Medical Assistant Overview Suffolk VA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Training Program near Suffolk Virginia

Suffolk VA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Suffolk VA, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? A number of potential students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues also. You may decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are assessing. And to assist you with that process, we have provided several questions that you should ask all 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 training and credentials that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Suffolk VA nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Primarily their duty is to make sure that the Suffolk VA clinics, hospitals and other medical care facilities where they work operate efficiently. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but may also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any task they are authorized to under Virginia law, some choose to specialize in a specific area and earn 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 many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, many Suffolk VA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about a year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges in addition to vocational and technical schools. They are more expansive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They often have a practical element involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly 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 Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Suffolk VA There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online as well. They are an excellent option for individuals who might not have the time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good option for students who continue to work full time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, many online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be reduced as well. But bear in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be completed in Suffolk VA area health care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your training might be the right option for you. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent idea for individuals who wish to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Many possible Suffolk VA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. Among the most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Suffolk VA medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school options, you must determine which type of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Suffolk VA with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you must look at when evaluating schools. To assist you with that task, below are some questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to make certain that the school you enroll in 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 intend to become certified, you must 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 one of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective Suffolk VA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then of course you will need to select a program concentrating on that certification. Second, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Obviously schools with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to finish in a junior college or vocational school. Whatever program you decide to enroll in, make certain that the schools you are reviewing offer the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Offered? A large number of medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Suffolk VA area health care providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students develop relationships within the Suffolk medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Offered? Landing that initial job can be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Suffolk VA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will receive during your training. Small 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 monitor a few classes before selecting a program to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full-time, it’s essential that the program you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Suffolk VA, make certain that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will still need to schedule all internships or practical training that might be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Suffolk Virginia?

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

Suffolk, Virginia

Suffolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2017 census, the estimated population was 90,237[3] It is the largest city in Virginia by boundary land area as well as the 14th largest in the country.

Suffolk is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area which also includes the independent cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, as well as other smaller cities, counties, and towns of Hampton Roads. With miles of waterfront property on the Nansemond and James River, present day Suffolk was formed in 1974 after consolidating with Nansemond County and the towns of Holland and Whaleyville. The current mayor is Linda T. Johnson.[4]

Suffolk was founded by English colonists in 1742 as a port town on the Nansemond River in the Virginia Colony. Originally known as Constant's Warehouse, for settler John Constant, Suffolk was renamed after Royal Governor William Gooch's home of Suffolk, a county in East Anglia, England. Before European contact, indigenous American tribes had lived in the region for thousands of years. At the time of English settlement, the Nansemond Indians lived along the river. In the early colonial years, the English cultivated tobacco as a commodity crop, but later turned to mixed farming. It became the county seat of Nansemond County in 1750.

Select the Best Medical Assistant College Suffolk VA

Suffolk VA medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re goal is to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to get the right information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of schools offering training these days that you can make a decision based upon 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, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Overview. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can ultimately start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Suffolk VA.