Medical Assistant Colleges Westtown PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant School near Westtown Pennsylvania

Westtown PA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Westtown PA, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently pick the right one? Most future students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors as well. You may choose to take a look at 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 complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are assessing. And to help you with that task, we have provided several questions that you should ask all of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Duties of Medical Assistants

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

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Providing general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants can carry out almost any activity they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and earn certification. Two of the options 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 Programs

Unlike many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Westtown PA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally 2 choices offered for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about a year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges in addition to vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often have a practical element involving an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Westtown PA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are an excellent option for individuals who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue to work full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be minimized also. But remember that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be carried out in Westtown PA area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your education might be the best option for you. With the online lessons and the practical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good idea for individuals who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a job after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. A number of potential Westtown PA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. One of 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). In order to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Westtown PA medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to choose which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Westtown PA with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you should look at when assessing schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to verify that the program you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure 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 either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan 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 potential Westtown PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must learn which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to select a program concentrating on that certification. Second, find out what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the means to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Of course programs with lower rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are generally two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can select 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 closer to 1 year. Or you can elect to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about 2 years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are considering provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Offered? A large number of medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Westtown PA area medical care providers. They are an excellent method to receive hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also assist students establish relationships within the Westtown healthcare community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Furnished? Finding that 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 schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Westtown PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indicator of how much personal attention you will receive throughout 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 practical, try to attend a couple of classes before choosing a school to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full time, it’s imperative that the college you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Westtown PA, make certain that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will also have to schedule all internships or clinical training that may be required. Also, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Westtown Pennsylvania?

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

Westtown School

Founded in 1799 by the Religious Society of Friends, Westtown’s Campus is located in Chester County, PA, 25 miles west of Philadelphia. In 1799, Westtown was around one day’s carriage ride from Philadelphia.

Westtown is a Quaker school affiliated with the Friends General Conference branch of the Religious Society of Friends. All students are required to attend Meeting for Worship together with adults in the community who voluntarily attend (boarding students are required to attend Westtown Monthly Meeting on Sundays as well). Westtown uses the traditional Quaker practice of coming to unity in making some high-level decisions.

Westtown School first opened in May 1799. It was founded by Philadelphia Quakers who raised the money to build a boarding school and purchased land a full day’s carriage ride from Philadelphia—where they could provide a “guarded education in a healthy environment" away from the secular influences of the city. For many years, Westtown was nearly self-sufficient, with the campus providing raw materials used in the construction of its buildings and food for the people who lived and worked at the school.

Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant Course Westtown PA

Westtown PA medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant college that will provide the right training. Regardless if you’re planning to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you must acquire the right information on available programs before making your selection. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have covered in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Colleges. 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, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can subsequently begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Westtown PA.