Registered Medical Assistant Exam Cherry Hill NJ - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Training School near Cherry Hill New Jersey

Cherry Hill NJ medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Cherry Hill NJ, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the ideal one? Most future students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors as well. You may choose to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a program you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are assessing. And to assist you with that task, we have included some questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Cherry Hill NJ nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their job is to make sure that the Cherry Hill NJ clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Giving general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any task they are qualified to under New Jersey law, some choose to specialize in a particular 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 Courses

Compared to many other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Cherry Hill NJ health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are essentially two options available for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs normally take about one year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs provided at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They usually have a clinical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Cherry Hill NJ There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are an excellent choice for students who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, some online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus options. Supplemental expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be reduced also. Just keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be carried out in Cherry Hill NJ area medical facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this method of getting your education might be the best option for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent choice for those who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining a job after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. A number of possible Cherry Hill NJ medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and perhaps the most respected 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 be a graduate or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available as well, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Cherry Hill NJ medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to choose which type of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. After those decisions have been made, you can start the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, some prospective students limit their searches to the schools that are nearest to Cherry Hill NJ with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you should look at when evaluating schools. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are several good reasons to make certain that the school 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. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you must complete 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 school is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Cherry Hill NJ employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you must find out which of the certifications the schools you are looking at 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 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 college’s program. Of course schools with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is about 1 year. Or you can opt to acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, make certain that the colleges you are looking at offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Cherry Hill NJ area medical providers. They are a great way to get hands-on practical experience and training. They may also help students develop relationships within the Cherry Hill medical community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Offered? Landing that very first job can be a difficult undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Cherry Hill NJ area and find out 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 healthcare 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 may be an indication of how much individual attention you will get throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If practical, try to sit in on a couple of classes before selecting a program to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s essential that the college you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Cherry Hill NJ, confirm 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 clinical training or internships that may be required. Also, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Cherry Hill New Jersey?

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

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045,[9][10][11] reflecting an increase of 1,080 (+1.5%) from the 69,965 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 617 (+0.9%) from the 69,348 counted in the 1990 Census.[18] As of 2010[update], the township was the state's 15th most populous municipality and the second-largest in Camden County (behind the city of Camden, the county seat), after having been the state's 13th most populous municipality in the 2000 Census.[19] An edge city of Philadelphia,[20][21] Cherry Hill is situated on the Delaware Valley coastal plain, approximately 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Center City, Philadelphia.

The area now known as Cherry Hill was originally settled by the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans before being displaced by the first settlers from England, namely Quaker followers of William Penn who arrived in the late 17th century.[22] The first settlement was a small cluster of homes named Colestown, in the perimeters of what is now the Colestown Cemetery on the corner of Route 41 (King's Highway) and Church Road. The municipality was founded on February 25, 1844, in Gloucester County as Delaware Township from half of the area of Waterford Township, and became part of Camden County at its creation some two weeks later on March 13, 1844.[23] Portions of the township were taken to form Stockton Township (February 23, 1859) and Merchantville (March 3, 1874).[23] At its territorial peak, Delaware Township included all of modern-day Cherry Hill Township, as well as the neighborhood of North Camden and the municipalities Merchantville and Pennsauken (including Petty's Island in the Delaware River).

The township's population grew rapidly after World War II, and continued to increase until the 1980s. Today, the municipality's population is stable with new development generally occurring in pockets of custom luxury houses or through the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial areas.

Choose the Right Medical Assistant Training Cherry Hill NJ

Cherry Hill NJ medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant school that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re planning to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the right info on available programs before making your selection. There are so many colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, verify that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Registered Medical Assistant Exam. 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, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Cherry Hill NJ.