Best Colleges For Medical Assistant Dunn Loring VA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training School near Dunn Loring Virginia

Dunn Loring VA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to enter the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Dunn Loring VA, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently pick the ideal one? A number of future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors also. You might choose to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to help you with that task, we have furnished a few questions that you should ask all 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 type of credentials and training that are available.

The Function of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Dunn Loring VA nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Primarily their job is ensure that the Dunn Loring VA clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical 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. A few of the potential responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting 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 examinations and procedures

While medical assistants can perform almost any activity they are authorized to under Virginia law, some elect to specialize in a specific 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 Courses

Unlike many other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Dunn Loring VA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 options provided for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about one year to finish, a few 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 attain an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs available at community and junior colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a clinical element involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are commonly 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 Dunn Loring VA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. They are an excellent option for students who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good alternative for students who continue to work full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Ancillary expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be reduced also. But bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be performed in Dunn Loring VA area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this method of getting your training might be the ideal choice for you. Between the online classes and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is a good choice for graduates who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Some possible Dunn Loring VA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Dunn Loring VA medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to choose which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can start the procedure of comparing 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 Dunn Loring VA with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you must examine when researching schools. To assist you with that task, below are a few questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are many great reasons to confirm that the college you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training 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 organizations 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 allowed to take the CMA exam. Also, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Dunn Loring VA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must determine which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will want to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the means to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Of course programs with low rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and receive 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 choose to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Numerous medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Dunn Loring VA area healthcare providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also assist students establish relationships within the Dunn Loring health care community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Supplied? Landing that first job can be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Dunn Loring VA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual attention you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to attend a couple of classes before choosing a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full-time, it’s essential that the college you select offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Dunn Loring VA, verify 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 practical training that will be required. Additionally, 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 Dunn Loring Virginia?

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

Dunn Loring, Virginia

Dunn Loring, the earliest platted subdivision in Fairfax County and possibly the Commonwealth of Virginia, was founded in 1886. General William McKee Dunn and his wife Elizabeth Lanier Dunn purchased about 600 acres (2.4 km2) located on the Washington, Ohio and Western Railroad, now the Washington and Old Dominion Regional Trail, from L. B. Clarke and his wife on June 8, 1886. On September 22, 1886, the land was transferred to the Loring Land and Improvement Company, composed of General Dunn, then a retired Army brigadier general and former Judge Advocate General; George B. Loring, a former congressman and Commissioner of Agriculture; and George H. LeFetra, a Washington temperance hotel proprietor. The Town of Dunn Loring was advertised for residential sales in 1887. The Loring Land and Improvement Company built a railroad station and a post office, but shortly thereafter General Dunn died, and the development stagnated. During the Spanish–American War, the founding of Camp Russell A. Alger brought growth and prosperity to Dunn Loring, and among the troops trained at Camp Alger was the celebrated author-poet Carl Sandburg, after whom the present Sandburg Street was named. In 1912, Fairfax Shield McCandlish bought out the interests of the developers, consolidated parcels, and subdivided the land into its current platting. Following World War II, the area began to develop as part of Metropolitan Washington, D.C.[4]

Dunn Loring is located in northeastern Fairfax County at 38°53′31″N 77°13′52″W / 38.89194°N 77.23111°W / 38.89194; -77.23111 (38.891982, −77.231150).[5] It is bordered to the west by the town of Vienna, to the north by Tysons Corner, to the east by the Capital Beltway, and to the south by Interstate 66. Dunn Loring is 14 miles (23 km) west of downtown Washington, D.C.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.1 km2), all of it land.[3] Several perennial streams of Accotink Creek's Long Branch stream run through the subdivision.[6]

Select the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Dunn Loring VA

Dunn Loring VA medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant program that will provide the proper training. Whether you’re objective is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to acquire the appropriate information on available programs before making your decision. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, for example 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 Best Colleges For Medical Assistant. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you intend 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 right program you can subsequently start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Dunn Loring VA.