Become A Certified Medical Assistant Fast Shelbyville KY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant School near Shelbyville Kentucky

Shelbyville KY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to join the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Shelbyville KY, it’s time to select a college that will provide the right training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately pick the right one? Many prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues also. You may choose to look into some online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that task, we have provided some questions that you should ask each of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Duties of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Shelbyville KY nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Basically their job is to make sure that the Shelbyville KY hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but may also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving general support during exams and procedures

While medical assistants may perform almost any task they are qualified to under Kentucky law, some opt to specialize in a specific 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

Unlike many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Shelbyville KY health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest 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 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Shelbyville KY There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online too. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue working full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be minimized as well. But remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be performed in Shelbyville KY area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this method of receiving your education may be the best choice for you. With the online lessons and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for graduates who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining employment after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of potential Shelbyville KY medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. 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). To qualify to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered also, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Shelbyville KY medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must determine which type of credential you want 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 procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many potential students confine their searches to the colleges that are closest to Shelbyville KY with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you need to examine when assessing schools. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are many great reasons to confirm that the college you choose is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become 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 one of these agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Also, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective Shelbyville KY employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you must learn which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then of course you will want to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, find out what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the means to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Of course schools with low rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and get 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 elect to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will take approximately two years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are considering offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? A large number of medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Shelbyville KY area medical providers. They are an excellent means to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students develop relationships within the Shelbyville healthcare community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Supplied? Finding that very first job can be a challenging undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Shelbyville KY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size might be an indication of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to sit in on a few classes before choosing a school to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the program you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Shelbyville KY, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will still need to schedule any clinical training or internships that will be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Shelbyville Kentucky?

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

Shelbyville, Kentucky

The town of Shelbyville was established in October 1792 at the first meeting of the Shelby County Court after local landowner William Shannon agreed to lay off 50 acres (20 ha) of his property for the community and provide 1 acre free for public buildings.[9] The grant ensured that Shelbyville rather than nearby Squire Boone's Station would become the seat of Shelby County.[4] The agricultural town was located on the west bank of Clear Creek at its confluence with Mulberry Creek and near a route between Louisville and Frankfort. The town required new residents to construct a 1½-story log cabin with a stone chimney; by 1795, there were forty of these and, by 1800, there were 262 residents. New lots were platted in 1803, 1815, and 1816.[9]

The Shelbyville Academy was established in 1798 at Eighth and Washington; it became Shelby College and moved to College Street in 1836,[9] affiliated with the Episcopal Church in 1841,[10] changed its name to St. James College after the Civil War, and closed in 1871, replaced by a public elementary school. Science Hill Female Academy was established in 1825 on Washington Street; it functioned as a college preparatory school for young women throughout the South prior to closing in 1939 at the end of the Great Depression. The Shelbyville Female Seminary was established in 1839 and moved to its longtime residence at Seventh and Main in 1846; it became the Shelbyville Female Institute in 1849, the Presbyterian Stuart's Female College in 1851, the Shelbyville Female College in 1868, and the Baptist Shelbyville College from 1890 until its closure in 1912.[9]

The Louisville and Shelbyville Turnpike was completed in the 1830s, following a ridgeline path between the two sites dating back to the Indians.[11] After the Louisville and Frankfort Railroad was constructed near the road in present-day Cherokee Gardens in 1849, the turnpike company rerouted and constructed a new road nearby (originally known as the "Shelbyville Branch", now Lexington Avenue in Louisville) which was completed in 1851.[12]

Select the Right Medical Assistant School Shelbyville KY

Shelbyville KY medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will furnish the right training. Regardless if you’re goal is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the appropriate info on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Become A Certified Medical Assistant Fast. But irrespective of the type 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 provided so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can ultimately start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Shelbyville KY.