Certify Medical Assistant Montgomery AL - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Program near Montgomery Alabama

Montgomery AL medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to enter the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Montgomery AL, it’s time to select a college that will provide the right training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently pick the right one? Many potential students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important issues also. You may want to look into several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are assessing. And to assist you with that process, we have provided some questions that you need to ask each of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are available.

The Role of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Montgomery AL nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their function is to make sure that the Montgomery AL hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work operate efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many functions of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Providing basic support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any task they are authorized to under Alabama law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and earn certification. Two of the options 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 Training Programs

In contrast to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Montgomery AL health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 options provided for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about 1 year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a clinical component involving an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Montgomery AL There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are an excellent alternative for students who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good option for students who continue working full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, some online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be minimized as well. But keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be completed in Montgomery AL area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your training might be the ideal choice for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good choice for individuals who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in attaining employment after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Montgomery AL medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available also, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Montgomery AL medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school options, you must determine which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online at home. Once those selections have been made, you can start the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many potential students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Montgomery AL with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional issues that you need to examine when researching programs. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to ensure that the school you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 either of these organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many prospective Montgomery AL employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you must determine which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then of course you will need to choose a program targeting that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can decide to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require about two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, verify that the schools you are reviewing provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Montgomery AL area medical providers. They are an excellent method to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also assist students develop relationships within the Montgomery health care community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Offered? Getting that first job can be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Montgomery AL area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much personal instruction you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If practical, try to monitor a few classes before choosing a school to observe what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full time, it’s imperative that the program you choose offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Montgomery AL, confirm that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will still have to schedule any internships or practical training that may be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Montgomery Alabama?

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

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County.[6] Named for Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf is Mexico. In the 2010 Census, Montgomery's population was 205,764. It is the second most populous city in Alabama, after Birmingham,[7] and is the 118th most populous in the United States. The Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area's population in 2010 was estimated at 374,536; it is the fourth largest in the state and 136th among United States metropolitan areas.[8]

The city was incorporated in 1819 as a merger of two towns situated along the Alabama River. It became the state capital in 1846, representing the shift of power to the south-central area of Alabama with the growth of cotton as a commodity crop of the Black Belt and the rise of Mobile as a mercantile port on the Gulf Coast. In February 1861, Montgomery was chosen the first capital of the Confederate States of America, which it remained until the Confederate seat of government moved to Richmond, Virginia, in May of that year. In the middle of the 20th century, Montgomery was a major center of events and protests in the Civil Rights Movement,[9] including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Selma to Montgomery marches.

In addition to housing many Alabama government agencies, Montgomery has a large military presence, due to Maxwell Air Force Base; public universities Alabama State University, Troy University (Montgomery campus), and Auburn University at Montgomery; two private post-secondary institutions, Faulkner University and Huntingdon College; high-tech manufacturing, including Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama;[10] and many cultural attractions, such as the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.

Choose the Best Medical Assistant School Montgomery AL

Montgomery AL medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will furnish the right training. Whether you’re objective is to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you must get the right information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are so many schools providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, confirm that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Certify Medical Assistant. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can subsequently begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Montgomery AL.