Medical Assistant Education Fayetteville GA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training School near Fayetteville Georgia

Fayetteville GA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to join the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Fayetteville GA, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? Many potential students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean 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 issues also. You might want to look into some online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that task, we have provided some questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the function of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Function of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Fayetteville GA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their duty is to make sure that the Fayetteville GA clinics, hospitals and other medical care institutions where they work run successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical practitioners but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Providing basic support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can carry out almost any task they are qualified to under Georgia 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 many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Fayetteville GA health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two options provided for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about a year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are created 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 usually 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges together with trade and vocational 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 component involving an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Fayetteville GA There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are an excellent option for individuals who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized as well. But bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be completed in Fayetteville GA area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your education might be the best option for you. Between the online lessons and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for individuals who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining a job after graduation, but it may also enhance initial salary negotiations. Some potential Fayetteville GA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Fayetteville GA medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school options, you have to choose which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. After 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 prospective students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Fayetteville GA with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you should examine when evaluating programs. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are many good reasons to make certain that the program you choose is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 program is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many potential Fayetteville GA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the 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 need to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Next, find out 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 evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Programs are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in 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 about 1 year. Or you can choose to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take approximately two years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to pursue, confirm that the schools you are reviewing provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Numerous medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Fayetteville GA area medical care providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also help students establish relationships within the Fayetteville health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Landing that first job may be a challenging undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Fayetteville GA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies 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 personal attention you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a school to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full-time, it’s imperative that the program you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Fayetteville GA, verify that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will still have to schedule all internships or practical training that will be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Fayetteville Georgia?

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

Fayetteville, Georgia

Fayetteville is a city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,945,[4] up from 11,148 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Fayette County.[5] Fayetteville is located 22 miles (35 km) south of downtown Atlanta.[6]

In 2015 the small majority-white city elected its first African-American mayor, Edward Johnson, a retired US navy commander and pastor. In 2011 he was elected as the first black city council member. He was a three-term president of the NAACP.[7][8]

Fayetteville was founded in 1822 as the seat of the newly formed Fayette County, organized by European Americans from territory ceded by force the Creek people under a treaty with the United States during the early period of Indian removal from the Southeast. Both city and county were named in honor of the Revolutionary War hero the French Marquis de Lafayette. Fayetteville was incorporated as a town in 1823 and as a city in 1909.[9]

Choose the Best Medical Assistant Training Program Fayetteville GA

Fayetteville GA medical assistant student It’s imperative 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 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 get the right information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training these days that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you select is accredited by a recognized agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Education. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Fayetteville GA.