Many people who hope to start a career in healthcare are discouraged by the prospect of heavy course loads, years of school, and expensive training programs. Often, they are not aware that there are many healthcare certifications they can get easily and quickly.
Despite training being relatively short and inexpensive, these careers often pay well and offer excellent job security and benefits.
The most popular healthcare certifications that can be completed in a short amount of time include medical assistant, pharmacy technician, phlebotomist, and medical administrative assistant.
This guide goes over those careers and others, so you can find the best fit for you and your future in healthcare.
Quickest & Easiest Healthcare Certifications
You don’t have to spend years and go into deep debt to get started in a successful healthcare career. In fact, there are many great jobs in healthcare that require only a certification.
Most certification programs can be completed in a few months or less and cost just a few hundred or thousands of dollars. Many can be completed completely online, as well.
Here are some of the most popular:
Medical Administrative Assistant Certification: 3 to 6 months
Average time to get certified: 3 to 6 months
Medical administrative assistants usually work in doctors’ offices, outpatient centers, and hospitals. They take care of administrative tasks like helping patients make appointments, ordering supplies, and dealing with billing and payments.
The National Healthcareer Association offers a CMAA exam and certification for people to become Certified Medical Administrative Assistants.
Courses often focus on basic healthcare laws and ethics, billing and coding, and scheduling. This certification can be completed quickly, and most programs do not require or include any externship hours, meaning the entire training program can be completed online.
Here at Stepful, we have an Online Medical Administrative Assistant Program that only takes 3 months to complete and prepares you to take the CMAA exam.
- Time to get certified: 3 to 6 months
- Online courses available: Yes, courses can be completed 100% online.
- Average program cost: $500 to $3,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 69%
- Resulting certification(s): CMAA from the NHA
- Average salary: $43,380
- Number of jobs in the US: 749,500
- Job outlook: 16% growth between 2023 to 2033
Medical Assistant Certification: 4 to 9 months
Average time to get certified: 4 to 9 months
Medical assistants typically work in doctors’ offices performing a mix of patient care tasks, such as measuring vital signs and drawing blood, and administrative tasks like scheduling and billing.
Medical assistants can become Certified Medical Assistants (CMA) through the CMA or Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMA) through the NHA. Both are nationally recognized certifications that are relatively easy to obtain.
Courses can be completed in just a few months and most training programs include an externship that allows you to practice your skills with supervision before you begin your career.
Here at Stepful, we have an Online Medical Assistant Program that only takes 4 months to complete, prepares you to take the CCMA exam, and offers one-on-one support from enrollment to employment.
- Time to get certified: 4 to 9 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $2,000 to $5,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 77% (NHA)
- Resulting certification(s): CMA, CCMA, RMA
- Average salary: $42,000
- Number of jobs in the US: 118,000
- Job outlook: 18% growth between 2023 and 2033
Pharmacy Technician Certification: 4 to 12 months
Average time to get certified: 4 to 12 months
Pharmacy technicians work in hospitals, retail pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies, and other places. They spend their time organizing medications, checking prescriptions, compounding medicine, and helping customers and patients stay safe.
Pharmacy technician certification takes between 4 and 12 months, depending on the program you choose and how long you need to study, and some programs include externship hours.
While this has one of the lowest certification exam passing rates, at 63%, the programs are typically short and not grueling. With some study and focus, it is possible to become a certified pharmacy technician quickly.
Here at Stepful, we have an Online Pharmacy Tech Program that only takes 4 months to complete and prepares you to take the NHA’s ExCPT exam.
- Time to get certified: 4 to 12 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $500 to $2,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 63% (NHA)
- Resulting certification(s): NHA CPhT
- Average salary: $40,300
- Number of jobs in the US: 463,900
- Job outlook: 7% growth projected between 2023 and 2033
Phlebotomist Certification: 1 to 3 months
Average time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
Phlebotomists draw blood samples and make sure they are stored and transported safely to the laboratory for testing. Drawing blood samples requires knowing how to use aseptic technique, puncture a vein safely, and understand infection control.
Phlebotomists work in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and laboratories.
There are many different organizations that certify phlebotomists including the NHA, NPA, and ASCP.
Phlebotomy is one of the shortest healthcare certifications you can earn. Some programs allow you to become a certified phlebotomist in as little as 4 weeks.
In addition, phlebotomy has one of the highest exam passing rates, at 76%. Many people working in healthcare get their phlebotomy certification in addition to other certificates.
- Time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $500 to $1,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 76% (NHA)
- Resulting certification(s): NHA’s CPT, NPA’s CPT, ASCP’s PBT, & many more
- Average salary: $43,310
- Number of jobs in the US: 141,200
- Job outlook: 8% growth expected between 2023 and 2033
Home Health Aide Certification: 1 to 3 months
Average time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
A home health aide travels to the homes of patients who need help with their activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and cooking meals. People who need help are often struggling with old age or recovering from major illness or surgery.
Home health aide certification is offered by the National Center for Competency Testing and is a short exam with only 70 questions.
Home health aides learn about things like basic patient care, ethics, patient privacy, and infection control.
- Time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $750 to $1500
- Resulting certification(s): HHA from NCCT
- Average salary: $33,530 per year
- Number of jobs in the US: 3,961,900
- Job outlook: 21% growth between 2023 and 2033
Nursing Assistant (CNA) Certification: 1 to 3 months
Average time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
Certified Nursing Assistants are in high demand and can find jobs in hospitals, long-term care centers, home health facilities, and rehabilitation centers. They help patients attend to their personal care needs as well as assist nurses with some bedside procedures such as catheter placement, tube feedings, and dressing changes.
CNA certifications can be completed in just a few weeks, and the certification exam is said to be one of the easier ones. Certified Nursing Assistants need to learn how to measure vital signs, perform occupied bed changes, ambulate a patient safely, and protect a patient’s privacy.
All states accept the CNA certification from the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program.
- Time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $500 to $1,500
- Resulting certification(s): CNA from the NNAA
- Average salary: $38,200
- Number of jobs in the US: 64,700
- Job outlook: 4% growth between 2023 and 2033
EKG Technician Certification: 1 to 3 months
Average time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
EKG technicians administer EKG, or ECG, tests which read the electronic activity of the heart. These readings help physicians treat patients suffering heart attacks, dangerous heart rhythms, heart failure, and more.
EKG technicians must get special training in order to understand how to take measurements correctly, and to know when an emergency call to the physician is needed.
Training to become an EKG technician takes only 1 to 3 months and can be done completely online.
- Time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $500 to $2,500
- Certification exam pass rate: 71%
- Resulting certification(s): Certified EKG Technician (CET), Certified Cardiographic Technician (CCT)
- Average salary: $49,724
- Number of jobs in the US: 143,400
- Job outlook: 11% growth expected between 2023 and 2033
Medical Transcriptionist Certification: 1 to 3 months
Average time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
A medical transcriptionist's job can be done remotely, and many medical transcriptionists are able to create their own schedules, as long as they complete all of their tasks on time.
Unfortunately, medical transcriptionist jobs are being replaced by artificial intelligence and talk-to-text programs that are less expensive for companies than hiring employees.
However, if you are looking for a job with a lot of flexibility, you may still want to earn your medical transcriptionist certification or Registered Health Documentation Specialist (RHDS) certificate from the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity.
- Time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $1,000 to $3,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 70%
- Resulting certification(s): RHDS from the AHDI
- Average salary: $37,060
- Number of jobs in the US: 54,500
- Job outlook: 5% decline is expected between 2023 and 2033
Electronic Health Records Specialist Certification: 3 to 6 months
Average time to get certified: 3 to 6 months
Electronic health records specialists work to keep patient records organized, safe, and secure.
They can also keep patients safe by making sure that medical records are kept up to date and that health information from different hospital systems is shared. This prevents dangerous medication interactions and could even prevent life-threatening procedures from taking place if there is a contraindication.
You can choose to become a certified electronic health records specialist by taking the CEHRS exam through the NHA or the RHIT exam through the AHIMA.
- Time to get certified: 3 to 6 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $1,000 to $4,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 65% (NHA)
- Resulting certification(s): Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS), Registered Health Information Technologist (RHIT)
- Average salary: $48,780 per year
- Number of jobs in the US: 191,500
- Job outlook: 9% growth expected between 2023 and 2033
Behavioral Technician Specialist Certification: 1 to 3 months
Average time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
Behavioral technicians work with patients in need of mental health services. They may work in family or individual therapy offices, substance abuse rehabilitation centers, or treatment centers for at-risk teens.
They work under the direction of a Registered Behavior Analyst to help create and implement behavior plans for their clients.
To earn a certification, they must complete at least a 40-hour training program and register with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
- Time to get certified: 1 to 3 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $100 to $500
- Certification exam pass rate: 74%
- Resulting certification(s): Registered Behavior Technician (RBT)
- Average salary: $42,702
- Number of jobs in the US: 160,600
- Job outlook: 13% growth expected between 2023 and 2033
Patient Care Technician Certification: 4 to 12 months
Average time to get certified: 4 to 12 months
Patient care technicians help patients with self-care tasks and assist other healthcare professionals with procedures and other advanced skills. Some patient care technicians can be trained to administer medications, draw blood samples, and even perform some sterile tasks such as inserting a Foley catheter.
Patient care technicians can earn certificates through many different certifying organizations including the National Healthcareer Association, the National Center for Competency Testing, and the American Medical Certification Association. Certificate programs can be completed completely online in as little as 4 months.
- Time to get certified: 4 to 12 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $1,000 to $4,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 75% (NHA)
- Resulting certification(s): NHA’s CPCT/A, NCCT’s PCT, AMCA’s PCT
- Average salary: $40,872
- Number of jobs in the US: 164,835
- Job outlook: 8% growth expected between 2020 and 2030
Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Certification: 4 to 6 months
Average time to get certified: 4 to 6 months
Medical billing and coding specialists work with hospitals, doctors' offices, insurance companies, and patients to make sure that all parties are billed fairly and correctly for services. They have to learn different codes for different injuries, illnesses, and procedures and make sure that no patient is billed for an incorrect procedure.
While learning these codes and keeping the information organized may sound difficult, programs walk their students through everything and make sure they understand each step in the process.
In fact, the passing rate for first-time certification is very high, at 76%. Medical coding and billing specialists can become Certified Coding Specialists (CCS) by passing the exam offered by AHIMA or Certified Billing and Coding Specialists (CBCS) through the NHA.
- Time to get certified: 4 to 6 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $2,000 to $45,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 76% (NHA)
- Resulting certification(s): CCS by the AHIMA, CBCS by the NHA
- Average salary: $56,669
- Number of jobs in the US: 191,500
- Job outlook: 9% growth expected between 2023 and 2033
Sterile Processing Technician Certification: 4 to 6 months
Average time to get certified: 4 to 6 months
Sterile processing technicians prepare equipment for procedures and surgeries. Their duties include decontamination, preparing and packaging instruments, sterilizing surgical tools, and storing things properly. They typically work in hospitals, surgical centers, and equipment distributors.
Sterile processing technicians can earn a certification called a Certified Registered Central Service Technician from the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association. This certificate requires 400 hours of training and most people complete it within 4 to 6 months.
- Time to get certified: 4 to 6 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $1,500 to $3,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 75%
- Resulting certification(s): CRCST from the HSPA
- Average salary: $57,186
- Number of jobs in the US: 49,025
- Job outlook: 8% growth predicted through 2028
Dental Assistant Certification: 4 to 12 months
Average time to get certified: 4 to 12 months
Dental assistants work in dentists’ offices and assist with procedures, take patient X-rays, handle scheduling and billing, and keep the office clean and organized. They often continue with training to become dental hygienists.
Dental assistant certifications are not always required, but most organizations prefer to hire candidates who are certified. You must pass three exams to become a Certified Dental Assistant: the General Chairside exam, the Radiation Health and Safety Exam, and the Infection Control Exam.
Certifications include the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) exam administered by the American Medical Technologists (AMT) and the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exam administered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).
- Time to get certified: 4 to 12 months
- Online courses available: Yes
- Average program cost: $1,000 to $10,000
- Certification exam pass rate: 72%
- Resulting certification(s): CDA from DANB, RDA from AMT
- Average salary: $47,350
- Number of jobs in the US: 376,500
- Job outlook: 8% growth expected between 2023 and 2033
Comparing Healthcare Certifications by Time to Obtain
The time it takes to obtain a healthcare certification usually falls within a range of 4 weeks to 12 months. Don’t assume that a more lengthy certification process leads to a more lucrative career.
Consider all options before making a choice about which certification you’d like to get. Also, be sure to check the requirements for your state since they can vary quite a bit for some careers.
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Certification – 1 to 3 months
- Phlebotomist Certification – 1 to 3 months
- Home Health Aide Certification – 1 to 3 months
- EKG Technician Certification – 1 to 3 months
- Medical Transcriptionist Certification – 1 to 3 months
- Behavioral Technician Specialist Certification – 1 to 3 months
- Medical Administrative Assistant Certification – 3 to 6 months
- Electronic Health Records Specialist Certification – 3 to 6 months
- Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Certification – 4 to 6 months
- Sterile Processing Technician Certification – 4 to 6 months
- Medical Assistant Certification – 4 to 9 months
- Pharmacy Technician Certification – 4 to 12 months
- Dental Assistant Certification – 4 to 12 months
- Patient Care Technician Certification – 4 to 12 months
Deciding Which Healthcare Certification is Best for You
There are many things you should consider when you are deciding which certification is best for you. While it may be tempting to choose the quickest certification or the highest-paying job, there are other things you should keep in mind.
First, consider whether or not you would enjoy the job you can get with the certification. Someone who wants to work directly with patients may want to become a patient care tech or medical assistant instead of a health information technician. However, if you are great with computers and organization, an electronic health records specialist might be the job for you.
Next, consider the demand for that job in your area. While a certification always makes you a more competitive job applicant, you want to make sure that jobs are available in your area.
For example, surgical technologists are in high demand in large cities with big hospitals, but may not be in demand in rural areas. Consider whether or not you would be willing to move to find a good job in your chosen field.
Starting and average salaries are also important to consider. Think about whether the job that interests you will allow you to live the lifestyle that you want or support you and your family. Weigh salaries against commute times, length and cost of certification programs, and whether or not you see yourself working in that field over the long term.
Lastly, make sure you have a clear idea of how long it will take to earn your certification and how much it will cost. If you need to start working right away, you won’t want to choose a certification that will take a year to earn. You may even consider getting an easier certification, like phlebotomy, and working part-time while completing a longer certification program.
Whatever you choose, earning a healthcare certification sets you up for a secure and meaningful career.
