Medical Assistant Study Kintnersville PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training Program near Kintnersville Pennsylvania

Kintnersville PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to join the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Kintnersville PA, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? Many future students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues also. You might want to research several online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the colleges you are assessing. And to assist you with that process, we have furnished some questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Duties of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Kintnersville PA nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their duty is to make sure that the Kintnersville PA clinics, hospitals and other medical care facilities where they work operate successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. Some of the potential functions of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Supplying general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any task they are authorized to under Pennsylvania law, some choose to specialize in a specific area and earn certification. Two of the choices offered 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

In contrast to most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Kintnersville PA health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about 1 year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the fundamentals 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 offered at junior and community colleges as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a clinical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Kintnersville PA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good alternative for students who continue working full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened also. Just remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be completed in Kintnersville PA area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this approach to getting your training may be the best option for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for graduates who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing a job after graduation, but it might also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. A number of potential Kintnersville PA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA examination, a candidate must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered also, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Kintnersville PA medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school options, you need to determine which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. After those selections have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many prospective students restrict their searches to the colleges that are closest to Kintnersville PA with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you need to look at when researching schools. To help you with that task, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several good reasons to make certain that the college you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you must 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 program is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Also, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Kintnersville PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to select a program concentrating on that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with lower rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose 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 one year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require about 2 years to complete in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Kintnersville PA area medical providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on practical experience and training. They may also assist students develop relationships within the Kintnersville medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Furnished? Landing that first job can be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Kintnersville PA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator 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 provide greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to sit in on a few classes before choosing a school to observe what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s important that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Kintnersville PA, make sure that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will also need to schedule any clinical training or internships that might be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Kintnersville Pennsylvania?

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

Palisades High School (Pennsylvania)

Palisades High School is a public high school in Kintnersville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the only public high school that serves the Palisades School District, with students coming from Tinicum, Nockamixon, Springfield, Durham, and Bridgeton Townships and the borough of Riegelsville.

The school serves grades 9-12. Many students take online courses taught by Palisades teachers to obtain credit in a specified course. Online classes offered currently include 12th grade English, Global Perspectives, Health, Biology, and Algebra.

Pick the Right Medical Assistant Training Kintnersville PA

Kintnersville PA medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will furnish the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re planning to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to acquire the right info on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training these days that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Study. But irrespective 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 compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can ultimately start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Kintnersville PA.