Certified Medical Assistant Program Luke Afb AZ - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Training School near Luke Afb Arizona

Luke Afb AZ medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Luke Afb AZ, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you undertake evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then gravitate toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors also. You might decide to research several online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have furnished some questions that you should ask each of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Luke Afb AZ nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Basically their job is to make sure that the Luke Afb AZ clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities where they work run successfully. 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 responsible for providing direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the potential responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Providing basic support during exams and procedures

While medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are authorized to under Arizona law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the options 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 Programs

Unlike most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Luke Afb AZ health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about a year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often have a clinical element involving an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Luke Afb AZ There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are an excellent alternative for students who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue working full time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be lessened as well. But keep in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be completed in Luke Afb 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 education may be the best option for you. With the online courses and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for individuals who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. Many potential Luke Afb AZ medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. 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 exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available also, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Luke Afb AZ medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to determine which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. After those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, some prospective students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Luke Afb AZ with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you should examine when researching programs. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several good reasons to make certain that the college you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved agencies 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 agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Luke Afb AZ employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must determine which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will need to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course programs with low rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can opt to obtain an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take about 2 years to finish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to enroll in, verify that the colleges you are looking at provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Offered? Many medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Luke Afb AZ area medical care providers. They are an excellent way to get hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students build relationships within the Luke Afb healthcare community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Furnished? Finding that very first job can be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Luke Afb AZ area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual attention you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to sit in on a few classes before choosing a program to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full-time, it’s imperative that the program you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Luke Afb AZ, make sure that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will still have to schedule all clinical training or internships that will be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Luke Afb Arizona?

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

Luke Air Force Base

Luke Air Force Base (IATA: LUF, ICAO: KLUF, FAA LID: LUF) is a United States Air Force base located 7 miles (6.1 nmi; 11 km) west of the central business district of Glendale, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States.[2] It is about 15 miles (13 nmi; 24 km) west of Phoenix, Arizona.

Luke AFB is a major training base of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), training pilots in the F-16 Fighting Falcon. On 31 March 2011 it was announced that the F-35 Lightning II would replace the F-16 as the primary training aircraft at Luke, although the date of deployment of the new aircraft to Luke and reorganization plans were not announced. On 16 July 2013, the Air Force announced that Luke AFB will house a total of 144 F-35A Lightning IIs.[3]

Luke Air Force Base is an active-duty F-16 Fighting Falcon training base with 170 F-16s assigned. The host command at Luke is the 56th Fighter Wing (56 FW), under Air Education and Training Command's 19th Air Force.

Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Program Luke Afb AZ

Luke Afb AZ medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re objective is to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to 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 on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make sure that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Certified Medical Assistant Program. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided 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 Luke Afb AZ.