Training courses with no exams - worthwhile or not?

gracie83

I am currently trying to get some qualifications to try to move to being a medical secretary/receptionist. Now I have been researching courses and I have found some which provide a qualification but there are no exams at the end just coursework. These types of courses would be brilliant for me as I work full time and would not have the hours needed to exam studying (there are a lot of words to learn!) but coursework is something I should be able to fit in. My worry is that employers may look down on qualifications without exams. My example is about Medical Terminology which is needed for all medical secretary jobs. There are self learning courses provided by AMSPAR which you study for and then on a set day go to London to sit the exam and you get a city and guilds qualification. Or there is a more expensive option, BSMSA certification in Medical Terminology, which is complete in your own time and no exams. Both are from recognised professional bodies but for me the BSMSA is more likely to be passable due to lack of exams.

I have tried emailing a few HR departments at some NHS hospitals asking for advice but I have heard nothing back.

Would you do courses without exams or would I just be wasting my money?

cr1mson

OK maybe being dense here but surely you get a certificate either way the way it is assessed is irrelevant?

InsideInsurance

Ultimately on my CV I have both exam and non exam based courses listed, no one has ever asked on any of them if exams were involved. Likewise I see many courses on CVs and have no idea if they were exam based or not.

The partial caveat to the above of cause is if you work in an industry you will know some of the key qualifications/ courses (eg Prince2 or the CII offerings). I wouldnt put much more weight on the pass mechanism but if I am looking for an IT project manager I will consider the Prince2 qualified guy higher than someone thats been on QA Project Management - Advanced simply because I know the standards of Prince2 but have no idea about the otherone.

philip1988

Over the 33 years I have spent in FE I have seen similar courses go fromm 100% exam based to 100% course work. Whether or not people agree with this is for another discussion.

I can't comment on medical qualifications, however, I would suggest that before you enrol onto a course you find out which qualifications your industry rate most highly.

jobseeking_help

gracie83 wrote: »

I am currently trying to get some qualifications to try to move to being a medical secretary/receptionist. Now I have been researching courses and I have found some which provide a qualification but there are no exams at the end just coursework. These types of courses would be brilliant for me as I work full time and would not have the hours needed to exam studying (there are a lot of words to learn!) but coursework is something I should be able to fit in. My worry is that employers may look down on qualifications without exams. My example is about Medical Terminology which is needed for all medical secretary jobs. There are self learning courses provided by AMSPAR which you study for and then on a set day go to London to sit the exam and you get a city and guilds qualification. Or there is a more expensive option, BSMSA certification in Medical Terminology, which is complete in your own time and no exams. Both are from recognised professional bodies but for me the BSMSA is more likely to be passable due to lack of exams.

I have tried emailing a few HR departments at some NHS hospitals asking for advice but I have heard nothing back.

Would you do courses without exams or would I just be wasting my money?

Gracie

Very difficult to offer advice without other info. What do the job advertisements require ? Follow what the jobs specify. Otherwise ask employment agencies, recruitment consutants etc - they may be a little more forthcoming.

I am assuming that you do already have secretarial / reception exp. If not then I am concerned that any quals may be money down the drain.

Good luck