Registered Medical Assistant Certification Florence MA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Training School near Florence Massachusetts

Florence MA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to join the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Florence MA, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately enroll in the best one? Most prospective students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then gravitate toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors as well. You may decide to look into some online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the colleges you are examining. And to assist you with that task, we have provided a few questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Florence MA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their job is to make sure that the Florence MA clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions where they work run 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 responsible for giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other health professionals but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the possible 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 tissue and fluid samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Providing general support during exams and procedures

While medical assistants can perform almost any task they are qualified to under Massachusetts law, some opt 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 Programs

Compared to most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Florence MA 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 two choices available for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about a year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at community and junior colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a practical component requiring an internship with a local medical facility. 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 similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Florence MA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online too. They are a good option for individuals who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced as well. Just keep in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be performed in Florence MA area medical facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to getting your training might be the right choice for you. With the online courses and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good choice for those who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in attaining a position after graduation, but it can also enhance initial salary negotiations. A number of possible Florence MA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Florence MA medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to decide which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many potential students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Florence MA with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you need to look at when evaluating schools. To assist you with that process, below are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to verify that the school you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the education 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 approved 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 organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Florence MA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to prep 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 to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Second, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the shortest 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 get a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are reviewing offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? A large number of medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Florence MA area healthcare providers. They are a great way to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students build relationships within the Florence health care community. And as an additional perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Landing that initial job can be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have some help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Florence MA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size can be an indication of how much personal attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to attend a couple of classes before selecting a program to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the program you enroll in offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Florence MA, verify that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will still need to schedule all internships or practical training that may be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Florence Massachusetts?

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

Florence, Massachusetts

In 1832, Samuel Whitmarsh planted 25 acres (10 ha) of mulberry trees in Florence in order to raise silkworms. Later, Whitmarsh's silk mill (in nearby Leeds, Massachusetts) was briefly run as a communal project by the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, a utopian community of abolitionists, who believed that the rights of all should be "equal without distinction of sex, color or condition, sect or religion."

Sojourner Truth, a former slave who became a nationally known advocate for equality and justice, was a member of this community (she had moved to Florence in 1843). After the community dissolved in 1846, she bought a house on Park Street, where she lived until 1857. A memorial statue was erected in her honor in Florence in 2002.

Samuel L. Hill, the spiritual leader of the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, invented a machine that could spin silk smooth enough to be used in sewing machines. After the commune dissolved, Hill took over the factory and ran it as the Nonotuck Silk Company. Hill's home at 31-35 Maple Street in Florence served as a stop for the Underground Railway. The company changed its name again, and, as the Corticelli Silk Company, grew to be one of the world's largest producers of silk thread, made with raw silk imported from Japan. In New York City, the Corticelli logo—a kitten playing with a spool of thread—loomed over Broadway from a huge electrical sign at 42nd Street between 1910 and 1913 [1]. The company went out of business in 1930.

Choose the Right Medical Assistant Training Program Florence MA

Florence MA medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will furnish the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the appropriate info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Registered Medical Assistant Certification. 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, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the right program you can subsequently begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Florence MA.