Best Colleges For Medical Assistant New London CT - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant School Program near New London Connecticut

New London CT medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to enter the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near New London CT, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? Most prospective students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important issues as well. You may decide to look into some online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you must carry out your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have provided some questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with New London CT nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their role is to make sure that the New London CT clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the type or size of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other health practitioners but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the potential responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants can carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Connecticut law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and attain 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 Programs

Unlike most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, many New London CT health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are essentially 2 choices offered for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about one year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges in addition to technical and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They often have a clinical component involving an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in New London CT There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. They are a good choice for individuals who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good alternative for students who continue working full time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, a number of online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be reduced as well. But remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be completed in New London CT area health care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your education may be the best option for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good choice for graduates who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting a job after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. A number of possible New London CT medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA examination, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available as well, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask New London CT medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must choose which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. After those decisions have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many potential students restrict their searches to the colleges that are closest to New London CT with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you must look at when assessing schools. To help you with that task, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make sure that the program you choose is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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 organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many prospective New London CT employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must 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 naturally you will need to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the ways to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously schools with low rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and get 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 decide to obtain an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require approximately 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, make sure that the colleges you are looking at offer the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with New London CT area medical providers. They are an excellent method to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also assist students build relationships within the New London health care community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Provided? Getting that first job can be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the New London CT area and ask 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 health care community. It also suggests that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much personal instruction you will get throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to attend a few classes before selecting a school to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full-time, it’s essential that the school you choose offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near New London CT, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will also have to schedule any internships or clinical training that will be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near New London Connecticut?

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

New London, Connecticut

New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades beginning in the early 19th century, along with Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The wealth that whaling brought into the city furnished the capital to fund much of the city's present architecture. The city subsequently became home to other shipping and manufacturing industries, but it has gradually lost most of its industrial heart.

New London is home to the United States Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut College, Mitchell College, and The Williams School. The Coast Guard Station New London and New London Harbor is home port to the Coast Guard Cutter Chinook and the Coast Guard's tall ship Eagle. The city had a population of 27,620 at the 2010 census. The Norwich-New London metropolitan area includes 21 towns and 274,055 people.

The area was called Nameaug by the Pequot Indians. John Winthrop, Jr. founded the first English settlement here in 1646, making it about the 13th town settled in Connecticut. Inhabitants informally referred to it as Nameaug or as Pequot after the tribe. In the 1650s, the colonists wanted to give the town the official name of London after London, England, but the Connecticut General Assembly wanted to name it Faire Harbour. The citizens protested, declaring that they would prefer it to be called Nameaug if it couldn't be officially named London.[3][4] The legislature relented, and the town was officially named New London on March 10, 1658.

Choose the Best Medical Assistant Training Program New London CT

New London CT medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re planning to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you must acquire the appropriate information on available programs before making your decision. There are so many schools providing training nowadays that you can make a selection 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 a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially important 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 regardless of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can ultimately begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in New London CT.