How Long Does It Take To Be A Medical Assistant Leesburg VA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training Program near Leesburg Virginia

Leesburg VA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to enter the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Leesburg VA, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you undertake evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the ideal one? A number of potential students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then gravitate 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 important factors as well. You might decide to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a college you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that process, we have provided a few questions that you should ask each of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are available.

The Function of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Leesburg VA nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Basically their function is to make sure that the Leesburg VA clinics, hospitals 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 providing direct assistance 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 possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Supplying basic support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are qualified to under Virginia law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options available 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 Training

Compared to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Leesburg VA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two options available for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain 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 ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at community and junior colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local medical practice. 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 related field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Leesburg VA There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are a good option for those who might not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue to work full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized as well. But bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can often be completed in Leesburg VA area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this method of receiving your training may be the right option for you. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary 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 an excellent idea for those who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in getting employment after graduation, but it can also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Leesburg VA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available also, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Leesburg VA medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to determine which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. After those selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many potential students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Leesburg VA with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you must examine when researching programs. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make certain that the college you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the approved 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 one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many potential Leesburg VA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To begin with, you need to find out which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will need to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally programs with lower rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Available? As we covered earlier, there are generally two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is about 1 year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require about 2 years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, confirm that the schools you are considering provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? A large number of medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Leesburg VA area medical providers. They are an excellent method to obtain hands-on practical training and experience. They may also help students develop relationships within the Leesburg healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Offered? Landing that very first job may be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Leesburg VA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a program to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s important that the college you select provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Leesburg VA, make sure that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will still need to schedule all internships or practical training that may be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Leesburg Virginia?

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

Leesburg, Virginia

Leesburg is a historic town within and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia. Leesburg is 33 miles (53 km) west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River.[4] Its population according to the 2016 United States Census is 52,607. [1] The town is also the northwestern terminus of the Dulles Greenway, a private toll road that connects to the Dulles Toll Road at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Leesburg, like the rest of Loudoun, has undergone considerable growth and development over the last 30 years, transforming from a small, rural, piedmont town to a suburban bedroom community for commuters to the national capital. Growth in the town and its immediate area to the east (Lansdowne/Ashburn) concentrates along the Dulles Greenway and State Route 7, which roughly parallels the Potomac River between Winchester to the west and Alexandria to the east.

Leesburg was named to honor the influential Thomas Lee and not, as is popular belief, his son Francis Lightfoot Lee who lived in Loudoun and brought up the bill to establish Leesburg, nor as is sometimes thought, Robert E. Lee (his great-grandnephew).

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant School Leesburg VA

Leesburg VA medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant college that will furnish the right training. Whether you’re objective is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the right info on available programs before making your selection. There are so many schools offering training these days that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in How Long Does It Take To Be A Medical Assistant. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget 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 begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Leesburg VA.