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Online Healthcare Degree Programs

Give Special Treatment to Your Career with an Accredited Online Health Degree Program

Health care is a consistently viable career choice as society struggles to treat an aging and changing population, and an online healthcare degree is your ticket to a fulfilling career.

At one time or another, everyone needs health care to either treat or prevent illness. To meet the increasing demand, the healthcare industry always seek out highly trained professionals dedicated to helping people live longer and healthier lives.

With your online health care degree, you can find challenging healthcare job in hospital, clinic, long term care, rehabilitation center or private healthcare facility providing treatments to sick patients, conducting tests, dispensing medications or managing various resources of the healthcare facility.

Healthcare Degree Programs Because healthcare skills require specialized training and are in such demand, many excellent online health degree programs offered by accredited online colleges and universities can deliver enthusiastic students like you many more options.

Earning your health care degree online is more affordable and easier than ever, and to help you find the best accredited online healthcare degree programs, eDegreeSteps presents this overview.


Is an Online Healthcare Degree for You?

As the US population ages, the healthcare industry is always looking for qualified, caring people who have not only the technical training but the compassion and dedication needed to care for the sick.

Online healthcare degrees include many specialized degree offerings needed for careers in allied health professions, such as nursing and EMS, and healthcare administration professions.

Healthcare specialties that require hands-on training or lab work cannot be taught online, but many online health care degree programs offer most or all of their instruction online.

If you're interested in a healthcare career, feel comfortable at home learning with computers and multimedia presentations, like to work independently as well as collaborate with others, and need an affordable and more flexible way to complete your education, earning your healthcare degree online might be ideal for you.

Online Healthcare Degree Specializations

What to Look for in an Online Health Care Degree Program

A number of excellent, accredited online colleges were founded around their online healthcare degree programs in nursing, healthcare administration, medical billing and coding programs, nutrition, health education, and other healthcare support fields.

Before you choose an online program, you should have a detailed plan in place. Do you need a 4-year degree, or will a professional certification program work for you? Some online schools offer both while others offer only one.

Is the curriculum up to date, comprehensive and valuable? Is the college reputed and well-known among the students and healthcare industry?

Will your career plan require an internship or other residency program? Many online colleges maintain relationships with local healthcare facilities, giving their online students essential experience.

Most importantly, is the online college you are considering accredited? Will you be able to transfer hours earned to another school? What financial aid options are available? Answers to questions like these are readily available but depend on your specific plan.

What Will You Study While Getting Your Healthcare Degree Online?

Healthcare is a diverse universe of highly specialized fields of knowledge and practice.

Most of the online health science degree programs consist of core courses like chemistry, biology, physics, medical terminology, pharmacology, anatomy/physiology, ethics of healthcare, and introduction to the US healthcare system.

However, your specific course of study in an online health degree program will depend on your particular specialty and the level of degree or certification you are working toward.

For example, an associate's degree in nursing requires fewer classroom hours, so your course load would include mostly technical classes designed to prepare you for an entry-level position as an RN. On the other hand, a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing will require more in-depth instruction in a wider range of topics.

Likewise, an online degree in healthcare administration focuses more on human relations and management and less on the technical aspects of human health.

Online health degree programs all rely on distance-learning tools that create interactive, virtual classrooms, allowing you to master the skills and knowledge you will need for a fruitful career in health care.

Healthcare Career Market Outlook and Growth Prospects

The multifaceted healthcare industry will continue its above-average growth for the foreseeable future, a movement that will make your online health degree highly marketable. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare jobs will far outpace other occupations through 2020:

Health Information Technicians
+21.0%
Dietitians and Nutritionists
+19.7%
Registered Nurses
+26.0%
Medical and Health Service Managers
+22.4%
Physical Therapists
+39.0%
Occupational Therapists
+33.5%
Home Health Aides
+69.4%
Emergency Medical Technicians
+33.3%

Salary Guidelines for Careers in Health Care

Trained healthcare professionals enjoy solid salaries and benefits. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, here are some average salaries in 2010 for top healthcare professions:

Health Information Technicians
$36,770
Dietitians and Nutritionists
$56,170
Registered Nurses
$67,930
Medical and Health Service Managers
$84,270
Physical Therapists
$81,110
Occupational Therapists
$76,400
Home Health Aides
$21,830
Emergency Medical Technicians
$24,900

Future Trends in Health Care

Developments in health care will always depend on scientific discoveries and technological innovations that cannot be accurately predicted. But many other trends in health care can be followed and will shape the way healthcare services are delivered.

One overriding demographic change that continues to affect health care is the aging American population, which is expected to rely more on home care and hospice services rather than hospitals and assisted care homes.

Another important trend in health care is the shift from treatment to prevention, which will bring subtle shifts in the way trained personnel are efficiently utilized and how healthcare professionals will interact with their patients.

Overall, the demand for healthcare services will continue to increase in coming years, resulting in continued job growth, specialization, and innovation in the healthcare industry.

Your online healthcare degree will qualify you to a stable and successful healthcare career, and eDegreeSteps is your personal assistant to nurse your dreams to fulfillment.


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