What Does A Medical Assistant Do Bethpage NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training School near Bethpage New York

Bethpage NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to become a part of the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Bethpage NY, it’s time to select a school that will provide the right training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors as well. You may decide to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are reviewing. And to help you with that task, we have included several questions that you should ask all of the schools on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Bethpage NY nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Basically their duty is to make sure that the Bethpage NY clinics, hospitals and other medical care facilities where they work run efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical practitioners but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

Even though medical assistants can perform almost any task they are authorized to under New York law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the options 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 Education

Unlike many other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, a number of Bethpage NY health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two choices offered for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about one year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare 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 as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They usually have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Bethpage NY There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are an excellent choice for students 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 alternative for students who continue to work full-time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, some online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on campus options. Ancillary expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized as well. Just bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be completed in Bethpage NY area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your education might be the ideal choice for you. With the online lessons and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for those who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in attaining a job after graduation, but it might also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Many possible Bethpage NY medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and perhaps 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, a candidate must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Bethpage NY medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you must choose which type of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. After those decisions have been made, you can begin the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many prospective students limit their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Bethpage NY with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional issues that you should look at when researching programs. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several good reasons to verify that the college you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 program is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Bethpage NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must find out which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will want to enroll in a program concentrating on that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Naturally programs with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are basically two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is closer to one year. Or you can elect to acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to finish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, make sure that the colleges you are reviewing provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Many medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Bethpage NY area medical providers. They are a great method to get hands-on practical experience and training. They may also assist students establish relationships within the Bethpage health care community. And as an additional perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Offered? Getting that first job may be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Bethpage NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If possible, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s important 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 Bethpage NY, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will still need to schedule all clinical training or internships that may be required. Additionally, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Bethpage New York?

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

Bethpage, New York

Bethpage is a hamlet located on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States, as well as a census-designated place (CDP) with borders slightly different from those of the hamlet. The CDP's population was 16,429 at the 2010 United States Census.[1]

The area is served by the Bethpage Post Office, ZIP code 11714, whose boundaries are slightly different from that of the CDP. The area is also served by Bethpage Union Free School District, Island Trees Union Free School District, Plainedge Union Free School District, and Hicksville Union Free School District, the boundaries of which include parts of some surrounding hamlets, including parts of Old Bethpage, Plainview, and Plainedge. The Town of Hempstead, on its website, includes a small part of Bethpage hamlet that is in the Levittown census-designated place.[2]

The name Bethpage comes from the Quaker Thomas Powell, who named the area after the Biblical town Bethphage, which was between Jericho and Jerusalem in the Holy Land. Present-day Bethpage was part of the 1695 Bethpage Purchase. An early name for the northern section of present-day Bethpage was Bedelltown,[3][4] a name that appeared on maps at least as late as 1906.[5]

Pick the Right Medical Assistant School Bethpage NY

Bethpage NY medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Whether you’re planning to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the appropriate info on available programs before making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges offering training these days that you can make a selection based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have covered in this article, confirm that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in What Does A Medical Assistant Do. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan 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 in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can subsequently start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Bethpage NY.