Medical Assistant Near Me North Bridgton ME

How to Select a Medical Assistant School near North Bridgton Maine

North Bridgton ME medical assistant checking pulseNow that you have made a decision to become a part of the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near North Bridgton ME, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the right one? Most potential students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences 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 decide to look into 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 must finish your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the schools you are assessing. And to assist you with that task, we have provided a few questions that you should ask each of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Function of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with North Bridgton ME nursing home patientThe duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their job is to make sure that the North Bridgton ME clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions where they work operate efficiently. 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 physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

  • Completing insurance forms and filing claims
  • Scheduling and confirming appointments
  • Weighing and taking patients vital signs
  • Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
  • Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
  • Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any activity they are authorized to under Maine law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the choices offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Programs

Unlike many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many North Bridgton ME health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two options provided for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about 1 year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs provided at community and junior colleges as well as technical 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 courses. They frequently have a practical element requiring an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in North Bridgton METhere are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are a good option for those who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue to work full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Ancillary costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be reduced also. Just bear in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be completed in North Bridgton ME area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to getting your education might be the ideal option for you. Between the online classes and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent option for graduates who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting a job after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Many possible North Bridgton ME medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. Among 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, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask North Bridgton ME medical assistant programsPrior to assessing your medical assistant school options, you have to decide which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those decisions have been made, you can begin the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of potential students limit their searches to the colleges that are closest to North Bridgton ME with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you must explore when evaluating programs. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are many good reasons to confirm that the program you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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 school is not accredited by one of these agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective North Bridgton ME employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you must find out 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 obviously you will need to enroll in a program concentrating on that certification. Second, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Obviously schools with low rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are generally two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can choose to acquire an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take about two years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, make sure that the colleges you are considering offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant schools offer internship programs with North Bridgton ME area medical care providers. They are an excellent method to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also help students develop relationships within the North Bridgton healthcare community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Offered? Getting that first job may be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the North Bridgton ME area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indication of how much individual attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to attend a couple of classes before enrolling in a school to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full time, it’s imperative that the college you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near North Bridgton ME, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will also have to schedule all internships or practical training that might be required. Additionally, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near North Bridgton Maine?

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

Bridgton, Maine

Bridgton is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,210 at the 2010 census.[4] A resort area in Maine's Lakes Region, Bridgton is home to Bridgton Academy, a private preparatory school, and the Four on the Fourth Road Race.

The undeveloped land was first called Pondicherry. It was granted in 1768 by the Massachusetts General Court to Moody Bridges and a group of proprietors. Settlement began in 1770 at what is now North Bridgton, where a tavern was built. The community was organized in 1779 as Bridgetown Plantation, named after Moody Bridges, and then incorporated on February 7, 1794 as Bridgton.[5]

Stevens Brook is only a mile and a half long, but it provided water power for 12 mill sites. It developed as an industrial center, with sawmills, gristmills, woolen textile mills, a tannery, shoe factory and brick manufacturer. Later, a corn and vegetable packing plant was built, in addition to a foundry, machine shop, shovel handle factory, sash and blind factory, and a coffin shop. Population increased when goods manufactured by water power could be transported to outside markets on the Cumberland and Oxford Canal, which opened to Portland in 1832.[6] By the mid-19th century, the town contained about 3,000 inhabitants. When the Portland and Ogdensburg Railway bypassed Bridgton, the town built the 2-foot-gauge (610 mm) Bridgton and Saco River Railroad link to the national rail network in 1883.[7] Summer vacationers arrived by rail and steamboat until automobile tourists began arriving after designation of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in 1919 (identified as U.S. Route 302 since 1935).[8] The convenience of highway travel caused abandonment of the canal steamboats in 1932 and the narrow-gauge railroad in 1941. Bridgton remains a popular resort area, with many children's summer camps located along the shores of the beautiful lakes and Shawnee Peak Ski Area, a ski resort, located in the western part of town.

Pick the Best Medical Assistant Course North Bridgton ME

North Bridgton ME medical assistant studentIt’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Whether you’re planning to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must obtain the right info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Near Me. But regardless of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in North Bridgton ME.

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