Medical Assistant Training Program Royal Oak MI - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School Program near Royal Oak Michigan

Royal Oak MI medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to enter the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Royal Oak MI, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the proper training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? A number of potential students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues as well. You may choose to research some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the schools you are reviewing. And to help you with that task, we have provided 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 role of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Duties of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Royal Oak MI nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their job is ensure that the Royal Oak MI clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities 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 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. Some of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Supplying general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are qualified to under Michigan law, some opt 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) provided by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training

In contrast to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Royal Oak MI health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about a year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs offered at community and junior colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a practical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Royal Oak MI There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online as well. They are a good choice for those who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue working full-time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, a number of online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be reduced also. Just bear in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be carried out in Royal Oak MI area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of getting your education might be the right option for you. With the online courses and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform 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 choice for individuals who wish to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting a job after graduation, but it may also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential Royal Oak MI medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. 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 have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered as well, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Royal Oak MI medical assistant programs Before you can start reviewing your medical assistant school options, you must choose which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online at home. Once those decisions have been made, you can start the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, a number of prospective students limit their searches to the colleges that are closest to Royal Oak MI with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you need to explore when researching programs. To assist you with that process, below are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to ensure that the college you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the approved agencies for accreditation are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). If your program is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Royal Oak MI employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you must learn which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will want to select a program targeting that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Naturally programs with low rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are generally two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and obtain 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 choose to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, make certain that the colleges you are considering offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Royal Oak MI area medical care providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also assist students develop relationships within the Royal Oak medical community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Provided? Landing that initial job may be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Royal Oak MI area and find out 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 medical community. It also indicates that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size might be an indication of how much personal instruction you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If possible, try to monitor a few classes before choosing a college to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full time, it’s important that the college you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Royal Oak MI, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will also need to schedule all clinical training or internships that may be required. Additionally, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Royal Oak Michigan?

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

Royal Oak, Michigan

Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236.[6] It is the 8th-largest municipality in Oakland County and the 27th-largest municipality in Michigan by population.

Early Europeans in this area near Fort Detroit in the 18th century were mostly French Canadians; some traded with the Sauk, Huron, and other Native Americans in the area. After defeating France in the Seven Years' War, Great Britain took control of their territory east of the Mississippi River, including Fort Detroit and environs. After the American Revolutionary War, Britain promoted development of what was then called Upper Canada and Province of Quebec, across the Detroit and St. Clair rivers to the south and east.

Royal Oak was not incorporated as a village until 1891, and as a city in 1921. It was named in 1819, during one of the surveying expeditions led by Territorial Governor Lewis Cass. A large oak tree at this small settlement reminded Cass of the story of the Royal Oak, where King Charles II of England was said to hide to escape capture by the Roundheads after the Battle of Worcester. Cass named the settlement after that, several years after the United States had fought Great Britain across the northern border in the War of 1812.

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Course Royal Oak MI

Royal Oak MI medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will furnish the appropriate training. Whether you’re objective is to launch a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must get the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of schools offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, make certain that the program you decide on is accredited by a recognized agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Training Program. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the right program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Royal Oak MI.