Medical Assistant Classes Near Me Laurel MD - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant School Program near Laurel Maryland

Laurel MD medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Laurel MD, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently pick the ideal one? Many future students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors as well. You might choose to research a few online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are assessing. And to help you with that task, we have provided some questions that you should ask each of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Laurel MD nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their duty is ensure that the Laurel MD hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work run successfully. Based on the type or size of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical practitioners but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Supplying general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any activity they are authorized to under Maryland law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the choices offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) provided by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training

In contrast to most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Laurel MD health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 choices offered for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about a year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs provided at junior and community colleges together with trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Laurel MD There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are a good alternative for those who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue to work full-time while earning their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be reduced also. But remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be completed in Laurel MD area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this method of getting your training may be the right choice for you. Between the online lessons and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for individuals who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential Laurel MD medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided 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 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered as well, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Laurel MD medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school options, you must decide which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. After those choices have been made, you can begin the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, some students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Laurel MD with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should look at when researching programs. To help you with that task, below are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to ensure that the program you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive 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 school is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Laurel MD employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you must find out which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will want to select a program targeting that certification. Next, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally programs with low rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to one year. Or you can decide to acquire an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require about two years to finish in a community college or vocational school. Whatever program you decide to enroll in, make certain that the colleges you are reviewing offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Laurel MD area medical care providers. They are a great means to get hands-on practical training and experience. They can also assist students build relationships within the Laurel healthcare community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Landing that initial job may be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Laurel MD area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the medical 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 can 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 prone to offer greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If practical, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a program to witness what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full-time, it’s important that the college you select offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Laurel MD, make certain that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will also have to schedule all internships or clinical training that might 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 responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Laurel Maryland?

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

Laurel, Maryland

Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, in the United States, located almost midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River.[5] Founded as a mill town in the early 19th century, the arrival of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1835 expanded local industry and later enabled the city to become an early commuter town for Washington and Baltimore workers. Largely residential today, the city maintains a historic district centered on its Main Street, highlighting its industrial past.

The Department of Defense is a prominent presence in the Laurel area today, with the Fort Meade Army base, the National Security Agency, and Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory all located nearby. Laurel Park, a thoroughbred horse racetrack, is located just outside city limits.

Many dinosaur fossils from the Cretaceous Era are preserved in a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) park in Laurel.[6] The site, which among other finds has yielded fossilized teeth from Astrodon and Priconodon species, has been called the most prolific in the eastern United States.[7] From the Late Glacial age in 10,700 B.C. to 8,500 B.C., Laurel's climate warmed and changed from a spruce forest to a hardwood forest. In the Late Archaic period from 4,000 to 1,000 B.C., Laurel would have been covered primarily with an oak and hickory forest.[8]

Select the Right Medical Assistant College Laurel MD

Laurel MD medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will furnish the right training. Whether you’re planning to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training these days that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you decide on is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Classes Near Me. But irrespective of the type of credential that you plan 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 supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the best program you can ultimately start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Laurel MD.