Program provides free training in health care professions

A $450,000 grant-funded program at Governors State University’s School of Extended Learning is providing underemployed individuals and others facing barriers free training to help them land jobs in two growing health care fields.

Participants are being trained for jobs to work in clinical medical coding and billing or as clinical medical assistants through two virtual courses at University Park-based Governors State.

The program is designed for individuals from areas disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Cook, Kankakee and Will counties, the unemployed, individuals working part-time experiencing barriers to employment, persons receiving government assistance and others who are under employed.

It is preparing individuals for better career opportunities and responding to community needs, said Michelle Sebasco, director of academic partnerships & continuing education at the school.

“We knew that the community was hit really hard with COVID,” she said. “We knew there was quite a lot of need for health care workers. We wanted to serve more students and really affect change in our community when it came to the dire need for these skilled, trained health care professionals.”

Employment of clinical medical assistants nationally has been projected to grow 18% from 2020 through 2030, according to the Labor Department, university representatives noted in their successful grant application to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. That is much faster than the average for all occupations. Projections are for about 104,400 openings for medical assistants each year, on average, over the decade.

Overall employment of medical billers and coders and medical records and health information specialists is forecast to grow 9% through 2030, the university said in the application, as the field needs individuals who understand how to code health care services and procedures for insurance reimbursement. The positions also offer the appealing opportunity for people to work from home, Sebasco said.

Average starting salaries for clinical medical assistants range from $36,995 to $50,580, and the average annual salary for medical coders and billers is $37,350, Sebasco said.

The program covers the cost of the training and materials. If students had to pay for the medical coding and billing course, the cost would be $2,399, and the clinical medical and assistant course would cost $2,595, she said.

The courses range from 80 to 100 hours taught over eight to 10 weeks. They prepare students to take the National Workforce Career Association Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Certification, the National Healthcareer Association Certified Billing & Coding Specialist exam and the National Healthcareer Association Certified Clinical Medical Assistant exam. Certification exam vouchers are provided.

Once they complete the courses, students receive assistance in landing externships, giving them a chance to launch their new careers within months, university representatives note.

The funding enabled the university to offer two cohorts. The first concluded in December with 28 participants completing the program. The second began Monday. The grant provides training for up to 60 students.

Yvonne Wade-Bey, a retiree living on a fixed income, is among students who started the program this week. She worked for 35 years in the restaurant industry before retiring as a restaurant manager in 2015. The Markham resident wants to pursue work in the medical coding and billing field to boost her income and give her financial security, she said.

“I had a friend who was a medical biller,” she said. “She did really well. She’s comfortable now, so I decided to look into this.”

She would not have been able

to enroll in the course if it were not free, Wade-Bey said.

Johanna Hansen, a 37-year-old engaged, single mother of three, completed the medical coding and billing course in December. She works part-time as a cosmetologist and receives Medicaid and food assistance. She has always had an interest in the medical field and is excited about the opportunity to pursue a career that is less physically taxing, and that offers greater flexibility and higher income, she said.

“I love the medical and billing program,” said Hansen, who lives in Diamond. “The thought of getting a job that’s mostly work from home is a benefit, I could be here to watch over my children but still be making money.”

Hansen said the training program removed barriers she would have faced in getting trained in the field.

“As a single mom of three, my income is very tight,” she shared. “From where I currently live Governors State’s campus is a solid 45 minutes away,” she said.

“There would have been no way I could make it to campus and juggle everything at the same time. If it wasn’t for the fact that the course was virtual and completely covered, even my materials books, I don’t think I could have done it.”

Hansen expects to start an externship next month.

Jeanna Brown, career success coach at Governors State, provides assistance to students in the program, including help with writing resumes, applying for positions and conducting mock practice job interviews.

“Some are changing from one industry,” Brown said. “We help them identify their transferrable skills.”

That support has been invaluable, according to Hansen. She said she has worked for the same employer for 19 years since graduating from high school, where she earned her cosmetology certification. She previously had never created a resume, she said.

“Our overall goal is to make sure students are able to achieve their certification, obtain their credential and find sustainable employment,” said Brown.