Medical Assistant Education Requirements Lafayette IN - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant School Program near Lafayette Indiana

Lafayette IN medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to join the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Lafayette IN, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the proper training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the best one? A number of prospective students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues also. You might choose to research a few online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The main point is that before you select a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are assessing. And to help you with that task, we have included a few questions that you should ask each of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Lafayette IN nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their role is to make sure that the Lafayette IN hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health practitioners but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. A few of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Providing basic support during examinations and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any activity they are authorized to under Indiana law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the options 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 Training Courses

Compared to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Lafayette IN health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two options offered for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about one year to complete, a few as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more expansive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a clinical element involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Lafayette IN There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are an excellent option for those who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good option for students who continue working full time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, a number of online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened also. But bear in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be completed in Lafayette IN area healthcare 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 might be the right choice for you. Between the online lessons and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for graduates who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in attaining a job after graduation, but it may also enhance initial salary negotiations. A number of potential Lafayette IN medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained 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). To qualify to take the CMA exam, an applicant must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Lafayette IN medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to decide which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. Once those decisions have been made, you can begin the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of potential students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Lafayette IN with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you should examine when researching programs. To help you with that task, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to make sure that the college you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you need to 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 school is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Lafayette IN employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must find out which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will want to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Second, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course programs with low rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Offered? 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, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can decide to obtain an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or vocational school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, make sure that the colleges you are reviewing provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Offered? Many medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Lafayette IN area health care providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students establish relationships within the Lafayette health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Supplied? Finding that initial job may be a difficult undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Lafayette IN area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also indicates that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator of how much personal attention you will get throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a couple of classes before enrolling in a program to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s essential that the program you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Lafayette IN, make sure that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will also have to schedule any internships or practical training that may be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Lafayette Indiana?

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

Lafayette

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant School Lafayette IN

Lafayette IN medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will provide the right training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the right information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of schools offering training these days that you can make a decision based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Education Requirements. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Lafayette IN.