Certified Medical Assistant Schools Dennis MA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant Training Program near Dennis Massachusetts

Dennis MA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to enter the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Dennis MA, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the right training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the best one? Many prospective students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors as well. You might decide to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that task, we have included several questions that you should ask each of the schools on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Dennis MA nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their function is ensure that the Dennis MA clinics, hospitals and other medical care centers where they work operate efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners 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 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 doctors
Giving general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Massachusetts law, some choose to specialize in a specific area and obtain 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 Training

Unlike many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Dennis MA health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially two options provided for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about one year to finish, a few as little as six to nine 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 typically two year programs provided at junior and community colleges as well as technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are routinely 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 Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Dennis MA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are an excellent choice for individuals who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could work 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 added benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus options. Ancillary costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be reduced also. But remember that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be completed in Dennis MA area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your education might be the best option for you. Between the online classes and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good choice for those who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing a position after graduation, but it can also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Dennis MA medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Dennis MA medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you must choose which type of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Dennis MA with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you must look at when assessing schools. To help you with that task, following are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are many good reasons to make sure that the college you choose is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the education 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 acknowledged 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 organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many prospective Dennis MA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To begin with, you must find out which of the certifications the programs you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will need to enroll in a program concentrating on that certification. Second, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths 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, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can elect to earn an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take about two years to complete in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you choose to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Many medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Dennis MA area health care providers. They are an excellent method to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students develop relationships within the Dennis healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Furnished? Landing that very first job can be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Dennis MA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual attention you will get throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If practical, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a college to witness what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full time, it’s important that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Dennis MA, make certain that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online college, but you will still need to schedule any internships or practical training that might be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Dennis Massachusetts?

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

Dennis, Massachusetts

The town encompasses five distinct villages, each of which has its own post office. These constituent villages are Dennis (including North Dennis), Dennis Port, East Dennis, South Dennis, and West Dennis.[2]

Dennis was first settled in 1639, by John Crowe (later Crowell), Antony Thacher and Thomas Howes, as part of the town of Yarmouth. It was known then as the East Precinct.[3] The original inhabitants who preceded English settlers called the northern sections of town Nobscuesset, Sesuit, and Quivet.[4]

The town officially separated and incorporated in 1793. It was named after resident minister, Rev. Josiah Dennis.[5] There was not enough land for farming, so seafaring became the town's major industry in its early history, centered around the Shiverick Shipyard.

Select the Ideal Medical Assistant School Dennis MA

Dennis MA medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will provide the proper training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you must acquire the right information on available programs before making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you choose is accredited by an acknowledged agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Certified Medical Assistant Schools. But irrespective of the kind 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 supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the right program you can subsequently start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Dennis MA.