Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 10:05 am

The Messenger 03.10.10
The University of Tennessee at Martin and Jackson State Community College have partnered to offer a variety of health care professional training programs.
Available to both working adults interested in a new career and current health care professionals, these programs will help students prepare for the numerous jobs available to health care staff and professionals.
The programs will be offered on the Jackson State campus in Jackson. Advance registration is required.
The EKG Technician Certification Program will be offered from 6-9:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays from March 22-May 10. The registration fee is $999, with textbooks included.
This comprehensive 50-hour program prepares students to function as EKG technicians and to take the American Society of Phlebotomy Technician-Electrocardiograph Tech-nician exam and other national certification exams. The course will include important practice and background information on anatomy of the heart and physiology, medical disease processes, medical terminology, medical ethics, legal aspects of patient contact, laboratory assisting, electrocardiography and echocardiography.
Students will also practice with equipment and perform hands-on labs including introduction to the function and proper use of the EKG machine, the normal anatomy of the chest wall for proper lead placement, 12-lead placement and other clinical practices.
The Phlebotomy Tech-nician Program will be offered from 6-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 16-June 15. The registration fee is $1,599, with textbooks included.
This 90-hour program prepares professionals to collect blood specimens from clients for the purpose of laboratory analysis.  Students will become familiar with all aspects related to blood collection and develop comprehensive skills to perform venipunctures completely and safely. Classroom and lab work includes terminology, anatomy and physiology, blood collection procedures, specimen hands-on practice and training in skills and techniques to perform puncture methods. There is no outside externship rotation included with this program.
The Medical Billing and Coding Program will be offered from 6-9:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays from March 22-June 2. The registration fee is $1,499, including textbooks.
This combined 70-hour billing and coding course offers the skills needed to solve insurance billing problems, how to manually file claims, complete common insurance forms, trace delinquent claims, appeal denied claims and use generic forms to streamline billing procedures. The course covers the following areas: Current Procedural Terminology (introduction, guidelines, evaluation and management), specialty fields (such as surgery, radiology and laboratory), ICD-9 (introduction and guidelines) and basic claims processes for medical insurance and third party reimbursements. Students will learn how to find the service and codes using manuals. After obtaining the suggested practical work experience (six months to two years), students who complete this course could be qualified to sit for the American Academy of Professional Coders Certified Professional Coder Exam, the American Health Information Management Association Certified Cod-ing Associate exam or other national certifications.
The Pharmacy Technician Program will be offered from 6-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 23-May 11. The registration fee is $999, with textbooks and lab supplies included.
The comprehensive 50-hour course will prepare students to enter the pharmacy field and to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s exam. Technicians work in hospitals, home infusion pharmacies, community pharmacies and other health care settings while working under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. Course content includes medical terminology specific to the pharmacy, reading and interpreting prescriptions and defining drugs by generic and brand names. Students will learn dosage calculations, intravenous flow rates, drug compounding, dose conversions, dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control and billing and reimbursement.
To register, call the UT Martin Office of Extended Campus and Online Studies (ECOS) at (731) 881-7081.