Certified Medical Assistant Schools Somerville NJ - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Program near Somerville New Jersey

Somerville NJ medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to enter the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Somerville NJ, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the best one? A number of prospective students begin by evaluating 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, job assistance and internship programs are important issues also. You might decide to look into several online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you must carry out your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are examining. And to help you with that task, we have included a few questions that you need to ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Function of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Somerville NJ nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their job is to make sure that the Somerville NJ hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work run successfully. Depending on the type or size of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. Some of the many responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

Even though 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 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 Education

Unlike most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Somerville NJ 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 two choices offered for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about one year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They often have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Somerville NJ There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. They are a good alternative for individuals who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good option for students who continue to work full-time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, a number of online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Ancillary expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized as well. But remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be carried out in Somerville NJ area health care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this approach to getting your education might be the best choice for you. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good option for those who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining a job after graduation, but it may also enhance initial salary negotiations. Many potential Somerville NJ medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided 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 thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Somerville NJ medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to determine which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, some prospective students limit their searches to the schools that are nearest to Somerville NJ with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you need to examine when researching programs. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are many good reasons to verify that the school you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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 school is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Somerville NJ employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to find out which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will need to select a program focused on that certification. Second, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with lower rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to acquiring 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 about one year. Or you can decide to acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, verify that the schools you are looking at offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Many medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Somerville NJ area medical care providers. They are a great way to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also assist students build relationships within the Somerville health care community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Offered? Finding that first job can be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Somerville NJ area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also suggests that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indicator of how much individual attention you will get throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a few classes before enrolling in a college to experience what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full-time, it’s imperative that the college you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Somerville NJ, make sure that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will also have to schedule any internships or clinical training that might be required. Also, find out what the policy 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 Somerville New Jersey?

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

Somerville, New Jersey

Somerville is a borough in and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.[19] As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 12,098,[8][9][10] reflecting a decline of 325 (-2.6%) from the 12,423 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 791 (+6.8%) from the 11,632 counted in the 1990 Census.[20]

Somerville was originally formed as a town on March 25, 1863, within a portion of Bridgewater Township. Somerville was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 16, 1909, based on the results of a referendum held on May 4, 1909, at which point it was fully set off from Bridgewater Township.[21][22] It is home of the oldest competitive bicycle race in the United States.

Somerville was settled in colonial times primarily by the Dutch who purchased land from the English proprietors of the colony. The Dutch established their church near what is today Somerville and a Dutch Reformed minister or Domine lived at the Old Dutch Parsonage from about 1754. The early village grew up around a church, courthouse and a tavern built at a crossroads shortly after the American Revolution. The name "Somerville" was taken from four brothers of the Somerville family, William, Edward, John and James from Drishane and Castlehaven, County Cork, Ireland, who first founded the town in the 1750s. Somerville was originally a sparsely populated farming community, but rapidly grew after the completion of the railroad in the 1840s and development of water power along the Raritan River in the 1850s. Early industry included brick making from the plentiful red clay and shale on which Somerville is built. While much of the borough features distinctive Victorian architecture in several neighborhoods and along its Main Street, other periods are represented. National Register sites in Somerville include the white marble 1909 Somerville Court House and the wooden and stone colonial Wallace House (today a museum) where George Washington spent a winter during the American Revolutionary War. Near the Wallace House is the Old Dutch Parsonage, where Reverend Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, a founder and first president of Rutgers University, then called Queens College, lived. Register listed Victorian structures include the James Harper Smith Estate (privately owned), St. John's Episcopal Church and rectory, and the Fire Museum (a vintage fire house). Other notable, register eligible structures are the Victorian train station (privately owned) and the municipal building, the former Robert Mansion.[25]

Select the Right Medical Assistant Program Somerville NJ

Somerville NJ medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college 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 get the right information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of schools offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. 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 Certified Medical Assistant Schools. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget 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 ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Somerville NJ.