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

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training Program near Southampton Massachusetts

Southampton MA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Southampton MA, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you undertake evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the ideal one? Most future students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors also. You might decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The main point is that before you select a program you must carry out your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have included several questions that you need to 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 Duties of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Southampton MA nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their job is ensure that the Southampton MA hospitals, clinics and other medical care centers where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but may also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Providing general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants can carry out almost any activity they are qualified to under Massachusetts law, some choose to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the options 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 Courses

Compared to many other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Southampton MA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two choices offered for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about a year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 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 provided at junior and community colleges together with trade and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a clinical component involving an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Southampton MA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are a good option for those who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue to work full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, many online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized also. But bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be completed in Southampton MA area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this method of getting your training may be the right choice for you. Between the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to attain 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 an excellent idea for graduates who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in attaining a position after graduation, but it can also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Southampton MA medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. Among the most popular and possibly 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, an applicant must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available also, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Southampton MA medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must decide which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, a number of students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Southampton MA with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional issues that you need to examine when evaluating programs. To assist you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to verify 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 plan on becoming certified, you must complete 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 agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many prospective Southampton MA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’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 need to determine which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will want to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally schools with low rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can opt to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require approximately two years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are reviewing provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Southampton MA area health care providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also assist students develop relationships within the Southampton medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Assistance Offered? Getting that very first job may be a daunting undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Southampton MA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size can be an indication of how much personal instruction you will get throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a couple of classes before choosing a program to experience 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 program you select provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Southampton MA, confirm that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will still have to schedule any internships or clinical training that might be required. Additionally, ask what the policy 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 Southampton Massachusetts?

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

Southampton, Massachusetts

Southampton (/saʊθˈhæmptən/ (listen))[1] is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It was established first as a district of Northampton in 1732. It was incorporated in 1753. The name Southampton was given to it during its first town meeting in 1773. Its ZIP code is 01073. Southampton is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town had a population of 5,792 at the 2010 census.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.1 square miles (75 km2), of which 28.1 square miles (73 km2) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2) (3.20%) is water. Southampton is bordered by Easthampton to the northeast, Holyoke to the southeast, Westfield to the south, Montgomery to the southwest, Huntington for a very short length on the west, and Westhampton to the northwest. Southampton is located 17 miles northwest of Springfield and 100 miles to the west of Boston.

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,387 people, 1,985 households, and 1,556 families residing in the town. The population density was 191.4 people per square mile (73.9/km²). There were 2,025 housing units at an average density of 71.9 per square mile (27.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.29% White, 0.20% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

Pick the Right Medical Assistant School Southampton MA

Southampton MA medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant program that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must get the right info on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges offering training these days that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you decide on is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Degree Programs. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Southampton MA.