What Is A Certified Medical Assistant El Paso TX - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant School near El Paso Texas

El Paso TX medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near El Paso TX, it’s time to select a college that will provide the right training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? A number of prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues as well. You may want to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have included several questions that you need to ask each of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Function of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with El Paso TX nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Essentially their duty is to make sure that the El Paso TX hospitals, clinics and other medical care institutions where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the type or size of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. A few of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

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

While medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are qualified to under Texas law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the options 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 Programs

Compared to most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many El Paso TX health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two choices provided for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about a year to complete, 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 alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges in addition to trade and vocational 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 clinical element involving an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in El Paso TX There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are a good option for students who might not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, some online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be reduced as well. But remember that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be performed in El Paso TX area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this method of receiving your education might be the right option for you. Between the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent choice for individuals who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in attaining a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of possible El Paso TX medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. Among the most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available as well, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask El Paso TX medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school options, you need to decide which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. After those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, some potential students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to El Paso TX with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you must explore when assessing schools. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are many great reasons to make sure that the program you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved 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 either of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective El Paso TX employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you need to learn which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will want to select a program targeting that certification. Next, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously schools with low rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can opt to earn an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require approximately two years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are looking at provide the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with El Paso TX area health care providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also assist students establish relationships within the El Paso health care community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Supplied? Landing that very first job may be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the El Paso TX area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much personal attention 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 teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to sit in on a couple of classes before selecting a program to observe what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full-time, it’s essential that the program you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near El Paso TX, make certain that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will also have to schedule all clinical training or internships that may be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near El Paso Texas?

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

El Paso, Texas

El Paso (/ɛl ˈpæsoʊ/; from Spanish, "The Pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County, situated in the far western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. As of July 1, 2017, the population estimate for the city from the U.S. Census was 683,577.[3] Its U.S. metropolitan area covers all of El Paso and Hudspeth counties in Texas, and has a population of 844,818.[3] The El Paso metropolitan area forms part of the larger El Paso–Las Cruces CSA, with a population of 1,053,267.[6]

El Paso stands on the Rio Grande across the Mexico–United States border from Ciudad Juárez, the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The two cities, along with Las Cruces in the neighboring U.S. state of New Mexico, form a combined international metropolitan area sometimes referred to as the Paso del Norte or El Paso–Juárez–Las Cruces. The region of over 2.7 million people constitutes the largest bilingual and binational work force in the Western Hemisphere.[7][8]

The city is the headquarters of Western Refining, a Fortune 500 company, and three publicly traded companies,[9] as well as home to the Medical Center of the Americas,[10] the only medical research and care provider complex in West Texas and Southern New Mexico,[11] and the University of Texas at El Paso, the city's primary university. The city hosts the annual Sun Bowl college football post-season game, the second oldest bowl game in the country.[12]

Choose the Right Medical Assistant School El Paso TX

El Paso TX medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Whether you’re objective is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you must obtain the right 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 decision based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in What Is A Certified Medical Assistant. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the right program you can ultimately begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in El Paso TX.