Registered Medical Assistant Exam Westford MA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant School near Westford Massachusetts

Westford 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 Westford MA, it’s time to select a college that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately pick the right one? Many prospective students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors as well. You might choose to research several online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to help you with that task, we have included a few questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Westford MA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Basically their job is ensure that the Westford MA clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers where they work operate efficiently. 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 nurses, doctors and other health 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 filing claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are authorized to under Massachusetts law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and earn 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 Courses

Compared to most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, many Westford MA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 options provided for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about 1 year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs provided at junior and community colleges in addition to trade 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 classes. They frequently have a clinical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are routinely 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 Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Westford MA There are many accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are an excellent option for students who may not have time to attend 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 degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, many online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Ancillary expenses such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be minimized also. Just keep in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be completed in Westford MA area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this approach to getting your training may be the best choice for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for those who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in getting a job after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. Some possible Westford MA medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. 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). In order to sit for the CMA examination, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Westford MA medical assistant programs Before you can start examining your medical assistant school options, you have to decide which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. Once those selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many potential students restrict their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Westford MA with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you should explore when assessing programs. To assist you with that task, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many good reasons to make sure that the program you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved agencies 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 one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Westford MA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must learn which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Second, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the means to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are basically two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is closer to one year. Or you can opt to obtain an Associate Degree and get 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, verify that the colleges you are considering offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

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

Is Job Placement Service Provided? Landing that first job can be a difficult undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Westford MA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much personal instruction you will receive throughout your training. Smaller 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 convenient, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a college to observe what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s important that the college you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Westford MA, confirm that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will still need to schedule all clinical training or internships that might be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Westford Massachusetts?

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

Westford, Massachusetts

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Westford primarily produced granite, apples, and worsted yarn. The Abbot Worsted Company was said to be the first company in the nation to use camel hair for worsted yarns.[4] Citizens from Westford also had some notable involvement in the Revolutionary War.[2] Westford Minutemen were alerted by efforts of Samuel Prescott who alerted Acton, to the southeast towards Stow.[citation needed]

By the end of the American Civil War, as roads and transportation improved, Westford began to serve as a residential suburb for the factories of Lowell, becoming one of the earliest notable examples of suburban sprawl.[citation needed] Throughout the 20th century (and with the invention of the automobile), Westford progressively grew, continuing to serve as residential housing for the industries of Lowell, and later, Boston.

By the 1990s, Westford was home to offices for Red Hat, Samsung, Sonus Networks, Seagate, Iris Associates, Visual Solutions, and many other technology firms, most located along Massachusetts Route 110, parallel to I-495. It is also the North American headquarters for Puma, which holds a road race in town.[6] The leading manufacturer of EEG electrodes, HydroDot Inc., located here in 2007.

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant College Westford MA

Westford MA medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant program that will furnish the right training. Regardless if you’re objective is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must obtain the right info on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training these days that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, make certain that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Registered Medical Assistant Exam. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you intend 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 evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Westford MA.