Medical Assistant Description Brighton IL

How to Select a Medical Assistant Training Program near Brighton Illinois

Brighton IL medical assistant checking pulseNow that you have decided to enter the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Brighton IL, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the best one? Most prospective students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues also. You may decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are examining. And to help you with that process, we have included a few 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 kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Duties of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Brighton IL nursing home patientThe duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their function is to make sure that the Brighton IL hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities 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 practices both. They are responsible for providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

  • Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
  • Setting and confirming appointments
  • Weighing and taking patients vital signs
  • Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
  • Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
  • Providing basic support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants may carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Illinois law, some prefer 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

In contrast to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Brighton IL health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 choices available for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs normally take about one year to finish, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals 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 junior and community colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They frequently have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Brighton ILThere are many accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are a good option for students who might not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good option for students who continue to work full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, many online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on campus options. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be minimized as well. Just keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be carried out in Brighton IL area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your education may be the right option for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to attain 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 an excellent idea for those who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a job after graduation, but it can also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of potential Brighton IL medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. 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 sit for the CMA examination, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Brighton IL medical assistant programsBefore you can start examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to choose which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, some potential students confine their searches to the colleges that are closest to Brighton IL with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you need to examine when researching schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to confirm that the college you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to enroll in 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 school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Brighton IL 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 prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you need to find out which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Next, find out what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the means to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can choose to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require approximately two years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are looking at offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Brighton IL area medical care providers. They are an excellent means to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also assist students develop relationships within the Brighton medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Assistance Supplied? Finding that initial job may be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Brighton IL 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 an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to sit in on a few classes before enrolling in a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s important that the college you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Brighton IL, make sure that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will still need to schedule any internships or clinical training that may be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Brighton Illinois?

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

Brighton, Illinois

Brighton is a village located mostly in Macoupin County and partially in Jersey County, Illinois. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the village had a total population of 2,254. The village's current mayor is Michael Roberts.

According to the 2010 census, Brighton has a total area of 1.909 square miles (4.94 km2), of which 1.87 square miles (4.84 km2) (or 97.96%) is land and 0.039 square miles (0.10 km2) (or 2.04%) is water.[4]

Brighton is a small community that dates back to the early 19th century, when settlers began the transformation of the Illinois prairie into productive farmland. The village was named after Brighton, Massachusetts. A post office was opened in 1837, and the village was incorporated in 1869.[5] Brighton is also noted for its five star historic museum.

Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Brighton IL

Brighton IL medical assistant studentIt’s important to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re planning to launch 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 before making your selection. There are so many schools offering training these days that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, make certain that the program you decide on is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example 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 Medical Assistant Description. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the best program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Brighton IL.

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