How Long Does It Take To Become A Medical Assistant Litchfield Park AZ

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Program near Litchfield Park Arizona

Litchfield Park AZ medical assistant checking pulseNow that you have decided to become a part of the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Litchfield Park AZ, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the ideal one? A number of prospective students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors also. You might decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The main point is that before you select a program you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have included a few 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 credentials and training that are available.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Litchfield Park AZ nursing home patientThe role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their function is to make sure that the Litchfield Park AZ clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions 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 tasked with providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners but may also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the potential responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

  • Completing insurance forms and filing claims
  • Setting and verifying appointments
  • Taking vital signs and weighing patients
  • Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
  • Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
  • Supplying basic support during exams and procedures

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

Medical Assistant Training Courses

Unlike many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Litchfield Park AZ health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 choices offered for a formal education. The first and shortest way 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 basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs available at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a clinical element involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Litchfield Park AZThere are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are a good choice for individuals who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good option for students who continue working full-time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, a number of online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Ancillary expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be reduced also. But bear in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be completed in Litchfield Park AZ area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this method of getting your training may be the best choice for you. Between the online courses and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent choice for those who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in attaining a position after graduation, but it might also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. A number of possible Litchfield Park AZ medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Litchfield Park AZ medical assistant programsPrior to reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to choose which type of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, some students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Litchfield Park AZ with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you must explore when researching programs. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many great reasons to confirm that the program you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted agencies for accreditation are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). If your program is not accredited by one of these agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Litchfield Park AZ employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to learn which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Second, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the means to help evaluate the quality of a college’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 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, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can decide to acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take approximately 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, confirm that the schools you are considering provide the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? Numerous medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Litchfield Park AZ area medical care providers. They are a great way to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students build relationships within the Litchfield Park healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Provided? Finding that initial job may 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 Litchfield Park AZ area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much personal attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a school to witness what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the college you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Litchfield Park AZ, make certain that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will also need to schedule any internships or practical training that will be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Litchfield Park Arizona?

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

Litchfield Park, Arizona

Litchfield Park is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is twenty miles northwest of Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census, the population of the city was estimated to be 6,009 as of 2017.[2]

The town of Litchfield Park is a historically affluent community outside of Phoenix named after its founder, Paul Weeks Litchfield (1875–1959). He was an executive of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company who came to the Phoenix area in 1916 in search of suitable land to farm a long-staple cotton that had previously been available only from the Sea Islands off the coast of Georgia and from Egypt. This cotton was needed to strengthen the rubber in the pneumatic tire, of which Goodyear was the world's largest producer. The east coast cotton supply had been devastated by the boll weevil and the African supply had been greatly reduced by World War I attacks from German U-boats. Litchfield went to the Phoenix area at the suggestion of the United States Department of Agriculture, but he was not successful in motivating local farmers to grow his cotton. Instead he got Goodyear to form the Southwest Cotton Company in Phoenix, with Litchfield as its president, eventually purchasing some 36,000 acres in the general Salt River Valley area including 5,000 acres around the present site of Litchfield Park, then known as Litchfield Ranch. Much of the land was bought for as little as $25 per acre. The cotton was cultivated with a workforce of mostly Mexican and Native American men. The U.S. Postal Service agreed to the name "Litchfield Park" in 1926. In 1929, the Wigwam Resort was opened to the public. In 1926, Litchfield went on to become the president of the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation,[4] and then Chairman of the Board in 1930. He retired from the company in 1958, and spent the final months of his life as a resident of Litchfield Park at his home on Fairway Drive.[5]

In 1964, Goodyear created Litchfield Park Land and Development Co. to expand Litchfield Park into a 90,000 resident community.[6][7]Arden E. Goodyear was the head of the company, Patrick Cusick was vice president and general manager, and Victor Gruen was hired to design some of the buildings. Emanuel Cartsonis, who had worked with Cusick became city planner. The plan called for 25,000 homes, a college, a junior college, eighteen elementary schools, ten junior high schools, and six high schools, as well as improvements to the town's golf course and harness track at an expense of at least 750 million dollars.[8] Goodyear made many mistakes during development, including selling properties right up to the curb line, which means that the city must get permission from property owners before they can put in a sidewalk. They abandoned their plans for expanding Litchfield Park before they were completed and sold whatever land they could.[9]

Choose the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Litchfield Park AZ

Litchfield Park AZ medical assistant studentIt’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Whether you’re planning to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to acquire the appropriate information on available programs before making your decision. There are so many schools offering training these days that you can make a decision based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, verify that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in How Long Does It Take To Become A Medical Assistant. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the best program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Litchfield Park AZ.

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