Best Medical Assistant Programs Merrillville IN - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Program near Merrillville Indiana

Merrillville IN medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to become a part of the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Merrillville IN, 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 subsequently pick the ideal one? A number of future students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important issues as well. You may choose to look into several online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you must carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that process, we have furnished some questions that you should ask each of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Duties of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Merrillville IN nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Essentially their job is ensure that the Merrillville IN hospitals, clinics and other medical care centers where they work run efficiently. Depending 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 in an office or at the front desk. Some of the many functions of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Supplying basic support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any duty they are authorized to under Indiana law, some prefer 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 Courses

In contrast to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Merrillville IN health care employers choose 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 fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about 1 year to complete, some 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 earn an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges in addition to vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Merrillville IN There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online as well. They are a good choice for individuals who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue to work full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, many online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened as well. But keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can typically be completed in Merrillville IN area health care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your education may be the right choice for you. Between the online lessons and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for those who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in securing a position after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many possible Merrillville IN medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and perhaps 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 exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Merrillville IN medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must choose which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online at home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can start the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many students limit their searches to the colleges that are closest to Merrillville IN with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you should explore when researching programs. To help you with that task, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make certain 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 complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted organizations 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 agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many potential Merrillville IN 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 create their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you must learn 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 of course you will need to choose a program targeting that certification. Second, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course programs with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can elect to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take about two years to finish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, make certain that the colleges you are reviewing offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

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

Is Job Placement Help Supplied? Getting that initial job can be a difficult undertaking 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 Merrillville IN area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indicator of how much personal attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If practical, try to attend a couple of classes before enrolling in a school to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full-time, it’s essential that the program you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Merrillville IN, verify that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will also have to schedule any clinical training or internships that might be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Merrillville Indiana?

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

Merrillville, Indiana

Merrillville /ˈmɛrəlvɪl/ is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is in east-central Lake County, in the Chicago metropolitan area. On January 1, 2015, Merrillville became the most populated town in Indiana, as Fishers in Hamilton County was converted from a town to a city.

According to the 2010 census, Merrillville has a total area of 33.26 square miles (86.14 km2), of which 33.22 square miles (86.04 km2) (or 99.88%) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (or 0.12%) is water.[7]

The Lincoln Highway runs through Merrillville. The original alignment of Lincoln Highway is known as 73rd Avenue (also called Old Lincoln Highway) in Merrillville, while the current Lincoln Highway (US 30) is known as 81st Avenue. State Road 53 (Broadway) and State Road 55 (Taft Street) traverse the town from north to south.

Choose the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Merrillville IN

Merrillville IN medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will provide the appropriate training. Whether you’re goal is to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the appropriate info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, confirm that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Best Medical Assistant Programs. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Merrillville IN.