Accelerated Medical Assistant Programs Allentown PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training Program near Allentown Pennsylvania

Allentown PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to enter the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Allentown PA, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the best one? Many future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues also. You might choose to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you must carry out your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are examining. And to assist you with that process, we have included a few questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Function of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Allentown PA nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their job is to make sure that the Allentown PA hospitals, clinics and other medical care institutions where they work run efficiently. Depending on the type or size 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 at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many responsibilities 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 fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Even though medical assistants can carry out almost any task they are qualified to under Pennsylvania 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) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training Programs

Compared to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, a number of Allentown PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about a year to complete, a few as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs available at community and junior colleges in addition to vocational and technical schools. They are more expansive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a practical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are often 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 Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Allentown PA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. 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 a particularly good option for students who continue to work full time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, many online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened also. But bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be carried out in Allentown PA area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this method of receiving your training may be the best option for you. With the online courses and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for those who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting employment after graduation, but it might also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Many possible Allentown PA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. Among 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). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate 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 CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Allentown PA medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school options, you must choose which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. After those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of prospective students confine their searches to the colleges that are closest to Allentown PA with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you must look at when evaluating schools. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are several good reasons to confirm that the program you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted agencies for accreditation are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). If your program is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Allentown PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to find out which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will want to choose a program focused on that certification. Second, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Of course schools with lower rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are basically two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about 1 year. Or you can choose to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require about two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to pursue, make sure that the schools you are looking at provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Allentown PA area medical care providers. They are an excellent way to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students build relationships within the Allentown healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Offered? Getting that very first job can be a daunting undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Allentown PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will get throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If practical, try to attend a couple of classes before choosing a college to witness what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s essential that the school you choose provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Allentown PA, verify that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will still have to schedule any internships or clinical training that may 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 issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Allentown Pennsylvania?

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

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch: Allenschteddel) is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city and the 231st largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently the fastest growing city in all of Pennsylvania.[9] It is the largest city in the metropolitan area known as the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 821,623 residents as of 2010[update]. Allentown constitutes a portion of the New York City Combined Statistical Area and is the county seat of Lehigh County.[10] In 2012, the city celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding in 1762.[11]

Located on the Lehigh River, Allentown is the largest of three adjacent cities, in Northampton and Lehigh counties, that make up a region of eastern Pennsylvania known as the Lehigh Valley, the other two cities being Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Easton, Pennsylvania.[12] Allentown is 50 miles (80 km) north-northwest of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous[13] city in the United States, 90 miles (140 km) east-northeast of Harrisburg, the state capital, and 90 miles (140 km) west of New York City, the nation's largest city.

The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line (formerly the main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad using former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line trackage), runs through Allentown heading east across the Delaware River. The Norfolk Southern Railway's Reading Line runs through Allentown heading west to Reading, Pennsylvania.

Select the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Allentown PA

Allentown PA medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will provide the appropriate training. Whether 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 must obtain the right information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, make certain that the program you decide on is accredited by an acknowledged agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Accelerated Medical Assistant Programs. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can ultimately start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Allentown PA.