How to Choose a Medical Assistant School near Tarboro North Carolina
Now that you have decided to join the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Tarboro NC, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the right one? Most future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences 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 want to research some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a college you need to finish your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are assessing. And to assist you with that process, we have included a few questions that you need to ask each of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are available.
The Function of a Medical Assistant
The job of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Basically their function is to make sure that the Tarboro NC clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions where they work run successfully. Based on the type or size of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the many duties of a medical assistant include:
- Completing insurance forms and filing claims
- Scheduling and verifying 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
Even though medical assistants can carry out almost any activity they are qualified to under North Carolina law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the choices available are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
Medical Assistant Courses
Compared to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Tarboro NC health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about 1 year to complete, a few as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs available at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a practical component involving an internship with a local healthcare 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.
Online Medical Assistant Schools
There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. They are an excellent option for those who might 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 pursuing their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, many online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be lessened also. But keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be completed in Tarboro NC area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your training may be the right choice for you. Between the online courses and the practical training, everything needed 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 requirement, but is a good idea for graduates who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting employment after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. Many possible Tarboro NC medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate 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 previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.
Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Programs
Before you can start evaluating 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 selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, some students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Tarboro NC 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 evaluating schools. To help you with that task, following are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate selection.
Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are several great reasons to ensure that the school you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both extensive 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 program is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Also, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many prospective Tarboro NC employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.
What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you must find out which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will want to enroll in a program concentrating on that certification. Second, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally programs with low rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.
Which Credentials are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can decide to acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require approximately two years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, verify that the colleges you are considering provide the type of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Offered? Numerous medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Tarboro NC area health care providers. They are a great method to obtain hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also help students develop relationships within the Tarboro health care community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.
Is Job Placement Support Provided? Getting that first job can be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Tarboro NC area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in jobs.
How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indicator of how much personal instruction you will get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to attend a couple of classes before choosing a program to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.
Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s essential that the school you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Tarboro NC, confirm 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 practical training that will be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of illness, work or family responsibilities.
Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Tarboro North Carolina?
If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Tarboro NC area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.
Tarboro, North Carolina
Tarboro is a town located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Rocky Mount Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 11,415.[4] It is the county seat of Edgecombe County.[5] Tarboro is located near the western edge of North Carolina's coastal plain. It has many historical churches, some dating from the early 19th century.
Tarboro was chartered by British colonists in 1760. Located in a bend of the Tar River, it was an important river port, the head of navigation on the Tar just east of the fall line of the Piedmont. As early as the 1730s, a small European-American community developed around this natural asset. Its warehouse, customs office and other commercial concerns, together with a score of "plain and cheap" houses, made a bustling village.
The locals were a scrappy bunch, and gave the early governors and their agents a hard time. Edgecombe County residents came down hard on the side of the American Revolution, many serving as officers in the Continental Army. One such was Thomas Blount (1759–1812), whose handsome plantation house "The Grove" has been restored and is open for tours on a daily basis. A very young officer, Blount was captured during the Revolution and sent to England as a prisoner of war. After his return to North Carolina, he participated in one of the largest merchant/shipping companies in late 18th-century America.
Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Training Tarboro NC
It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in health care 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 before making your decision. There are such a large number of schools offering training these days that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged agency, for example 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 Medical Assistant Classes. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan 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 choosing the best program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Tarboro NC.
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