Medical Assistant Certification Bedford NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Training Program near Bedford New York

Bedford NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to become a part of the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Bedford NY, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the best one? A number of prospective students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors also. You might want to look into some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you must finish your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that process, we have provided several questions that you need to ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Role of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Bedford NY nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their function is to make sure that the Bedford NY clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative 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 performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Supplying basic support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants may carry out almost any task they are authorized to under New York law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the choices 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 most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Bedford NY health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are essentially 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs normally take about 1 year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to earn an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They frequently have a practical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Bedford NY There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are a good option for individuals who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full time while earning their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, many online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be minimized also. But remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be completed in Bedford NY area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your training might be the best option for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good option for those who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a position after graduation, but it can also enhance initial salary negotiations. A number of possible Bedford NY medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available also, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Bedford NY medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have 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 process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, some students confine their searches to the colleges that are closest to Bedford NY with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you need to examine when researching schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are several good reasons to ensure that the program you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved 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 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 available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Bedford NY employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to 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 need to choose a program focused on that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally programs with low rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we previously covered, there are basically two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about 2 years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are considering provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Bedford NY area medical care providers. They are an excellent means to obtain hands-on practical training and experience. They can also assist students build relationships within the Bedford medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Supplied? Landing that very first job may be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Bedford NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indication of how much personal attention you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a couple of classes before selecting a program to witness what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s essential that the program you choose provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Bedford NY, make sure that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will also need to schedule all internships or clinical training that might be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Bedford New York?

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

Bedford (town), New York

The town of Bedford was founded on December 23, 1680, when 22 Puritans from Stamford, Connecticut, purchased a tract of land three miles square known as the "Hopp Ground" from Chief Katonah and several other Native Americans for coats, blankets, wampum and cloth.[7]

Bedford was made a part of Connecticut in 1697 when a patent fixed the boundaries as a six-mile square. Only when King William III of England issued a royal decree in 1700 settling a boundary dispute did Bedford become part of New York.

The town served as the county seat of Westchester County during the American Revolutionary War after the Battle of White Plains, until Bedford was burned by the British in July 1779.[8][9] After the Revolution, Bedford was made one of two seats of county government, alternating with White Plains, until 1870. Westchester County's oldest government building is the Court House in Bedford village, which was built in 1787 and renovated in the 1960s.

Pick the Right Medical Assistant Program Bedford NY

Bedford NY medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant college that will provide the right training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the appropriate 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 personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, verify that the program you choose is accredited by an acknowledged organization, such as 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 Medical Assistant Certification. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can ultimately start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Bedford NY.