Schools That Offer Medical Assistant Naples FL

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Training School near Naples Florida

Naples FL medical assistant checking pulseOnce you have decided to become a part of the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Naples FL, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? Most future students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues also. You may want to research several online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that process, we have furnished several questions that you should ask all of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Duties of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Naples FL nursing home patientThe duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their duty is ensure that the Naples FL hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work operate successfully. Based 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 tasked with providing direct support to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but may also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

While medical assistants can carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Florida law, some prefer 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) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training Courses

Unlike most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, many Naples FL health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are essentially 2 options available for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about 1 year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs available at junior and community colleges together with trade and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a practical component requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Naples FLThere are many accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are an excellent alternative for individuals 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 alternative for students who continue working full-time while earning their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, many online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced also. Just keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be performed in Naples FL area health care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this mode of receiving your training may be the right choice for you. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent option for individuals who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in securing employment after graduation, but it can also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Naples FL medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. Among 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 apply for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered also, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Naples FL medical assistant programsPrior to examining your medical assistant school options, you must determine which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many prospective students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Naples FL with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you must examine when researching programs. To help you with that task, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are many good reasons to make certain that the college you choose is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged organizations for accreditation are the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). If your program is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Naples FL employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will need to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can opt to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take approximately two years to finish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are looking at provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Offered? Numerous medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Naples FL area healthcare providers. They are a great method to obtain hands-on practical training and experience. They may also help students develop relationships within the Naples healthcare community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Furnished? Finding that very first job can be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Naples FL area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may 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 prone to furnish greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a few classes before choosing a school to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full-time, it’s essential that the school you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Naples FL, confirm that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will also have to schedule any clinical training or internships that might be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Naples Florida?

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

Naples, Florida

Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of 2015, the city's population was about 20,600. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of about 322,000 as of 2015. Naples is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, with the sixth-highest per capita income in the country in 2012,[6] and the second-highest proportion of millionaires per capita in the US.[7]

Before European settlement, the Calusa Indians had dwelt in the region for thousands of years, from Charlotte Harbor to Cape Sable. In 1513, Juan Ponce de León landed in the region and found resistance from the Calusa, which was then followed by nearly 200 years of strife between the Spanish and the Calusa. In the early 1700s, following slaving raids by Uchise Creek and Yamasee Indians allied with the English Province of Carolina, most of the Calusa retreated south and east.[8]

The city of Naples was founded during the late 1880s by former Confederate general and Kentucky U.S. Senator John Stuart Williams and his partner, Louisville businessman Walter N. Haldeman, the publisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal. Throughout the 1870s and '80s, magazine and newspaper stories telling of the area's mild climate and abundant fish and game likened it to the sunny Italian peninsula. The name Naples caught on when promoters described the bay as "surpassing the bay in Naples, Italy". Major development was anticipated after the railroad reaching Naples on January 7, 1927, and the Tamiami Trail linking Naples to Miami was completed in 1928, but did not begin until after the Great Depression and World War II. During the war the U.S. Army Air Forces built a small airfield and used it for training purposes; it is now the Naples Municipal Airport.

Pick the Right Medical Assistant School Naples FL

Naples FL medical assistant studentIt’s important to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant program that will provide the right training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to acquire the right information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are so many schools offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Schools That Offer Medical Assistant. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Naples FL.

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