Medical Assistant Degree Glassport PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Program near Glassport Pennsylvania

Glassport PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to enter the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Glassport PA, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick the right one? A number of potential students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then gravitate 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 factors as well. You may decide to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you must finish your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are assessing. And to assist you with that task, we have furnished some questions that you need to ask all of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are offered.

The Duties of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Glassport PA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Basically their function is ensure that the Glassport PA hospitals, clinics and other medical care centers where they work operate successfully. 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 support to the physicians, nurses and other health practitioners but may also be found performing duties 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
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Giving general support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can carry out almost any activity they are authorized to under Pennsylvania law, some elect to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the choices offered 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

Unlike most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Glassport PA health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically 2 options available for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about 1 year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are typically two year programs provided at junior and community colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Glassport PA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online too. They are a good choice for those 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 earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, many online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be minimized as well. Just bear in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be carried out in Glassport PA area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this method of getting your education may be the right option for you. With 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 previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent idea for graduates who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in getting a position after graduation, but it may also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Glassport PA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Glassport PA medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must determine which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. After those decisions have been made, you can start the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, some students restrict their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Glassport PA with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you should examine when evaluating programs. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to confirm that the college you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many prospective Glassport PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must determine which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are planning on 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 ways to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with low rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Offered? As we previously covered, there are generally two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is about 1 year. Or you can elect to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about two years to finish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, verify that the colleges you are reviewing offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Glassport PA area healthcare providers. They are a great means to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also help students establish relationships within the Glassport medical community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Furnished? Finding that very first job can be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Glassport PA 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 health care community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indication of how much personal instruction you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a program to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full time, it’s important that the school you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Glassport PA, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will also need to schedule any internships or practical training that might be required. Additionally, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Glassport Pennsylvania?

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

Glassport, Pennsylvania

Glassport is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Pittsburgh and the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers where they form the Ohio River. Glassport lies along the east side of the Monongahela River in the "Mon valley", where many blue-collar municipalities have suffered severe economic decline in the wake of the loss of steel-making throughout the Greater Pittsburgh area. In 1910, the population of Glassport was 5,540. By 1940, it had risen to 8,748, but has since declined to 4,483 as of the 2010 census.[1]

School tax millage rate- The South Allegheny SD (shared with three other municipalities) in 2017 was 17.24. This ranked 41st highest/most expensive out of Allegheny County's 45 school districts, between McKeesport SD (40th highest) and Chartiers Valley SD (42nd highest).[4]

Glassport is located at 40°19′37″N 79°53′19″W / 40.326919°N 79.888693°W / 40.326919; -79.888693Coordinates: 40°19′37″N 79°53′19″W / 40.326919°N 79.888693°W / 40.326919; -79.888693.[5]

Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Program Glassport PA

Glassport PA medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if 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 acquire the appropriate info on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, make certain that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged agency, 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 Medical Assistant Degree. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Glassport PA.