Summer Medical Assistant Programs Rockport MA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant Program near Rockport Massachusetts

Rockport MA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to become a part of the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Rockport MA, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? Most future students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical factors also. You may decide to look into several online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the schools you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have provided several questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Rockport MA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their function is to make sure that the Rockport MA hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work run successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Supplying general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants can perform almost any task they are qualified to under Massachusetts law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the choices available 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 required to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Rockport MA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two options available for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about 1 year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs available at community and junior colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more expansive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They usually have a practical component involving an internship with a local medical practice. 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.

Online Medical Assistant Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Rockport MA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are a good alternative for individuals who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good option for students who continue working full-time while earning their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus options. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be reduced also. But remember that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be performed in Rockport MA area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your training might be the right choice for you. Between the online courses and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is a good idea for those who wish to boost their careers. Not only will it help in securing a position after graduation, but it can also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Rockport MA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Rockport MA medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you must decide which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Rockport MA with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you must look at when evaluating schools. To help you with that process, following are some questions that you should ask about all of the programs you are considering before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are several good reasons to make certain that the college you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the approved 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 qualified to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Rockport MA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must learn which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to enroll in a program concentrating on that certification. Next, ask what the program’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. Naturally programs with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are basically two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can elect to earn an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take approximately two years to finish in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, make certain that the schools you are considering provide the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Many medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Rockport MA area health care providers. They are a great way to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students establish relationships within the Rockport medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Provided? Getting that very first job may be a daunting undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Rockport MA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will get throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If possible, try to monitor a couple of classes before selecting a school to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full time, it’s imperative that the college you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Rockport MA, verify that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will also need 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 work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Rockport Massachusetts?

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

Rockport, Massachusetts

Rockport is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,952 at the 2010 census.[2] Rockport is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. It is directly east of Gloucester and is surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean.

Before the coming of the English explorers and colonists, Cape Ann was home to a number of Native American villages, inhabited by members of the Agawam tribe. Samuel de Champlain named the peninsula "Cap Aux Isles" in 1605, and his expedition may have landed there briefly. By the time the first Europeans founded a permanent settlement at Gloucester in 1623, most of the Agawams had been killed by diseases caught from early contacts with Europeans.

Richard Tarr, a granite cutter and the first settler of the Sandy Bay Colony, lived in the area that is now Rockport in 1680. He and his wife Elizabeth had ten children, those born after 1690 were recorded in the Sandy Bay Colony record books. Richard died around the year 1732. (The source provided by "History of the Town of Gloucester, Cape Ann" by John J. Babson, Published by the Proctor Brothers 1860. Printed by John Wilson and Son, 22 School Street, Boston, MA. This history book account is still available online.) The area provided timber for shipbuilding, especially pine, and granite was extracted from the Sandy Bay quarries. The Cape Ann area provided one of the richest fishing grounds in New England and in 1743 a dock was built at Rockport harbor on Sandy Bay and was used for both timber export and fishing. By the beginning of the 19th century, the first granite quarries were developed, and by the 1830s, Rockport granite was being shipped to cities and towns throughout the East Coast of the United States.

Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Program Rockport MA

Rockport MA medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if 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 acquire the right info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Summer Medical Assistant Programs. 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 so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Rockport MA.