Medical Assistant School Cost Catonsville MD - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Training Program near Catonsville Maryland

Catonsville MD medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to enter the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Catonsville MD, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently pick the right one? Many potential students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues as well. You may decide to research several online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a college you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are reviewing. And to help you with that task, we have provided some questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Catonsville MD nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their job is ensure that the Catonsville MD hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions where they work operate efficiently. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for providing direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Providing general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are authorized to under Maryland law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options available are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Education

Compared to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Catonsville MD health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs normally take about one year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs offered at community and junior colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more extensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often have a practical element involving 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 related field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Catonsville MD There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online too. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue working full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced also. But bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be carried out in Catonsville MD area health care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this mode of receiving your training might be the right choice for you. With the online courses and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good idea for individuals who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Many potential Catonsville MD medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA exam, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available also, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Catonsville MD medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must determine which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Catonsville MD with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should examine when assessing schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to ensure that the school you choose 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 intend to become certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved agencies 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 exam. Additionally, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many prospective Catonsville MD employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to find out 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 obviously you will need to select 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 just one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Programs are Offered? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the fastest 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 receive a broader education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to enroll in, verify that the colleges you are looking at provide the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Numerous medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Catonsville MD area medical care providers. They are a great means to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students build relationships within the Catonsville healthcare community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Service Supplied? Finding that initial job can be a challenging undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Catonsville MD area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much individual attention you will get during your training. Smaller 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 possible, try to monitor a few classes before choosing a program to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full time, it’s essential that the school you choose provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Catonsville MD, verify that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will also have to schedule all internships or practical training that might be required. Also, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Catonsville Maryland?

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

Catonsville, Maryland

Catonsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 41,567 at the 2010 census.[3] The community lies to the west of Baltimore along the city's border. Catonsville contains the majority of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), a major public research university with close to 14,000 students.

Before European colonists settled in present-day Catonsville, the area was occupied by the Piscataway tribe. These Native Americans had good relations with the first European settlers in the area, but wars and diseases caused their population to decline. The remainder of the tribe’s population gradually dispersed. In the early 1700s, colonists slowly settled in the area, and roads were built. The first of these settlements in the present-day Catonsville area was Johnnycake Town, settled in the 1720s.[4] Johnnycake Town was named after the kind of cornbread sold to travelers at the local tavern. Although Johnnycake Town has since disappeared from maps, its main roads, Johnnycake Road, Old Frederick Road, and Rolling Road still exist today.[5] Rolling Road was used to transport tobacco from plantations south to the Patapsco River on horse-drawn wagons. In 1787, the Ellicott family built a road, called the Frederick Turnpike, to transport goods from their flour mill, Ellicott Mills, to the Baltimore harbor. The turnpike was built just south of where Johnnycake Town was. Charles Carroll, who was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, owned land next to the newly built road. He instructed his son-in-law, Richard Caton, to develop the area along the road. He gave his name to the community and called it “Catonville”, although the name was changed to “Catonsville” in the 1830s. For decades, the village remained as a quiet farming community. Businesses sprang up along the Frederick Turnpike to cater to travelers traveling from Ellicott City to the Baltimore harbor. Naturally, Catonsville served as a layover stop for the travelers, and the town increasingly grew and developed.[4] The pleasant surroundings attracted wealthy Baltimorean merchants, who, eager to escape the summer heat, built large Victorian and colonial summer homes there. Many of these homes still stand today.[6] Starting in 1862, horsecar services connected Catonsville to Baltimore, and in 1884, the Catonsville Short Line railroad was built, providing 8 roundtrip trains to Baltimore daily. This allowed people to live in Catonsville but commute to work in Baltimore. Commuter traffic exploded in the 1890s with the construction of electric streetcar lines and fancy housing developments. Catonsville had become one of the first commuter suburbs in the United States. Baltimore had tried to annex Catonsville, although their attempts have all been failures. Their last attempt was in 1918. Homes of all sizes were being constructed rapidly until the 1950s when much of land around the Frederick Turnpike had been converted into housing.

In 2002, the Maryland legislature issued a proclamation declaring Catonsville to be "Music City, Maryland", because of the concentration of musical retail stores, venues and educational facilities in the area.

Choose the Right Medical Assistant School Catonsville MD

Catonsville MD medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will furnish the proper training. Whether you’re planning to launch a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must obtain the right information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are so many schools offering training these days that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make sure that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized organization, for example 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 School Cost. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can subsequently start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Catonsville MD.