Need a plan to get an Associates fast and cheap

[smartiepants35]

Hi! I've been reading the threads on DF for about a year or so and I think I'm finally ready to get some advice about a degree. I haven't really seen any threads about the field I'm in though. I'm a Medical Coder and trying to advance in my career. I need at least an associates to sit for the RHIT cert. So I was thinking about Pierpont HIT AAS but I don't know if I can get credits through other sources ( like Sophia or study.com) or if I can get through it quickly and cheaply just like the Pierpont BOG. If so, then that's the route I'd like to take, but If not, then I was thinking to try to do the Pierpont BOG and then maybe transfer those credits to Purdue BS HIM. 

Whatever degree program I get into needs to be CAHIIM accredited and those were the only 2 I could find.

I'm new to this so I have no idea what to do or really where to start without wasting money and time. 
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!!


Your Location: NC, US

Your Age:35

What kind of degree do you want?: Pierpont HIT AAS or Pierpont BOG to Purdue BS Health information MGMT

Current Regional Accredited Credits:0

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:0



Any certifications or military experience? AAPC CPC and CRC Certifications

[b]Budget:  I'd like to go the cheapest route possible, but will consider spending more for easy and fast.  
[/b]

Commitments: kids/spouse. I currently work full time and can work on my studies part time or in the evenings/weekends.



Dedicated time to study: I can study as much as is needed during the night or weekends as long as my schedule is free. I can give about an extra 30 hours a week to study


Timeline: Finishing the courses required for the degree as fast as possible would be ideal.  I would like to finish within 1 or 1.5 yr. (I've seen some threads where some have finished the Pierpont BOG in 6 months and that possibility motivates me)

[b]Tuition assistance/reimbursement: My job offers tuition [/b]

[rachel83az]

The BOG AAS is the only quick/cheap Associate degree offered by Pierpont. Other Associate degrees have very different rules at Pierpont. If the Pierpont BOG AAS will allow you to sit for the RHIT certificate, I'd go for that. You'll want to double-check on the rules. For instance, they might require a certain number of graded credits or credits from an RA institution in the same way that CPA exam requirements in some states are more challenging than in other states.

The Pierpont BOG degree can be finished in just a couple of months; it's waiting for graduation that usually takes the most time. That is, students usually finish Sophia classes in maybe 2 or 3 months, then have to wait 3-4 months for the next graduation date.

If even the Associate degree needs to be CAHIIM accredited in order to sit the exam, I would skip the Associate entirely and just go to a Bachelor's degree. It'll be cheaper and likely faster in the long run.

WGU is CAHIIM accredited and should take 6-12 months if you do maximum transfer: https://www.wgu.edu/online-nursing-healt...ogram.html Probably 12 months. Maybe 18 months, but hopefully not. While we don't currently have a plan for this on the wiki, we can help work out what you'd need to complete this degree as quickly as possible.

[bjcheung77]

@smartiepants35, Welcome to the board, you've completed the addendum and template, seems like you're just starting the journey and need that extra ego boost!  I suggest you work towards the WGU degree mentioned by Rachel83AZ as that was what I was going to recommend you as well...

Having said that, since you're going to be taking as many transfer credits as possible, I would throw those credits into the Pierpont BOG AAS as well.  You'll end up with a freebie BOG AAS with an emphasis of your choice and you get those credits transferred to the WGU program, see below.  

Create a spreadsheet of the requirements and the courses that can be transferred in (a max of 90 credits) using the main providers we recommend (create a link to your google/one drive and make it viewable, not editable, link us to it and we can advise or comment), such as Sophia.org first and then Study.com, here's the WGU Partners Link: https://partners.wgu.edu/home

[smartiepants35]

The BOG AAS is the only quick/cheap Associate degree offered by Pierpont. Other Associate degrees have very different rules at Pierpont. If the Pierpont BOG AAS will allow you to sit for the RHIT certificate, I'd go for that. You'll want to double-check on the rules. For instance, they might require a certain number of graded credits or credits from an RA institution in the same way that CPA exam requirements in some states are more challenging than in other states.

The Pierpont BOG degree can be finished in just a couple of months; it's waiting for graduation that usually takes the most time. That is, students usually finish Sophia classes in maybe 2 or 3 months, then have to wait 3-4 months for the next graduation date.

If even the Associate degree needs to be CAHIIM accredited in order to sit the exam, I would skip the Associate entirely and just go to a Bachelor's degree. It'll be cheaper and likely faster in the long run.

WGU is CAHIIM accredited and should take 6-12 months if you do maximum transfer: https://www.wgu.edu/online-nursing-healt...ogram.html Probably 12 months. Maybe 18 months, but hopefully not. While we don't currently have a plan for this on the wiki, we can help work out what you'd need to complete this degree as quickly as possible.

Thank you for the speedy reply! Okay I checked out the WGU program and I'm interested in finding out how can I do a maximum transfer to WGU?

[rachel83az]

Your first stop should be https://partners.wgu.edu/home as bjcheung77 mentioned.

Starting with Sophia, you can fill out most of the gen eds for this degree: https://partners.wgu.edu/transfer-pathwa...=BSHIM7111 I'm not completely sure why Sophia's US Government doesn't fill the politics & US Constitution requirement, but it is what it is. That gives 31 credits/competency units.

Study.com can fill in that Politics & US Constitution requirement plus Organizational Leadership, Medical Terminology, and Pathophysiology. https://partners.wgu.edu/transfer-pathwa...=BSHIM4426 Total is now at 43 CUs.

Straighterline adds Pharmacology: https://partners.wgu.edu/transfer-pathwa...=BSHIM1855 (could also do Medical Terminology here, but it may be cheaper at SDC)

WGU Academy: nothing useful.

Ditto Saylor Academy.

But, if my understanding of WGU is correct (and it may be wrong), it's possible that a Pierpont BOG AAS with an Area of Emphasis in Information Systems will also satisfy "Introduction to IT Healthcare Systems". https://partners.wgu.edu/general-transfer-guidelines

That brings your total CUs to 46 or 49 out of 122. It doesn't appear possible to get to the maximum limit of 90 with this degree.

I would definitely not bother to try to get a CAHIIM accredited AAS to boost those numbers. It'll almost certainly cost you more time/money than the extra term or two it might take to satisfy the missing courses at WGU.

[smartiepants35]

@smartiepants35, Welcome to the board, you've completed the addendum and template, seems like you're just starting the journey and need that extra ego boost!  I suggest you work towards the WGU degree mentioned by Rachel83AZ as that was what I was going to recommend you as well...

Having said that, since you're going to be taking as many transfer credits as possible, I would throw those credits into the Pierpont BOG AAS as well.  You'll end up with a freebie BOG AAS with an emphasis of your choice and you get those credits transferred to the WGU program, see below.  

Create a spreadsheet of the requirements and the courses that can be transferred in (a max of 90 credits) using the main providers we recommend (create a link to your google/one drive and make it viewable, not editable, link us to it and we can advise or comment), such as Sophia.org first and then Study.com, here's the WGU Partners Link: https://partners.wgu.edu/home

Hi and Thank you! Yeah I think I'll need help with the spreadsheet so I'll definitely link it for help along the way. So would I need to set up a spreadsheet for Pierpont and WGU?

---

Your first stop should be https://partners.wgu.edu/home as bjcheung77 mentioned.

Starting with Sophia, you can fill out most of the gen eds for this degree: https://partners.wgu.edu/transfer-pathwa...=BSHIM7111 I'm not completely sure why Sophia's US Government doesn't fill the politics & US Constitution requirement, but it is what it is. That gives 31 credits/competency units.

Study.com can fill in that Politics & US Constitution requirement plus Organizational Leadership, Medical Terminology, and Pathophysiology. https://partners.wgu.edu/transfer-pathwa...=BSHIM4426 Total is now at 43 CUs.

Straighterline adds Pharmacology: https://partners.wgu.edu/transfer-pathwa...=BSHIM1855 (could also do Medical Terminology here, but it may be cheaper at SDC)

WGU Academy: nothing useful.

Ditto Saylor Academy.

But, if my understanding of WGU is correct (and it may be wrong), it's possible that a Pierpont BOG AAS with an Area of Emphasis in Information Systems will also satisfy "Introduction to IT Healthcare Systems". https://partners.wgu.edu/general-transfe...or-dynamic

That brings your total CUs to 46 or 49 out of 122. It doesn't appear possible to get to the maximum limit of 90 with this degree.

I would definitely not bother to try to get a CAHIIM accredited AAS to boost those numbers. It'll almost certainly cost you more time/money than the extra term or two it might take to satisfy the missing courses at WGU.

I wonder if my coding certifications could count as credit for the medical coding portion of the degree. I'll reach out and see. if there's anything else you guys can think of, please let me know. 

Thank you both for your help!

[rachel83az]

Per the WGU page that I (incorrectly) linked before, Intro to Medical Coding can be satisfied by:

One course, equivalent to 3 units, in medical coding. Covering inpatient and outpatient, taken in the last 5 years or one of the following Certifications: AHIMA, CCS AHIMA RHIT, AAPC CPC, AAPC COC, or AAPC CIC.

Classification Systems is similar:

A second, sequential coding/classification course, equivalent to 4 units, taken in the last 5 years or one of the following Certifications: AHIMA, CCS AHIMA RHIT, AAPC CPC, AAPC COC, or AAPC CIC.

(WGU recently-ish changed their Partner section and it's a bit of a nightmare to navigate/link now.)

So you should have a further 7 CUs covered there. So, between that, Sophia, and the Pierpont BOG AAS, you ought to have almost half the degree done soon!

For the Information Systems Area of Emphasis, sign up for TADA immediately (enrollment ends Oct. 1st) and complete the Google IT Support Professional certificate. https://theamericandreamacademy.org/#getstarted That'll get you the 15 credits you need for the AoE and, hopefully, satisfy the WGU requirements as well.

[LevelUP]

Timeline: Finishing the courses required for the degree as fast as possible would be ideal.  I would like to finish within 1 or 1.5 yr. (I've seen some threads where some have finished the Pierpont BOG in 6 months and that possibility motivates me)

Through Sophia, You can gather the credits needed for the Pierpont BOG in just 2-3 months.  However, you will have to wait before your actual degree is issued.

I would plan to take courses that would fit the Pierpont BOG degree and the general ed of WGU/UMPI or whatever college you may be considering attending after your Pierpont BOG degree.

[bjcheung77]

That's right, I would work on the Pierpont BOG AAS starting with the Freebie Coursera/TADA ACE options, you need to sign up ASAP as it ends OCT 1. You can sign up for Coursera/TADA and do the $25 ASU 1 credit course first, then all the Coursera/TADA ACE options you want to take, complete Sophia.org credits towards the Pierpont BOG AAS, take extra courses that are required/transferable to WGU/UMPI. Here's an example thread you should follow, my answers/steps are within the thread: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ABA-or-BAS

[smartiepants35]

I have a question regarding the ASU credit course....How do I receive the credit? Like is there something I need to do like I had to get credly to get the google IT cert credit?