How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Training Program near Marlow Oklahoma
Once you have made a decision to become a part of the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Marlow OK, it’s time to select a college that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical factors as well. You might want to look into some online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that process, we have included some questions that you should ask each 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 type of credentials and training that are offered.
The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant
The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their role is ensure that the Marlow OK hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work operate successfully. Depending on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but may also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the many duties of a medical assistant include:
- Filling out 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
While medical assistants can perform almost any duty they are qualified to under Oklahoma law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and attain 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 Training Programs
In contrast to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Marlow OK health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally 2 options available for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about a year to complete, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created 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 two year programs provided at community and junior colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.
Medical Assistant Online Programs
There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online as well. They are a good choice for students who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced also. Just remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be performed in Marlow OK area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your training might be the right choice for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.
Certification Programs for Medical Assistants
As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good option for graduates who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting a job after graduation, but it can also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of potential Marlow OK medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. 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 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 offered as well, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.
What to Ask Medical Assistant Programs
Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must determine which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. Once those decisions have been made, you can begin the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Marlow OK with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you need to examine when assessing schools. To assist you with that process, below are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.
Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to confirm that the school you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in 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 one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many prospective Marlow OK employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.
What is the School’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with lower rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.
Which Credentials are Available? As we previously covered, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can decide to acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require approximately 2 years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are considering offer the type of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Marlow OK area medical providers. They are an excellent means to get hands-on practical training and experience. They may also assist students establish relationships within the Marlow medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.
Is Job Placement Service Offered? Finding that initial job may be a daunting undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Marlow OK area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.
How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much personal instruction you will get throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to attend a couple of classes before selecting a college to observe what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students get.
Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full-time, it’s important that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Marlow OK, make certain that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will still have to schedule all internships or practical training that will be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family responsibilities.
Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Marlow Oklahoma?
If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Marlow OK area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.
Marlow, Oklahoma
Marlow is located in northern Stephens County, Oklahoma, in the southern part of the state, at 34°38′36″N 97°57′32″W / 34.64333°N 97.95889°W / 34.64333; -97.95889 (34.643410, -97.958806).[3]
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,662 people, 1,862 households, and 1,257 families residing in the city.[6] The population density was 657 people per square mile (253/km²). There were 2,119 housing units at an average density of 298.5 per square mile (115/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.2% white, 0.2% African American, 5.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races.[6]Hispanics or Latinos were 4.4% of the population, having doubled since 2000.
There were 1,862 households out of which half (50.1%) were married couples, a third (34.3%) included children under the age of 18, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families.[6] Less than a third (28.9) of households were made up of individuals; 14.5% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[6] The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.[6]
Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Training Marlow OK
It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must get the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, verify that the program you choose is accredited by an acknowledged organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Accredited Medical Assistant Programs Online. But irrespective of the kind 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 supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can subsequently begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Marlow OK.
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