Certified Medical Assistant Career Hopatcong NJ - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Training Program near Hopatcong New Jersey

Hopatcong NJ medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to enter the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Hopatcong NJ, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the right one? Most potential students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors also. You may decide to research a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are reviewing. And to assist you with that task, we have included a few questions that you need to ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Duties of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Hopatcong NJ nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their role is to make sure that the Hopatcong NJ clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions where they work run efficiently. 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 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 confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Giving basic support during exams and procedures

While medical assistants can perform almost any task they are authorized to under New Jersey law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the choices available 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

Unlike most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Hopatcong NJ health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two choices offered for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about one year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are typically two year programs available at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a practical component requiring an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Hopatcong NJ There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online as well. They are a good choice for individuals who might not have the 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 earning their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be reduced as well. But bear in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can typically be carried out in Hopatcong NJ area health care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of participating in 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 perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good option for graduates who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing a position after graduation, but it might also help with initial salary negotiations. Some possible Hopatcong NJ medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for 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, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Hopatcong NJ medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school options, you must choose which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can begin the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many prospective students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Hopatcong NJ with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you need to examine when researching programs. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make sure that the program you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the education you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged organizations for accreditation are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). If your school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, many potential Hopatcong NJ employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you must find out which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Next, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with lower rates are ones 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 diploma or certificate program and receive 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 elect to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will take about 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are looking at provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Hopatcong NJ area healthcare providers. They are an excellent way to get hands-on practical experience and training. They may also assist students build relationships within the Hopatcong healthcare community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Offered? Landing that initial job may be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Hopatcong NJ area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will get throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to attend a couple of classes before choosing a program to see what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the program you enroll in offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Hopatcong NJ, make sure that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will also need to schedule all internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Hopatcong New Jersey?

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

Hopatcong, New Jersey

Hopatcong (/hoʊpætkɒŋ/) is a borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 15,147,[9][10][11] reflecting a decline of 741 (-4.7%) from the 15,888 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 302 (+1.9%) from the 15,586 counted in the 1990 Census.[20]

The town of Hopatcong has a rich history, given its relationship with New York City. It borders Lake Hopatcong, a partially man-made lake that is now a source of much recreation and desirable real estate, and is the biggest lake in New Jersey. The community, 40 miles (64 km) west of New York City, began as a summer getaway for the wealthy in NYC who primarily sought access to the lake. An amusement park, called "Bertrand's Island", sprang up and was accessible via the lake, trolley or by car through Mount Arlington. The construction of Interstate 80, a highway that stretches from Teaneck, New Jersey, all the way across the country to San Francisco, California, triggered rapid growth in New York City's suburbs and led to Hopatcong becoming a permanent residential community.

The area had been called "Brookland" in the 19th century and the lake that was expanded to become Lake Hopatcong had been known as "Great Pond" or "Brookland Pond". During the 1830s, the name of the community had been modified to "Brooklyn", to match the spelling of the city on New York's Long Island.[21] Hopatcong was originally established as the Town of Brooklyn on April 2, 1898, from portions of Byram Township. On March 22, 1901, the Borough of Hopatcong replaced Brooklyn.[22] In 1922, residents of Byram Cove, Northwood, and other areas to the west of the original land area of the borough, voted to leave Byram Township and join Hopatcong, leaving the Borough with its current borders.[23]

Select the Best Medical Assistant Course Hopatcong NJ

Hopatcong NJ medical assistant student It’s important to start 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 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 selection. There are so many schools offering training these days that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have covered in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Certified Medical Assistant Career. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can subsequently start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Hopatcong NJ.