Tag Archives: Top Accredited Medical Assistant Courses Rio Verde AZ 85263

Accredited Medical Assistant Programs Rio Verde AZ

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Training Program near Rio Verde Arizona

Rio Verde AZ medical assistant checking pulseNow that you have decided to join the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Rio Verde AZ, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the proper training. But just how do you undertake evaluating and comparing schools so that you subsequently enroll in the best one? Many prospective students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important issues also. You may choose to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you must complete your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to help you with that task, we have included a few questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Rio Verde AZ nursing home patientThe duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their role is to make sure that the Rio Verde AZ hospitals, clinics and other medical care institutions where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

  • Completing insurance forms and filing claims
  • Setting and confirming appointments
  • Weighing and taking patients vital signs
  • Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
  • Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
  • Providing general support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any task they are qualified to under Arizona law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and earn certification. Two of the choices 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 Education

In contrast to many other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Rio Verde AZ health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about a year to finish, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to attain an Associate Degree, which are typically two year programs available at community and junior colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more extensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a practical component requiring an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Rio Verde AZThere are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are a good alternative for individuals who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue working full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, many online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Supplemental costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened as well. But keep in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be completed in Rio Verde AZ area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your training might be the best option for you. With the online lessons and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for those who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Rio Verde AZ medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained 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). In order to sit for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Rio Verde AZ medical assistant programsPrior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to choose which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. Once those selections have been made, you can begin the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Rio Verde AZ with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you need to look at when assessing schools. To help you with that process, following are some questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to make sure that the school you choose is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to complete 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 agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many prospective Rio Verde AZ employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To begin with, you need to learn 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 naturally you will need to choose a program focused on that certification. Next, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally schools with low rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate 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 elect to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require about two years to finish in a junior college or trade school. Whatever program you choose to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are looking at provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Rio Verde AZ area health care providers. They are a great method to receive hands-on practical training and experience. They can also help students establish relationships within the Rio Verde health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Provided? Landing that very first job may be a challenging undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Rio Verde AZ area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might be an indication 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 face to face interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a couple of classes before enrolling in a college to witness what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s important that the school you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Rio Verde AZ, make sure that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will still have to schedule all internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Rio Verde Arizona?

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

Rio Verde, Arizona

The area surrounding the Rio Verde community, northeast of Scottsdale, was settled by small farmers in the 1880s, who grew hay and alfalfa to provide for the nearby Fort McDowell[3]US Army camp (1865–1890) (now the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation[4]). In the late 1890s, Frank Asher and William W. Moore acquired several of the small farm plots on the Verde River, combining them into what became the Box Bar Ranch; Moore later bought out Asher's interest. After his death in 1929, Moore's sons, Glen and Lin Moore, operated the Box Bar as a partnership, under the name "Moore Bros Cattle Co.", with grazing leases both east and west of the Verde River. Lin Moore also ran the X2 Ranch, known as "Moore's Well", 12 miles (19 km) to the west, where he and his wife, Ada Lucille, had homesteaded in the 1920s. William Moore's father, Ransom B. Moore, had emigrated to Arizona from California in 1883 and ranched for many years on the Reno Ranch, just west of the community of Punkin Center, Arizona. Ransom Moore, founder of what is now Banning, California, also served as Gila County's delegate to the 16th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly in 1891.

The "Asher Hills" were named for Frank Asher, who had been Glen Moore's brother-in-law and William Moore's partner for a time. The granddaughter of Asher's wife Ella, Jacque Mercer, was selected as Miss Arizona and then Miss America in 1949. There is now an Asher Hills Road in far North Scottsdale, AZ.

In 1954 the Moore brothers retired from the active cattle business and sold the ranch and their holdings to the Page Land & Cattle Co. (Lin Moore retained the X2 Ranch; after his death in 1960, his widow continued to operate the X2 until selling it in 1970). The Moores' descendants, including historian Wyatt James, still reside in Maricopa County. A portion of Lin & Lucille Moore's homestead property on the foothills to the south, known as "The Ochoa Place" has recently been incorporated into the expanding McDowell Mountains McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Pick the Best Medical Assistant College Rio Verde AZ

Rio Verde AZ medical assistant studentIt’s important to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant school that will provide the right training. Regardless if you’re goal is to launch a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the appropriate information on available programs before making your selection. There are so many schools offering training these days that you can make a selection 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 an acknowledged agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Accredited Medical Assistant Programs. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan 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 provided so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Rio Verde AZ.

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