Medical Assistant Schools Near Me Jamestown NC - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant School near Jamestown North Carolina

Jamestown NC medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to join the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Jamestown NC, it’s time to select a college that will provide the right training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently pick the ideal one? A number of prospective students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then gravitate toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues also. You might choose to look into some online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you must complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have provided several questions that you should ask each of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are offered.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Jamestown NC nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their role is to make sure that the Jamestown NC clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities where they work run efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but may also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Giving general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are qualified to under North Carolina law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and earn 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 Training Programs

Compared to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Jamestown NC health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially two options available for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about a year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to attain an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs offered at community and junior colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more expansive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They frequently have a clinical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred 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 Jamestown NC There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are a good choice for individuals who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue to work full time while earning their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, a number of online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus options. Ancillary expenses including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be minimized also. Just remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be carried out in Jamestown NC area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this method of getting your education might be the right option for you. Between the online lessons and the practical training, everything necessary 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 a good choice for those who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in attaining a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Some potential Jamestown NC medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and possibly the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Jamestown NC medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to choose which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, some potential students restrict their searches to the colleges that are closest to Jamestown NC with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you must explore when researching schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several great reasons to verify that the program you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must complete 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 school is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many prospective Jamestown NC employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to determine which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Second, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course programs with low rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can elect to acquire an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Jamestown NC area health care providers. They are a great method to get hands-on practical training and experience. They can also help students develop relationships within the Jamestown medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Supplied? Finding that initial job can be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Jamestown NC area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much personal attention you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to instructors and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to attend a few classes before enrolling in a program to experience what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full time, it’s important that the college you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Jamestown NC, make certain that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online college, but you will also need to schedule all clinical training or internships that might be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Jamestown North Carolina?

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

Jamestown, North Carolina

Jamestown is located in southwestern Guilford County at 35°59′54″N 79°56′9″W / 35.99833°N 79.93583°W / 35.99833; -79.93583 (35.998221, -79.935733).[5] It is bordered to the west by the city of High Point. Downtown Greensboro is 11 miles (18 km) to the northeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2), all of it land.[4] The Deep River, a tributary of the Cape Fear River, flows through the southern part of the town.

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,088 people, 1,229 households, and 924 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,159.0 people per square mile (448.2/km²). There were 1,293 housing units at an average density of 485.3 per square mile (187.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.79% White, 7.97% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.40% Asian, 0.74% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.04% of the population.

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant College Jamestown NC

Jamestown NC medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant school that will furnish the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re goal is to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to get the right information on available programs before making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges offering training these days that you can make a selection based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, verify that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Schools Near Me. But irrespective of the type 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 provided so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can ultimately begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Jamestown NC.