay, including elaborate explorations for finding a topic, assessing your audience, and determining the purpose of your essay as you identify its thesis and craft a thesis statement.

Next, because college essays often require research, you'll be introduced to strategies for finding and using sources. Based on this preparatory foundation, you'll be challenged to analyze essays in all of the various rhetorical modes, which, in turn, will prepare you to write college-level essays for these different patterns of development.

The balance of this online text is devoted to the specifics of reading, analyzing, and writing college-level essays, including description, narration, illustration, process analysis, comparison and Contrast, classification and Division, definition, cause and Effect, argument, and business applications.

By the end of EN130, you'll be able to do the following:

• Describe the nature of academic writing at the college level.
• Understand and apply the principles of active reading.
• Comprehend and apply the structure of a college essay.
• Develop an essay thesis that's supported by facts, authorities, and examples.
• Apply the principles of revision and editing.
• Write an academic essay supported by relevant and credible sources.
• Critically evaluate essays in all of these patterns of development:

  • Narrative, Descriptive, Illustration, Process, Comparison and contrast, Definition, Classification and division, Cause and effect, Argument.
• Create effective, engaging, and informative essays in all of these patterns of discourse through the following:

  • A deep understanding of the writing process; Organizing an essay in terms of space order, time order, or order of importance; Creating attention-getting introductions and memorable conclusions; Using facts, logical reasoning, examples, and authorities to support your thesis; Identifying and avoiding logical fallacies; Effectively applying the techniques of persuasion; Blending two or more patterns of development in a single essay.

Credit Hours: 3

View General Education Elective (Science 100-200 Level) offerings.

This course will provide you with an introduction to the administrative activities of a private medical practice, hospital office, or clinic department. You'll learn how to schedule appointments, follow OSHA standards and universal precautions, differentiate between government and commercial health insurance programs, maintain patient records, ensure HIPAA compliance, perform billing and coding duties, and follow typical office management procedures.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

• Examine the history of modern medicine and the profession of medical assisting, including educational opportunities, accrediting agencies, and administrative and clinical competencies related to medical assistants.
• Describe the role of the medical office professional with regard to legal and ethical issues within the healthcare environment.
• Describe effective communication techniques and standard safety precautions to follow within the medical office.
• Describe office safety measures, medical waste, OSHA standards and guidelines, proper body mechanics, telephone techniques and triage, and handling difficult callers and emergency phone calls.
• Describe the typical duties required of medical office personnel, including patient greeting/reception, scheduling, drafting correspondence, and using office equipment, supplies, and computers.
• Manage and update patient medical records, and perform billing, collections, and financial management duties within the medical office.
• Demonstrate knowledge of government and commercial health insurance plans and outline diagnostic and procedural code assignment and claims processing procedures.
• Identify and discuss office and personnel management duties required of medical office managers.

Credit Hours: 3

This course will provide you with an introduction to the clinical competencies required of medical assistants in various healthcare settings. You'll learn about infection control, vital signs, physical examinations, medical specialties, life span specialties, minor surgery, and medical emergencies. They will also learn about the clinical laboratory, microbiology, urinalysis, phlebotomy, hematology, pulmonary function, physical therapy and rehabilitation, pharmacology, patient education and nutrition, mental health, and career opportunities.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

• Identify standard precautions and conditions for infections and the normal values and ranges for various vital signs.
• Describe the proper methods and techniques used to assist physicians with physical examinations and the conditions commonly encountered with medical specialties and life span specialties.
• Identify surgical procedures and medical emergencies that occur in medical offices, and explain the medical assistant's role in both surgical and emergency preparation.
• Describe the medical assistant's role in laboratory test preparation, microorganism testing, urinalysis, blood specimen collection, and blood chemistry testing.
• Identify the preparation procedures and basic positions for X-rays and the function, operation, and maintenance procedures of an electrocardiograph machine.
• Identify various pulmonary function tests, physical therapy modalities, and rehabilitation procedures for which a medical assistant may prepare a patient.
• Calculate medication dosages using mathematical conversions, and describe the procedures for administering oral and parenteral medications.
• Identify teaching strategies for patient education and nutritional guidance, diagnostic categories and therapies for mental disorders, and professional skills and career opportunities for medical assistants.

Credit Hours: 3

This course introduces most of the records used in a medical office and health information management. You'll see examples of these records, study their contents, and learn how these records are used, shared, and stored by health information management professionals. You'll also learn about the relationships among these records and medical care, legal, insurance or billing concerns, and the fundamentals of health information systems.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

• Describe health information management (HIM) and the role of HIM professionals.
• Describe the different types of filing methods used in the healthcare setting.
• Explain the development and purpose of health record systems. 
• Describe the purpose, contents, and components of the health record.
• Describe administrative and managerial support systems in relation to medical records processing.
• Explain the concept of information systems and the electronic health record.
• Discuss regulatory requirements for health record documentation and rationale for HIPAA privacy and security concepts.
• Discuss other functions of health information management related to secondary health records, registries, and indexes.

Credit Hours: 3