Medical Assistant Registration Quincy MA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant School Program near Quincy Massachusetts

Quincy MA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to join the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Quincy MA, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing schools so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? Most potential students start 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 important issues as well. You might decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that process, we have furnished a few 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 kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Duties of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Quincy MA nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their function is to make sure that the Quincy MA hospitals, clinics and other medical care centers where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the many duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Supplying basic support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any activity they are qualified to under Massachusetts law, some elect to specialize in a particular area and obtain 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 Courses

Unlike many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, many Quincy MA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two choices available for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about a year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to attain an Associate Degree, which are typically two year programs provided at junior and community colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a clinical 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 Quincy MA There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. They are a good choice for those who might not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Ancillary costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be lessened also. Just remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be carried out in Quincy MA area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this mode of receiving your training might be the best choice for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a position after graduation, but it may also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential Quincy MA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and possibly the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Quincy MA medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school options, you need to choose which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. After those choices have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, a number of prospective students confine their searches to the colleges that are closest to Quincy MA with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional issues that you should look at when assessing schools. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to verify that the program you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become 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 one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Quincy MA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you need to find out which of the certifications the programs you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then of course you will need to choose a program focused on that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is about 1 year. Or you can decide to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require about two years to finish in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are reviewing offer the type of program you have an interest in.

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

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Getting that initial job can be a difficult undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Quincy MA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school 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 broad network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a few classes before enrolling in a school to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full time, it’s essential that the program you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Quincy MA, confirm that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online college, but you will still need to schedule any internships or clinical 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 Quincy Massachusetts?

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

Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy (/ˈkwɪnzi/ KWIN-zee) is the largest city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Metropolitan Boston and one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2014 was 93,397, making it the eighth largest city in the state.[1] Known as the "City of Presidents,"[3] Quincy is the birthplace of two U.S. presidents — John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams — as well as John Hancock, a President of the Continental Congress and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.

First settled in 1625, Quincy was briefly part of Dorchester and Boston before becoming the north precinct of Braintree in 1640. In 1792, Quincy was split off from Braintree; the new town was named after Colonel John Quincy, maternal grandfather of Abigail Adams and after whom John Quincy Adams was also named.[4] Quincy became a city in 1888.

For more than a century, Quincy was home to a thriving granite industry; the city was also the site of the Granite Railway, the United States' first commercial railroad. Shipbuilding at the Fore River Shipyard was another key part of the city's economy. In the 20th century, both Howard Johnson's and Dunkin' Donuts were founded in the city.

Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Quincy MA

Quincy MA medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re goal is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must obtain the right information on available programs before making your selection. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, verify that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Registration. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Quincy MA.