Medical Assistant Technician Tampa FL - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Training School near Tampa Florida

Tampa FL medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to become a part of the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Tampa FL, it’s time to select a college that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? A number of potential students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate 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 might choose to research a few online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you must complete your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the schools you are assessing. And to assist you with that task, we have provided several questions that you need to ask all of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Tampa FL nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Primarily their duty is to make sure that the Tampa FL hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions where they work run efficiently. Based on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the many responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

While medical assistants can perform almost any duty they are qualified to under Florida 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) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Courses

Unlike most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, a number of Tampa FL 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 route to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about one year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges in addition to technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a practical element involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are commonly 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 Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Tampa FL There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online as well. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who might not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue working full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, some online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be reduced as well. Just bear in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be completed in Tampa FL area health care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this method of getting your education may be the best choice for you. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for graduates who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in obtaining employment after graduation, but it might also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential Tampa FL medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. Among the most popular and possibly the most highly regarded 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 be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Tampa FL medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you must choose which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. After those decisions have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of prospective students restrict their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Tampa FL with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you must look at when assessing programs. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are many good reasons to confirm that the program you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the education 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 Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). If your program 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 assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective Tampa FL employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must learn which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will want to choose a program focused on that certification. Second, 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 assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Programs are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to one year. Or you can elect to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, make certain that the colleges you are reviewing offer the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Tampa FL area health care providers. They are a great way to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also help students establish relationships within the Tampa healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Provided? Finding that first job may be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Tampa FL area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indicator of how much personal instruction you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to sit in on a few classes before choosing a school to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue working full-time, it’s imperative that the college you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Tampa FL, make certain that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will also have to schedule any internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, ask 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 Tampa Florida?

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

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a major city in, and the county seat of, Hillsborough County, Florida, United States.[11] It is on the west coast of Florida on Tampa Bay, near the Gulf of Mexico, and is the largest city in the Tampa Bay Area. The city had a population of 335,709 at the 2010 census,[5] and an estimated population of 377,165 in 2016.[12]

Archaeological evidence indicates the shores of Tampa Bay were inhabited by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The Safety Harbor culture developed in the area around the year 1000 AD, and the descendant Tocobaga and Pohoy chiefdoms were living in or near the current city limits of Tampa when the area was first visited by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. Interactions between native peoples and the Spanish were brief and often violent, and although the newcomers did not stay for long, they introduced European diseases which brought the collapse of native societies across the Florida peninsula over the ensuing decades. Although Spain claimed all of Florida and beyond as part of New Spain, it did not found a colony on the west coast. After the disappearance of the indigenous populations, there were no permanent settlements in the Tampa Bay area until after the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821.

In 1824, the United States Army established a frontier outpost called Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, near the site of today's Tampa Convention Center downtown. The first civilian residents were pioneer ranchers and farmers who settled near the fort for protection from the nearby Seminole population. The town grew slowly, and had become a minor shipping port for cattle and citrus by the time of the United States Civil War. Tampa Bay was blockaded by the United States Navy during the war, and Tampa fell into a long period of economic stagnation that continued long after the war ended. The situation finally improved in the 1880s, when the first railroad links, the discovery of phosphate, and the arrival of the cigar industry jump-started its development, helping Tampa to grow from an isolated village with less than 800 residents in 1880 to a bustling city of over 30,000 by the early 1900s.

Choose the Best Medical Assistant Course Tampa FL

Tampa FL medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant school that will furnish the right training. Whether you’re planning to launch a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must acquire the appropriate info on available programs before making your selection. There are so many schools providing training these days that you can make a decision based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Technician. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the right program you can ultimately start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Tampa FL.