Certified Medical Assistant Career Hagerstown MD - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant School Program near Hagerstown Maryland

Hagerstown MD medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Hagerstown MD, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the proper training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently 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 lowest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors as well. You might decide to research a few online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are assessing. And to help you with that process, 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 talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are offered.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Hagerstown MD nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Essentially their role is to make sure that the Hagerstown MD hospitals, clinics and other medical care institutions where they work operate 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 responsible for giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the many functions of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Providing general support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants can carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Maryland law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and earn 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 Courses

In contrast to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Hagerstown MD health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs normally take about one year to finish, 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 option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs offered at community and junior colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a clinical element involving 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 Hagerstown MD There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are a good option for students who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue working full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, some online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus options. Supplemental expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be reduced also. Just keep in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be performed in Hagerstown MD area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this method of getting your education may be the ideal option for you. With the online lessons and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is a good idea for those who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing employment after graduation, but it may also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many possible Hagerstown MD medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Hagerstown MD medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school options, you need to decide which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. As soon as those decisions have been made, you can start the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of potential students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Hagerstown MD with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you need to examine when assessing schools. To help you with that process, following are a few 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 a number of good reasons to make certain that the program you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 either of these organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Hagerstown MD employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you must find out which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then of course you will need to select a program targeting that certification. Next, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Offered? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can opt to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require approximately two years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are considering offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Hagerstown MD area medical providers. They are an excellent way to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students develop relationships within the Hagerstown medical community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Supplied? Finding that initial job can be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Hagerstown MD area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the medical 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 may be an indication of how much individual attention you will get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to sit in on a couple of classes before choosing a school to witness 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 college while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the college you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Hagerstown MD, verify that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will still have to schedule any internships or clinical training that might be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Hagerstown Maryland?

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

Hagerstown, Maryland

Hagerstown /ˈheɪɡərztaʊn/[5] is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County.[6] The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg Metropolitan Area (extending into West Virginia) was 269,140. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's sixth largest incorporated city.[7]

Hagerstown has a distinct topography, formed by stone ridges running from northeast to southwest through the center of town. Geography accordingly bounds its neighborhoods. These ridges consist of upper Stonehenge limestone. Many of the older buildings were built from this stone, which is easily quarried and dressed onsite. It whitens in weathering and the edgewise conglomerate and wavy laminae become distinctly visible, giving a handsome and uniquely “Cumberland Valley” appearance. Several of Hagerstown’s churches are constructed of Stonehenge limestone and its value and beauty as building rock may be seen particularly in St. John’s Episcopal Church on West Antietam Street and the Presbyterian Church at the corner of Washington and Prospect Streets. Brick and concrete eventually displaced this native stone in the construction process.[8]

Hagerstown anchors the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lies just northwest of the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV Combined Statistical Area in the heart of the Great Appalachian Valley. The population of the metropolitan area in 2010 was 269,140. Greater Hagerstown is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state of Maryland and among the fastest growing in the United States.[9]

Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Hagerstown MD

Hagerstown MD medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant school that will provide the right training. Whether you’re planning to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long 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 decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, confirm that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Certified Medical Assistant Career. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Hagerstown MD.