Best Colleges For Medical Assistant Orland Park IL - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Program near Orland Park Illinois

Orland Park IL medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to become a part of the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Orland Park IL, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the right training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? Most 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 very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues as well. You may decide to research a few online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have included several questions that you need to 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 available.

The Duties of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Orland Park IL nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Primarily their job is to make sure that the Orland Park IL clinics, hospitals and other medical care facilities where they work operate efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with providing direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical practitioners but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Supplying general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants can perform almost any task they are authorized to under Illinois law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and obtain 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 Training Programs

Compared to many other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Orland Park IL health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about one year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to attain an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs available at community and junior colleges as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more expansive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a practical element involving an internship with a local medical facility. 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 Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Orland Park IL There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are an excellent option for students 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 solution for students who continue to work full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Supplemental expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized also. But remember that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be carried out in Orland Park 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 getting your education might be the right choice for you. Between the online courses and the practical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good option for individuals who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in securing employment after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential Orland Park IL medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained 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 sit for the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available as well, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Orland Park IL medical assistant programs Before you can start reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to decide which type of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those decisions have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many prospective students limit their searches to the colleges that are closest to Orland Park IL with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you must explore when assessing programs. To help you with that process, following are some questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many good reasons to ensure that the program you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must complete 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 one of these agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many potential Orland Park IL employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you need to determine which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will want to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Next, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is about 1 year. Or you can choose to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will take approximately two years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are looking at offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Orland Park IL area medical providers. They are a great way to obtain hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students establish relationships within the Orland Park healthcare community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Getting that initial job may be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Orland Park IL area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator 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 furnish greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue working full-time, it’s imperative that the college you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Orland Park IL, make certain that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will also need to schedule all clinical training or internships that might be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Orland Park Illinois?

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

Orland Park, Illinois

25 miles (40 km) southwest of Chicago, Orland Park is close to several interstate highways, with the I-80 east-west coast connector as its southern border. The Metra commuter rail system links it to the Chicago Loop and from there to O'Hare and Midway airports.

According to the 2015 census, Orland Park has a total area of 22.167 square miles (57.41 km2), of which 21.88 square miles (56.67 km2) (or 98.71%) is land and 0.287 square miles (0.74 km2) (or 1.29%) is water.[7]

Communities bordering Orland Park include Homer Glen to the west (in Will County), Orland Hills and Mokena (also in Will County) to the south, Tinley Park to the southeast, Oak Forest to the east, and Palos Park and Palos Heights to the north.

Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Orland Park IL

Orland Park IL medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you must get the appropriate information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training these days that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged organization, such as 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 Best Colleges For Medical Assistant. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the best program you can subsequently begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Orland Park IL.