9 Month Medical Assistant Program Salisbury MA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Training Program near Salisbury Massachusetts

Salisbury MA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to become a part of the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Salisbury MA, it’s time to select a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the best one? A number of future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues also. You might choose to look into some online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to complete your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the colleges you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have included a few 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 training and credentials that are offered.

The Duties of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Salisbury MA nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their role is to make sure that the Salisbury MA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities where they work run successfully. Depending 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 professionals but may also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Supplying general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants may perform almost any task they are qualified to under Massachusetts law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the options available are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Courses

Unlike most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Salisbury MA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about a year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges in addition to 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 often 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 Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Salisbury MA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online too. They are an excellent choice for those who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full-time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be minimized as well. But keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be carried out in Salisbury MA area medical facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your training may be the best option for you. Between the online classes and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent choice for those who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in securing a job after graduation, but it can also enhance initial salary negotiations. Many possible Salisbury MA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered 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. Additional certifications are available as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Salisbury MA medical assistant programs Before you can start examining your medical assistant school options, you need to determine which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. Once those choices have been made, you can start the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many prospective students restrict their searches to the colleges that are closest to Salisbury 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 factors that you need to look at when assessing programs. To help you with that task, below are a few questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are many great reasons to make sure that the school you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction 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 approved 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 one of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Salisbury MA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must find out which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing 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 school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are generally two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can choose to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to finish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are considering provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Salisbury MA area health care providers. They are a great method to receive hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also help students develop relationships within the Salisbury health care community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Supplied? Getting that initial job can be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Salisbury MA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much individual attention you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to monitor a few classes before enrolling in a college to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full-time, 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 Salisbury MA, verify that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will still need to schedule any clinical training or internships that might be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Salisbury Massachusetts?

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

Salisbury, Massachusetts

Salisbury is a small coastal beach town and summer tourist destination in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of Boston on the New Hampshire border. It is home to the new Salisbury Beach Boardwalk, full of souvenir shops, restaurants, cafes, arcades and panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 8,283 at the 2010 census.[1] Parts of town comprise the census-designated place of Salisbury.

This was once territory of the Pentucket tribe of Pennacook Indians. It was settled by the English in 1638 as Colchester,[2] and incorporated in 1640 as Salisbury, after Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. The original roads at the center of the town formed a compact semicircle, which allowed the residents to quickly reach the garrison house in case of attack. Those roads still exist, though the shape today is triangular, being bounded by Elm Street, School Street and Bridge Road. One of the two greatest fears at the time was the Naumkeag tribe of Indians, thus the men of the town took turns standing watch against a surprise attack, especially at night. The Naumkeags, however, had been decimated by plague, and the threat was not what it once might have been. The second threat came from wolves, which were plentiful, and which killed the livestock and dug in the graveyard.[3]

The original residents, including Richard Currier, were given one small house lot near the center of town, and one larger planting lot just outside the center for farming. Families also owned large sections of "sweepage lots" near the beach, where apparently they harvested the salt marsh hay. At the time, the area was almost entirely unbroken virgin forest, which had to be cleared for the construction of houses and the planting of fields.

Pick the Best Medical Assistant Course Salisbury MA

Salisbury MA medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant school that will provide the proper training. Whether you’re objective is to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the right information on available programs before making your decision. There are so many colleges providing training these days that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, confirm that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in 9 Month Medical Assistant Program. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have supplied so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the right program you can ultimately begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Salisbury MA.