Medical Assistant Degree Merrimac MA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant School near Merrimac Massachusetts

Merrimac MA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to join the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Merrimac MA, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? Many prospective students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors as well. You may choose to research some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have furnished several questions that you need to ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Responsibilities of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Merrimac MA nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their duty is to make sure that the Merrimac MA clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers where they work operate successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Providing basic support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants may carry out almost any activity they are qualified to under Massachusetts 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 Training Programs

Compared to most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, many Merrimac 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 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs normally take about one year to complete, some 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 alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs offered at junior and community colleges as well as technical 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 training. They frequently have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Merrimac MA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are a good alternative for individuals who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good option for students who continue to work full-time while pursuing 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 including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be reduced as well. Just remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be completed in Merrimac MA area medical facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this approach to getting your education might be the right option for you. Between the online courses and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent choice for individuals who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in securing employment after graduation, but it might also help with initial salary negotiations. Many possible Merrimac MA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. Among 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 take the CMA examination, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Merrimac MA medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school options, you have to choose which type of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can begin the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many prospective students limit their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Merrimac MA with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you need to examine when assessing programs. To assist you with that process, following are some questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are several good reasons to make sure that the college you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged organizations for accreditation are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). If your school is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Merrimac MA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then of course you will want to choose a program targeting that certification. Second, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are generally two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can elect to earn an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, make certain that the schools you are considering provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Merrimac MA area health care providers. They are a great way to obtain hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students build relationships within the Merrimac health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Provided? Getting that very first job may be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Merrimac MA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a high 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 broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indicator of how much personal instruction you will get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, 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 Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full time, it’s essential that the college you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Merrimac MA, make certain that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, 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 might have to miss because of illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Merrimac Massachusetts?

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

Merrimac, Massachusetts

Merrimac is a small town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, and on the southeastern border of New Hampshire, approximately 34 miles (55 km) northeast of Boston and 10 miles (16 km) west of the Atlantic Ocean. It was incorporated on April 11, 1876. It is situated along the north bank of the Merrimack River in the Merrimack Valley. The population was 6,338 at the 2010 census.[1] Historically a manufacturing center, it has long since become a largely residential community. It is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area.

Settled by the English in 1638 as a part of Salisbury and later as a part of Amesbury around the village of Merrimacport, it was known throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as an agricultural and fishing community, with a small amount of shipbuilding. When Amesbury separated from Salisbury in 1666, Merrimac was referred to as the West Parish of Amesbury, or simply West Amesbury, although it was unincorporated. When a border dispute between the Massachusetts and New Hampshire colonies was settled in 1741, the new border sliced off the parts of Amesbury that were further from the Merrimack River, with the area then associated with West Amesbury becoming the "new town" of Newton, New Hampshire.

In the nineteenth century, benefiting from a manufacturing boom following the establishment of some of the first planned industrial cities in the United States, nearby Lawrence and Lowell, Merrimac came to be known worldwide for its horse-drawn carriage industry. During this period, the town proper of Merrimac, centered around Merrimac Square, expanded separately from the village of Merrimacport. In 1876, Merrimac, including Merrimacport, separated from Amesbury and officially incorporated itself as a town. It is believed that the town, as well as the river that runs along its southern border, are both named for the American Indian tribe that occupied the region. "Merrimac" (or Merrimack) means "swift water place" in the language of this tribe. This town center consists of the typical brick buildings and Victorian architecture of the late nineteenth century, and it is surrounded by much of the town's population. Interstate 495 now divides Merrimacport from Merrimac. At the beginning of the twentieth century, as with the rest of the New England, it went through a period of deindustrialization as the region's industry relocated to the Midwest. The communities of the Merrimack Valley, including Merrimac, were particularly affected by this long period of economic decline and have never fully recovered.

Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant Course Merrimac MA

Merrimac MA medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant program that will furnish the appropriate training. Whether you’re objective is 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 information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, such as 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 Degree. 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 selecting the best program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Merrimac MA.