Online Medical Assistant Programs Orem UT - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School Program near Orem Utah

Orem UT medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to become a part of the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Orem UT, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing schools so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? Many potential students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues as well. You might choose to look into some online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you need to finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are evaluating. And to assist you with that process, we have furnished some questions that you need to ask each of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are available.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Orem UT nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Basically their role is ensure that the Orem UT clinics, hospitals and other medical care facilities where they work operate successfully. 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 tasked with providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the many duties 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 fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Providing basic support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants can perform almost any activity they are qualified to under Utah law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the options 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 Courses

Compared to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, many Orem UT health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally two options available for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about one year to complete, 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 option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a practical element involving an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Orem UT There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good alternative for students who continue to work full-time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, some online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be lessened also. Just keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be performed in Orem UT area health care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this method of getting your training may be the right choice for you. With the online courses and the practical 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 requirement, but is a good choice for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a job after graduation, but it can also help with initial salary negotiations. Some potential Orem UT medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. Among 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). To qualify to sit for the CMA examination, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Orem UT medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school options, you must determine which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many potential students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Orem UT with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should explore when assessing schools. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several great reasons to confirm that the program you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee 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 acknowledged agencies for accreditation are the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). If your school is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Orem UT employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, 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 instance, then of course you will want to select a program focused on that certification. Next, learn what the school’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. Naturally schools with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is about 1 year. Or you can opt to acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, make certain that the colleges you are reviewing offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Orem UT area medical providers. They are a great way to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students establish relationships within the Orem medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Getting that first job can be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Orem UT area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator of how much personal attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to attend a couple of classes before enrolling in a school to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full time, it’s important that the school you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Orem UT, confirm that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will also need to schedule all internships or practical training that will 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 Orem Utah?

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

Orem, Utah

Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about 45 miles (72 km) south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and Juab counties. The population was 84,324 at the 2000 census, while the 2010 population was 88,328[5] making it the fifth-largest city in Utah. Utah Valley University is located in Orem. The Orem Owlz of the minor league baseball Pioneer League play their home games at the college.

Orem uses the slogan "Family City USA." In 2010 Forbes rated it the 5th best place to raise a family.[6] Also, Time magazine rated the Provo-Orem area as the best place to live for spiritual well-being, due to a high population of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[7] At one time the area was known as Sharon, a Biblical name for a mostly level strip of land running between mountains and the sea, and the name of the Vermont birth town of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.[8] Another former name was Provo Bench. In an apparent attempt to attract more investment to the town and provide an easy way for the large population of farmers with orchards to ship produce, in 1914 it was named after Walter C. Orem, President of the Salt Lake and Utah Railroad in the early 1900s.[9] Orem was incorporated on May 5, 1919.

As of 2011 the 88,112 residents of Orem had a racial and ethnic composition of 89.3% white, 0.9% black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islanders, 4% non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 2.9% two or more races reported and 14.8% Hispanic, as Orem has a large Mexican American community with other Latinos residing in the city. This contrasts with the census[1] of 2000, which showed a racial makeup of 90.80% White, 0.33% African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.86% Pacific Islander, 3.64% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.56% of the population. The 2000 Census counted 84,324 people, 23,382 households, and 19,079 families. The population density at that time was 4,572.6 people per square mile (1,765.6/km²). There were 24,166 housing units at an average density of 1,310.4 per square mile (506.0/km²). There were 23,382 households out of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 3.93.

Pick the Right Medical Assistant Training Program Orem UT

Orem UT medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will provide the proper training. Regardless if you’re planning to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the appropriate information 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 on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you decide on is accredited by an acknowledged 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 Online Medical Assistant Programs. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend 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 so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the best program you can ultimately begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Orem UT.