How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Training School near Tenants Harbor Maine
Now that you have made a decision to join the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Tenants Harbor ME, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues also. You may decide to research some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have provided several questions that you need to ask all 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 offered.
The Job of a Medical Assistant
The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their duty is to make sure that the Tenants Harbor ME clinics, hospitals and other medical care institutions where they work run efficiently. Depending on the type or size of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many duties of a medical assistant include:
- Completing insurance forms and filing claims
- Scheduling and confirming appointments
- Weighing and taking patients vital signs
- Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
- Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
- Giving basic support during examinations and procedures
While medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are qualified to under Maine law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the choices available are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
Medical Assistant Courses
Compared to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, many Tenants Harbor ME health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two options offered for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about 1 year to finish, a few 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 typically 2 year programs offered at community and junior colleges together with trade and vocational schools. They are more extensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a practical element involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.
Online Medical Assistant Classes
There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are an excellent option for those who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good option for students who continue to work full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened also. Just keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can typically be performed in Tenants Harbor ME area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of getting your training may be the ideal choice for you. With the online courses and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.
Certification Options for Medical Assistants
As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for graduates who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in attaining employment after graduation, but it can also help with initial salary negotiations. Many potential Tenants Harbor ME medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and possibly the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered as well, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.
Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges
Before you can start reviewing your medical assistant school options, you need to choose which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can start the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, some prospective students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Tenants Harbor ME with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you must look at when researching programs. To assist you with that process, below are some questions that you should ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.
Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several good reasons to make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure 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 approved organizations for accreditation are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). If your school is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many prospective Tenants Harbor ME employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.
What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must find out which of the certifications the programs you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then of course you will need to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Second, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course schools with lower rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.
Which Programs are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are generally two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can choose to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require approximately two years to accomplish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide the type of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Offered? Many medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Tenants Harbor ME area health care providers. They are an excellent method to get hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also assist students develop relationships within the Tenants Harbor medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.
Is Job Placement Service Provided? Finding that very first job can be a challenging undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Tenants Harbor ME area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.
How Big are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indication of how much individual attention you will get throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a school to experience what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.
Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full-time, it’s important that the program you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Tenants Harbor ME, make sure that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will also need to schedule any internships or clinical training that might be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of illness, work or family emergencies.
Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Tenants Harbor Maine?
If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Tenants Harbor ME area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.
List of lighthouses in Maine
This is a list of all lighthouses in the U.S. state of Maine as identified by the United States Coast Guard.[1] There are fifty-seven active lights in the state, two of which are maintained as private aids; nine are standing but inactive, and three have been destroyed, one of which has been replaced by a skeleton tower. This includes two stations which originally featured twin towers; in both cases both towers survive but only one of each pair is active.
The Portland Head Light, first lit in 1791, is the oldest light in the state and was the first US lighthouse completed after independence from Britain.[2][3] The last lighthouse in the state, the second Whitlocks Mill Light, was first lit in 1910; it is also the most northerly light in the state and therefore on the US Atlantic Coast.[4] The West Quoddy Head Light sits on the easternmost point of the continental United States.[5] The tallest tower is that of Boon Island Light at 137 ft (42 m),[6] though the Seguin Light focal plane, at 180 ft (55 m), is the highest in the state.[2]
Lighthouse preservation in Maine has been facilitated by the Maine Lights Program, which arose in the aftermath of the Rockland-based Island Institute's successful but protracted negotiations to acquire the keeper's house of the Heron Neck Light Station.[7] A program for facilitating transfers was proposed by Peter Ralston of the institute,[8] and legislation was first introduced by George J. Mitchell; a subsequent bill submitted by Olympia Snowe in 1995 met with greater success and was signed into law late in 1996 as part of the coast guard authorization act.[7] Under the program, thirty-six light stations were offered to qualified preservation and historical groups and local governments; applications for transfer were reviewed by a board set up at the state level, headed by Richard I. Rybacki, a retired USCG rear admiral.[7] Four lights were to be transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife; twenty-eight other lights were transferred in the summer of 1998.[7] Prior to this program, some lights in the state had already been sold to individuals following deactivation in the 1930s. The most notable of these is the Tenants Harbor Light, which was purchased by Andrew Wyeth in 1978.[9]
Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant Program Tenants Harbor ME
It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant school that will provide the appropriate training. Whether you’re goal 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 acquire the appropriate info on available programs before making your decision. There are so many schools providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Online Medical Assistant Programs. But regardless 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, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the best program you can subsequently start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Tenants Harbor ME.
More Medical Locations in Maine
Business Results 1 - 10 of 1
3 Reviews 