Medical Assistant Study Dundalk MD - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School Program near Dundalk Maryland

Dundalk MD medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to join the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Dundalk MD, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the right training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing schools so that you subsequently pick the best one? A number of potential students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues as well. You might want to look into several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you need to complete your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have provided a few questions that you should ask all of the schools 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 offered.

The Function of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Dundalk MD nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their function is ensure that the Dundalk MD clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities where they work run successfully. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the potential 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 can carry out almost any task they are qualified to under Maryland law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the choices 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 many other medical professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, a number of Dundalk MD health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally two choices provided for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about one year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges as well as vocational and technical 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 element involving an internship with a local healthcare 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.

Online Medical Assistant Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Dundalk MD There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are a good alternative for individuals who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be minimized also. But keep in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can typically be performed in Dundalk MD area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this method of getting your education might be the ideal option for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for individuals who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in attaining a position after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential Dundalk MD medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Dundalk MD medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to determine which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. Once 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 confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Dundalk MD with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you need to look at when evaluating schools. To assist you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are many good reasons to verify that the school you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to enroll in 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 program is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Dundalk MD employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you need to learn which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will want to enroll in a program concentrating on that certification. Second, learn what the school’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 programs with lower rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can elect to earn an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require approximately 2 years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, verify that the colleges you are reviewing offer the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? A large number of medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Dundalk MD area health care providers. They are a great method to obtain hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students establish relationships within the Dundalk health care community. And as an additional perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Supplied? Finding that very first job may be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Dundalk MD area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much personal instruction you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to attend a couple of classes before selecting a program to experience what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full-time, it’s essential that the program you select offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Dundalk MD, confirm that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will also have to schedule any internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Dundalk Maryland?

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

Dundalk, Maryland

Dundalk ( /ˈdʌndɔːk/ DUN-dawk or /ˈdʌndɒk/ DUN-dok) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 63,597 at the 2010 census.[1] In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest unincorporated community in Maryland. It was named after the town of Dundalk, Ireland. Dundalk is considered one of the first inner-ring suburbs of Baltimore.

In 1856 Henry McShane, an immigrant from Ireland, established the McShane Bell Foundry on the banks of the Patapsco River in the then far southeastern outskirts of Baltimore.[2] The foundry later relocated to the Patterson Park area of Baltimore until a fire during the 1940s caused it to move to 201 East Federal Street. In addition to bronze bells, the foundry once manufactured cast iron pipes and furnace fittings. When asked by the Baltimore and Sparrows Point Railroad for a name of a depot for the foundry, which was on their rail line, McShane wrote Dundalk, after the town of his birth, Dundalk, Ireland. In 1977 the foundry moved to its current location in Glen Burnie.

In 1916 the Bethlehem Steel Company purchased 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of farmland, near the McShane foundry, to develop housing for its shipyard workers. The Dundalk Company was formed to plan a town in the new style, similar to that of the Roland Park area of Baltimore, excluding businesses except at specific spots and leaving land for future development of schools, playing fields, and parks. By 1917 Dundalk proper was founded, at which point it had 62 houses, two stores, a post office, and a telephone exchange. Streets were laid out in a pedestrian-friendly open grid, with monikers like "Shipway", "Northship", "Flagship", and "Admiral". The two-story houses had steeply pitched roofs and stucco exteriors. As the demand for steel increased rapidly during World War 1, white workers streamed into Dundalk, pushing black workers into a small community nearby named Turner Station. Turner Station expanded even more during World War II as demand for steel increased even more.[3]

Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Program Dundalk MD

Dundalk MD medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will provide the proper training. Regardless if you’re planning to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you must obtain the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are so many schools 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, verify that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Study. But regardless 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 so you can 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 Dundalk MD.