What Is A Medical Assistant Hampton Falls NH

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Program near Hampton Falls New Hampshire

Hampton Falls NH medical assistant checking pulseOnce you have made a decision to join the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Hampton Falls NH, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the right training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? Many potential students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors also. You might decide to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that task, we have provided some questions that you should ask each of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Responsibilities of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Hampton Falls NH nursing home patientThe duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their job is ensure that the Hampton Falls NH hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work operate efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many functions of a medical assistant include:

  • Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
  • Setting and confirming appointments
  • Taking vital signs and weighing patients
  • Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
  • Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
  • Giving general support during examinations and procedures

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are qualified to under New Hampshire law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the options 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 many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Hampton Falls NH health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 choices available for a formal education. The first and quickest way to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about a year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a practical component involving an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are often 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 Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Hampton Falls NHThere are many accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are a good alternative for individuals who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue working full time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus options. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be minimized as well. Just bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can often be completed in Hampton Falls NH area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your training might be the right choice for you. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good option for individuals who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting a job after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. A number of possible Hampton Falls NH medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and possibly the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available also, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Hampton Falls NH medical assistant programsPrior to evaluating your medical assistant school options, you must decide which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can begin the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, some students limit their searches to the schools that are nearest to Hampton Falls NH with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you should explore when assessing programs. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are many great reasons to verify that the school 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 plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 exam. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, many prospective Hampton Falls NH 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 prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must learn which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will want to choose a program targeting that certification. Next, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course schools with low rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are generally two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can opt to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whatever program you decide to enroll in, make sure that the colleges you are looking at offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Hampton Falls NH area healthcare providers. They are a great way to get hands-on practical training and experience. They may also assist students establish relationships within the Hampton Falls health care community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Offered? Finding that very first job may be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Hampton Falls NH area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

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

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s important that the college you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Hampton Falls NH, make certain that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will also have to schedule any internships or clinical training that may be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Hampton Falls New Hampshire?

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

Hampton Falls, New Hampshire

The land of Hampton Falls was first settled by Europeans in 1638, the same time as Hampton, which it was then part of. The settlement of Hampton joined Norfolk County, Massachusetts Colony, in 1643, along with Exeter, Dover, Portsmouth, and Salisbury and Haverhill of Massachusetts. The county existed until 1679, when the modern-day New Hampshire towns separated from Massachusetts Bay Colony.[2]

Records indicate a building that became a church may have existed near where the Weare Monument now is in 1665, but when it was first built is unknown. It was not until 1709 that the town was officially established as the Third Parish of Hampton. The Third Parish originally consisted of all land south of the Taylor River and north of the New Hampshire/Massachusetts border, or the modern-day towns of Seabrook, Kensington, and Hampton Falls. A meeting house was built shortly after and Thomas Crosby became the town's minister for the church. Forty-nine members of the Hampton Church were dismissed late in 1711, only to become members of the new church in the Third Parish. Parish officers and a representative were chosen in 1718. The first town meeting was held and town records began that year also. The 7,400-acre (30 km2) town received its grant as an independent town with the name "Hampton falls" in 1726, but was still referred to as a parish until the Revolutionary War. Those who did use its actual name in writing spelled it with a lowercase f until around the same time.[3]

An attempt was made in 1732 to separate the western portion of Hampton falls and make it a parish of Kingston. The proposal failed in a way, yet succeeded in another; the land was separated, but it did not become part of Kingston, but became a town of its own, Kensington.[4]

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Training Hampton Falls NH

Hampton Falls NH medical assistant studentIt’s important to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant program that will furnish the right training. Regardless if you’re planning to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must obtain the right info on available programs before making your decision. There are so many colleges 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 select is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in What Is A Medical Assistant. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the right program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Hampton Falls NH.

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