Hello Everyone I desperately need your help! I am currently an adult learner with 3 children, a dog and a full time job in the Healthcare field. I am looking for a good and affordable online university that does not follow the traditional college calendar ( multiple courses/ 15 week at a time) i am currently speaking with a counselor at GCU. Although they seem to have what i am looking for ( including government discounts and work experience for credits) im a little take back by some of the comments ive been reading. Guys, is the a good school or what? Will I have trouble with transfering credits? Can i look forward to competitive salary after graduating? What are some other school that have what i am looking for ?
What do you want to major in? Competency-based programs will be the cheapest because they charge a flat rate per a 3-month, 4-month, or 6-month term. They'll allow you to work on one course at a time at your own pace. However, they're best for people who want to work fast. If you want to complete one course every couple of months, then the cost of competency-based programs will approach the costs of traditional programs. These are some of the schools that offer competency-based bachelor's programs. John F. Kennedy University Capella University University of Wisconsin Northern Arizona University Western Governors University Brandman University Purdue University Global Southern New Hampshire University - College for America (employment with a participating employer is required) National University does one course per month, but they're kind of expensive.
Extremely important: You are not speaking with a counselor. You are speaking with a salesperson whose one job is to convince you to enroll at that institution. Also, "healthcare" is pretty broad. What actual program interests you and why?
Thanks so much for the quick reply. Im looking to major in Healthcare admin or Healthcare Management for my BA, then bridge that with a MA in Business Management if that makes since. The career route im trying to go with is to become an executive in Patient Care service Within a Healthcare setting which sometimes requires an RN license however im trying to avoid that route with more education . Do you have any view points or know of any expereices at GCU?
Understood that is why before making a decision I wanted to seek a more of a relateable audience. Like this form. I didnt have money or time to throw away im sure none of us do.
I really want to go the most affordable route, with the hopes of transfering with little BSas possible.
I don't know what you do now, but unless you're already in upper management, an executive position will be a big jump without a clear path. If you're not a licensed healthcare provider, a different way to move up in hospital management is to become an RHIA. Western Governors University and Charter Oak State College offer CAHIIM-accredited programs that would be perfect for this. At $687.50 per credit hour, GCU is far from being the cheapest option. On this forum and a related forum, we're often dealing with schools that cost less than $300 per credit hour.
Wow that was great help! Thankfully I am in upper Management. I dont know much about the RHIA or CAHIIAM programs but i will look more into it. I dont recall those being offered at at lot of universities, is it reconizable in obtaining executive positions in Healtcare? Is it a difficult program to get into or to obtain online?
Once upon a time I was interviewing for a professor job at a nonprofit that is run more like a for-profit IMO (Savannah College of Art & Design--BTW, if you want to see the very definition of inurement in action, take a look at the obscene amounts of cash their founder and president rakes in, how they maintain their status as a nonprofit is completely beyond me, no idea what's going on with the IRS there, asleep at the switch if they don't revoke their nonprofit status in my opinion). In any event, when they were trying to recruit me and sell me on their offer, which was about $50K under market, they went at me with a sleazy hard sell. Never seen anything like it in all my years in academia. Of course I turned them down. You don't hard sell an academic like some shifty timeshare salesperson. You're right, Steve, and with some of these less than honest schools, for-profits or not-for-profits that act like for-profits, I can't imagine being a poor schmuck student who doesn't know how the system works withstanding getting roped into massive debt for an underperforming degree. It's unconscionable.
Since you're already in upper management, which department do you oversee? RHIA is applicable to those working with medical records.
Unfortunately I dont work with medical records, my job is more technical. I work in Sterile processin Department, and OR by way of surgical procedure/ instrumentation . the isnt really nothing that will match that dead on i know. But i was hoping to get as closevas possible with a great potential earing. Any suggestions or Universities
Do you have more of an operations management type of role? An MBA or MHA would probably relevant to your work. Since you're concerned about cost, I still recommend WGU. Anyone who can pass their entrance exam can be admitted to their bachelor's degree programs in business. There's a guy who used to post here occasionally who was a former EMT, earned an interdisciplinary studies degree at Charter Oak State College, and completed an MBA at WGU. He got promoted from a supervisor or management position to a director position at the hospital he was working at.
Ok. Thats a really good comparison. Right now i work as a supervisor in the instrument processing department. Intresting enough i was looking at WCU and GCU online programs. I a liitle concerned about curriculum and can it stand along as a creditable school when i apply for a position. I know both are accredited
Yes. I guess thatvwould be a more suitable term. So in this case does what you mentioned camge the outline
