How to Select a Medical Assistant School Program near Lovettsville Virginia
Once you have decided to enter the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Lovettsville VA, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? Most prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then gravitate 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 critical issues as well. You might want to look into some 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 finish your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that process, we have provided a few questions that you should ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.
The Job of Medical Assistants
The function of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Basically their job is to make sure that the Lovettsville VA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health professionals but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the many duties of a medical assistant include:
- Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
- Scheduling and verifying appointments
- Weighing and taking patients vital signs
- Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
- Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
- Providing general support during exams and procedures
Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Virginia law, some elect to specialize in a particular area and earn 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 Courses
Compared to most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, a number of Lovettsville VA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally two choices available for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a diploma or a certificate. These programs normally take about 1 year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs available at junior and community colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.
Medical Assistant Online Classes
There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are a good option for individuals who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on campus options. Ancillary costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be minimized also. Just remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be completed in Lovettsville VA area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this method of getting your education might be the best choice for you. Between the online classes and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.
Certification Options for Medical Assistants
As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in attaining a job after graduation, but it might also help with initial salary negotiations. Many possible Lovettsville VA medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not received 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 sit for the CMA examination, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available also, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.
What to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges
Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to determine which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. After those choices have been made, you can start the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of potential students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Lovettsville VA with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you need to examine when researching programs. To assist 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 School Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to make certain that the school you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 one of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, many potential Lovettsville VA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.
What is the School’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you need to find out which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to select a program focused on that certification. Second, find out what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is one of the means to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.
Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and get 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 decide to obtain an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about 2 years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are considering offer the kind of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Offered? A large number of medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Lovettsville VA area medical care providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also help students develop relationships within the Lovettsville health care community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.
Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Getting that first job may be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Lovettsville VA area and find out 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 medical community. It also indicates that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.
How Big are the Classes? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual attention you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide increased access to instructors and face to face interaction. If practical, try to attend a few classes before enrolling in a college to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.
Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full time, it’s imperative that the program you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Lovettsville VA, confirm that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will also have to schedule any internships or practical training that will be required. Additionally, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family responsibilities.
Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Lovettsville Virginia?
If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Lovettsville VA area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.
Lovettsville, Virginia
Lovettsville is a town in Loudoun County, located near the very northern tip of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. Settled primarily by German immigrants, the town was originally established in 1836.
Following the 1722 Treaty of St. Albans which established the Blue Ridge Mountains as the buffer between Native Americans and white settlers, German immigrants began arriving in the northern Loudoun Valley to farm the rich topsoil. They established several villages, many constructed of log and wooden buildings, and began to expand their land holdings. Lovettsville was then called The German Settlement.
In 1820 David Lovett subdivided his property into quarter-acre "city lots." As a result of the ensuing construction boom, the town was called Newtown. In 1828, the town was again renamed Lovettsville. In 1836 the Virginia General Assembly established Lovettsville as a town, but the town was not fully incorporated until 1876.
Pick the Best Medical Assistant School Lovettsville VA
It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re goal 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 get the right info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Qualifications. But irrespective of the type 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 provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can subsequently start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Lovettsville VA.
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