Healthcare Documentation
General Description:
Healthcare Documentation(formerly medical transcription) is one of the fastest growing home-based professions in the country. The demand for qualified healthcare documentation specialists continues to accelerate, creating unprecedented financial and career opportunities for people who have the skills to succeed in the fast-paced environment. Richland Community College offers a dynamic Healthcare Documentation certificate that can be completed in three semesters, or a Healthcare Documentation degree that can be completed in four semesters full time, completely online. Richland is proud to offer many medical courses that provide a strong foundation and support for the exceptional medical transcription experience attained in our program.
REGISTRATION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION
In order to register, you must first apply to Richland Community College. For assistance when registering for courses, please contact Stuart Coon at (217)-875-7211, ext. 280 or scoon@richland.edu. Also visit the Registration Information page for more information on how to register.
Students registering for online courses are required to complete an online learning management system student orientation. In this orientation, students will become familiar with our online learning platform so they will be comfortable completing coursework in Canvas. Students will not be allowed access to their course information until the orientation is completed. Please visit the online orientation page for more information and to begin the orientation.
COST AND FINANCIAL AID
The total tuition and fees for all the certification courses are approximately $4205, which are paid on a semester basis (not a lump sum).
Financial aid is available for qualifying students. Prospective students should fill out a FAFSA form at www.fafsa.ed.gov to get started with the financial aid process. For assistance with financial aid questions, please contact Jody Burtnett at (217) 875-7211, ext. 288 or -top of page-
Courses:
The courses for our certificate include:
- HIT 118 - Introduction to Healthcare Documentation (prerequisite for Healthcare Documentation 1)
- HIT 140 - Medical Terminology (prerequisite for all medical courses)
- HIT 141 - Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology (prerequisite or concurrent enrollment in Healthcare Documentation 1)
- HIT 142 - Healthcare Documentation 1 (prerequisite for Healthcare Documentation 2 - passing with a C or better)
- HIT 241 - Fundamentals of Pharmacology
- HIT 242 - Healthcare Documentation 2
- HIT 244 - Interpreting Healthcare Records
- HIT 248 - Pathophysiology
- HIT 291 - HDS Professional Experience
The above coursework will take 3 semesters to complete in the following sequence:
1st Semester:
HIT 118 - Introduction to Healthcare Documentation
HIT 140 - Medical Terminology
2nd Semester:
HIT 141 - Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology
HIT 142 - Healthcare Documentation 1
HIT 241 - Fundamentals of Pharmacology
3rd Semester:
HIT 242 - Healthcare Documentation 2
HIT 244 - Interpreting Healthcare Records
HIT 248 - Pathophysiology
Students are required to be able to type and effectively use Word (save, transfer, and attach files, etc.). Although speed is not stressed in our transcription courses (accuracy is more important), if students cannot type 35 wpm, they should complete a typing/word processing course before entering this program.
The degree includes the above courses plus: Human Biology, Quality Improvement in Healthcare, Editing and Proofreading, Electronic Health Records, Law and Ethics, English 101, Voicing and Transcription, Word Processor Applications, and 3 general education electives. The degree is NOT offered completely online.
Students can succeed in this field with either the degree or certificate, keeping in mind that supervisory positions often require degrees.
Program Approval and Association
Richland Community College's comprehensive Healthcare Documentation program is approved by the Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP), a joint committee established by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) to approve Healthcare Documentation education certificate programs. AHIMA and AHDI acknowledge the ACCP approval committee as the process to identify quality Healthcare Documentation education programs that have been evaluated by a peer review process against a minimum set of standards for entry-level Healthcare Documentation professionals. This process allows academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and private companies to be acknowledged as offering an AHDI Approved Healthcare Documentation Certificate Programs.
For Further Information:
The Coordinator and Professor, Crystal Kitchens, MA, CMT, has over 20 years experience in the field. For more information about the program, please call (217) 875-7211, ext. 446 or by e-mail at ckitchen@richland.edu. You may also view the Frequently Asked Question page.
