Clinical Medical Assistant Kew Gardens NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant School Program near Kew Gardens New York

Kew Gardens NY medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to become a part of the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Kew Gardens NY, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? A number of future students start by checking out 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 as well. You may decide to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you need to complete your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that task, we have provided a few questions that you need to ask all of the schools on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are offered.

The Duties of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Kew Gardens NY nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their duty is to make sure that the Kew Gardens NY hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions where they work operate successfully. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct support 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:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Giving basic support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any activity they are qualified to under New York law, some elect to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options 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

In contrast to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Kew Gardens NY health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two choices available for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about 1 year to complete, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more expansive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a practical component involving an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are often 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 Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Kew Gardens NY There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are a good alternative for students who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good option 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 traditional on-campus options. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be lessened also. Just bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be completed in Kew Gardens NY area medical 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. With the online lessons and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for those who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in securing employment after graduation, but it can also help with initial salary negotiations. Some possible Kew Gardens NY medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. One of 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 apply for the CMA examination, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Kew Gardens NY medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school options, you must choose which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online at home. After those decisions have been made, you can begin the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, a number of students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Kew Gardens NY with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should explore when evaluating schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to ensure that the college you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 one of these agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Also, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Kew Gardens NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing 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 need to find out which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will need to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with lower rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and obtain 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 acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to finish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, make sure that the colleges you are considering offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Offered? Numerous medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Kew Gardens NY area medical care providers. They are a great method to obtain hands-on practical experience and training. They can also assist students build relationships within the Kew Gardens medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Furnished? Getting that very first job may be a challenging undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Kew Gardens NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size may be an indication of how much individual attention you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a few classes before choosing a program to observe what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full time, it’s important that the program you select offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Kew Gardens NY, make sure 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 internships or clinical training that will be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol 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 Kew Gardens New York?

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

Kew Gardens, Queens

Kew Gardens is a neighborhood in the central area of the New York City borough of Queens. Kew Gardens, shaped roughly like a triangle, is bounded to the north by Union Turnpike and the Jackie Robinson Parkway (formerly the Interboro Parkway), to the east by Van Wyck Expressway and 131st Street, to the south by Hillside Avenue, and to the west by Park Lane, Abingdon Road, and 118th Street. Forest Park and the neighborhood of Forest Hills are to the west, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park north, Richmond Hill south, Briarwood southeast, and Kew Gardens Hills east.

Kew Gardens was one of seven planned garden communities built in Queens from the late 19th century to 1950.[5] Much of the area was acquired in 1868 by Englishman Albon P. Man, who developed the neighborhood of Hollis Hill to the south, chiefly along Jamaica Avenue, while leaving the hilly land to the north undeveloped.[6]

Maple Grove Cemetery on Kew Gardens Road opened in 1875. A Long Island Rail Road station was built for mourners in October and trains stopped there from mid-November. The station was named Hopedale, after Hopedale Hall, a hotel located at what is now Queens Boulevard and Union Turnpike. In the 1890s, the executors of Man's estate laid out the Queens Bridge Golf Course on the hilly terrains south of the railroad. This remained in use until it was bisected in 1908 by the main line of the Long Island Rail Road, which had been moved 600 feet (180 m) to the south to eliminate a curve. The golf course was then abandoned and a new station was built in 1909 on Lefferts Boulevard. Man's heirs, Aldrick Man and Albon Man Jr., decided to lay out a new community and called it at first Kew and then Kew Gardens after the well-known botanical gardens in England.[2] The architects of the development favored English and neo-Tudor styles, which still predominate in many sections of the neighborhood.

Select the Right Medical Assistant Course Kew Gardens NY

Kew Gardens NY medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Whether you’re goal is to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must obtain the right info on available programs prior to making your selection. 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 covered in this article, make certain that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Clinical Medical Assistant. But regardless of the type of credential that you plan 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 best program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Kew Gardens NY.