Becoming A Medical Assistant Mc Keesport PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Program near Mc Keesport Pennsylvania

Mc Keesport PA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Mc Keesport PA, it’s time to select a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the best one? A number of prospective students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors also. You may decide to look into several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that task, we have furnished a few questions that you should ask each of the schools on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are available.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Mc Keesport PA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their role is ensure that the Mc Keesport PA hospitals, clinics and other medical care institutions where they work run efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

Although medical assistants can perform almost any task they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the choices offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training Programs

Compared to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Mc Keesport PA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are essentially two choices offered for a formal education. The first and quickest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about one year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are typically two year programs offered at junior and community colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They frequently have a practical component requiring an internship with a local medical 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 related field.

Medical Assistant Online Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Mc Keesport PA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online also. 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 accessible at home. This is a particularly good alternative for students who continue working full time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, many online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be reduced also. But remember that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be completed in Mc Keesport PA area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your training might be the ideal choice for you. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for individuals who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in securing a job after graduation, but it can also help with initial salary negotiations. Many possible Mc Keesport PA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and perhaps 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 thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered as well, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Mc Keesport PA medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school options, you have to determine which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. Once those decisions have been made, you can start the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, a number of students confine their searches to the colleges that are closest to Mc Keesport PA with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you should examine when evaluating schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about all of the programs you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many great reasons to make certain that the program you select is accredited. First, 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 agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Also, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Mc Keesport 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 develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to find out which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to choose a program targeting that certification. Second, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with lower rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are basically two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose 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 1 year. Or you can opt to acquire an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take approximately 2 years to accomplish in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are looking at offer the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Mc Keesport PA area health care providers. They are an excellent means to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students develop relationships within the Mc Keesport medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Assistance Furnished? Finding that first job can be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Mc Keesport PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also indicates that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual attention you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If possible, try to attend a few classes before selecting a program to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full time, it’s imperative that the college you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Mc Keesport PA, 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 may be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Mc Keesport Pennsylvania?

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

McKeesport, Pennsylvania

McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania; it is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census.[3] By population, it is Allegheny County's second-largest city, after Pittsburgh.

Originally part of Versailles Township, McKeesport was incorporated as a borough in 1842 and as a city in 1891. Its population grew steadily until the mid-20th century, when it peaked in the 1940s. The city's population in 1900 was 34,227; in 1910, 42,694; in 1920, 45,975; and in 1940, 55,355. The decrease in the population since the 1940s is attributable to the general economic malaise that descended upon the region when the steelmaking industry moved elsewhere. The major employer was the National Tube Works, a manufacturer of iron pipes, which once employed 10,000 men. McKeesport was the site of the first G. C. Murphy five-and-ten-cent store.

David McKee emigrated from Scotland and was the first permanent white settler at the forks of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers, the site of present-day McKeesport, in 1755. The Colonial Government granted to him exclusive right of ferrage over those rivers on April 3, 1769, called "McKee's Port "[4]

Select the Best Medical Assistant Training Mc Keesport PA

Mc Keesport PA medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant school that will furnish the appropriate training. Whether you’re planning to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you must get the appropriate info on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of schools offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Becoming A Medical Assistant. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the best program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Mc Keesport PA.