Medical Assistant Training Alabaster AL - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant School Program near Alabaster Alabama

Alabaster AL medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to join the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Alabaster AL, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the proper training. But just how do you undertake evaluating and comparing schools so that you subsequently pick the right one? Most future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important issues as well. You might want to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you need to finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the colleges you are reviewing. And to assist you with that task, we have provided a few questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Alabaster AL nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their duty is to make sure that the Alabaster AL hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work run efficiently. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with giving direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health professionals but may also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Even though medical assistants can carry out almost any activity they are authorized to under Alabama law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and earn certification. Two of the choices offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Education

Unlike most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Alabaster AL health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally two options offered for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about a year to finish, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs provided at junior and community colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a practical component involving an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Alabaster AL There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are an excellent choice for those who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue to work full-time while earning their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, many online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be minimized also. But bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be performed in Alabaster AL area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to getting your education might be the right choice for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for those who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in attaining a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Many possible Alabaster AL medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered also, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Alabaster AL medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school options, you have to choose which type of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. After those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of potential students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Alabaster AL with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional issues that you need to examine when assessing schools. To assist you with that task, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are several good reasons to confirm that the program you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted organizations for accreditation are the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). If your school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Also, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many potential Alabaster AL employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passing Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to learn which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will want to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Next, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can choose to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require approximately 2 years to finish in a junior college or vocational school. Whatever program you choose to enroll in, make sure that the schools you are looking at offer the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Offered? Numerous medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Alabaster AL area medical providers. They are an excellent means to get hands-on practical training and experience. They can also help students build relationships within the Alabaster health care community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Supplied? Finding that first job can be a daunting undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Alabaster AL area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to attend a few classes before choosing a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s important that the school you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Alabaster AL, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online college, but you will still need to schedule any internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Alabaster Alabama?

If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Alabaster AL area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.

Alabaster, Alabama

Alabaster is a city and southern suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 30,352. According to the 2013 Census Estimates, the city had a population of 31,342. Alabaster is the 16th largest city in Alabama by number of residents.[2]

Alabaster mostly occupies the Cahaba and Opossum Valleys, which are divided by the Pine Ridge that runs north to south. To the east and west, both valleys are flanked by parallel mountain ridges that locally run north to south, but are a part of a larger system of ridges that generally runs north-east to south-west (the tailing ends of the Appalachian foothills). The valleys are drained by small creeks (Buck Creek, Beaverdam Creek) which flow into the Cahaba River.[5]

George L. Scott, Sr., an Alabaster pioneer, owned and operated Alabaster Lime Co. His shipping point was known as “Scott Rock.” Later, housing was built to accommodate some of the employees, and the community acquired its name Alabaster from the "white calcium carbonate mineral." The First Bank of Alabaster opened in 1952, and its president was George L. Scott, Jr., who later became the first mayor of Alabaster. The first attempt in 1952 to incorporate Alabaster failed. In January 1953, the petition was again filed, and on February 23, 1953, Alabaster was officially incorporated with a favorable vote of 79 to 23, and 427 residing inhabitants. In 1955, the Alabaster Water and Gas Board was formed.[6]

Pick the Best Medical Assistant Training Program Alabaster AL

Alabaster AL medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re objective is to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to acquire the appropriate information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of schools offering training these days that you can make a selection based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have covered in this article, make sure that the program you decide on is accredited by a recognized agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Training. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can ultimately start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Alabaster AL.