Medical Assistant Qualifications Riegelsville PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Program near Riegelsville Pennsylvania

Riegelsville PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to join the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Riegelsville PA, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing schools so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? Many future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues also. You may choose to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you must carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the colleges you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have included several questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Responsibilities of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Riegelsville PA nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their function is ensure that the Riegelsville PA clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers where they work operate efficiently. 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 providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Providing basic support during exams and procedures

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

Medical Assistant Education

In contrast to most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Riegelsville PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically 2 choices available for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about one year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs available at junior and community colleges together with trade and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They often have a clinical element involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Riegelsville PA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are an excellent choice for students who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good option 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 may be minimized as well. Just keep in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be performed in Riegelsville PA area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to getting your education might be the ideal choice for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent option for those who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in attaining employment after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Riegelsville PA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered 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. Alternative certifications are available also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Riegelsville PA medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school options, you must choose which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of potential students restrict their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Riegelsville PA with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional issues that you need to explore when evaluating programs. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to verify that the program you choose is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to enroll in 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 school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Riegelsville PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must find out which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will want to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Second, ask 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 assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course programs with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about 1 year. Or you can opt to obtain an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take approximately 2 years to accomplish in a community college or vocational school. Whatever program you choose to pursue, make sure that the schools you are looking at offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Riegelsville PA area medical care providers. They are an excellent means to get hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students build relationships within the Riegelsville healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Landing that very first job may be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Riegelsville 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 an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indicator of how much personal instruction you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a few classes before enrolling in a program to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full time, it’s essential that the college you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Riegelsville PA, confirm that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will still need to schedule all internships or clinical training that may be required. Additionally, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Riegelsville Pennsylvania?

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

Riegelsville, Pennsylvania

Riegelsville is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 868 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden Metropolitan Statistical Area, despite being so closely connected to the Lehigh Valley.

Benjamin Riegel founded Riegelsville. The original, and now historic, Riegelsville Inn that he built in 1838 still stands. This historic stone inn has offered food and lodging to Bucks County travelers for over 160 years. The community was named for the Riegel family, as early landowners; they established paper mills across the river in New Jersey.

With the completion of the Delaware Canal in 1832, the lands along the Delaware River attracted great industrial development. The movement of coal, a major important product of the area, brought capital & investment to Easton. Boats carried coal, stone, iron, crops and goods from the mills along the 60 miles from Easton to Bristol. Along Canal Street grew one of the largest industrial manufacturing centers of America during the 1830s and 1840s. Easton continued to prosper as a center for industry, manufacturing, commerce, and culture at the Forks of the Delaware and along the great rail lines. Between 1904 and 1926, Riegelsville was served by electric passenger and freight trolleys of the Doylestown & Easton Street Railway Company. Riegelsville prospered when the Delaware Canal opened in 1832 with warehouses and factories lining its banks. The canal closed in 1931 after 99 years of service and was replaced by the railroads. Today, Riegelsville is a peaceful and quiet town. Woods and fields border the Delaware Canal; remnants of crumbling stone foundations along its banks are reminders of a busy past.

Pick the Right Medical Assistant Course Riegelsville PA

Riegelsville PA medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will provide the proper training. Whether you’re objective is to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you must get the right info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many schools providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, make certain that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example 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 Medical Assistant Qualifications. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can ultimately start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Riegelsville PA.