How To Be A Medical Assistant Glens Falls NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School near Glens Falls New York

Glens Falls NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to become a part of the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Glens Falls NY, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? A number of future students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues also. You may choose to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to complete your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the schools you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have furnished some questions that you need to ask all of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the function of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Responsibilities of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Glens Falls NY nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their function is ensure that the Glens Falls NY clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions where they work operate efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. Some of the many duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under New York law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the choices offered 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 most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Glens Falls NY health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two choices available for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about 1 year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a clinical element involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Glens Falls NY There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are an excellent option for students who might not have the time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, many online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be lessened as well. Just remember that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be carried out in Glens Falls NY area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your training might be the best choice for you. Between the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is a good option for individuals who wish to boost their careers. Not only will it help in securing a position after graduation, but it may also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Some potential Glens Falls NY medical employers simply will not employ 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) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered also, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Glens Falls NY medical assistant programs Before you can start examining your medical assistant school options, you have to decide which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many prospective students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Glens Falls NY with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you need to examine when researching schools. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to verify that the program you choose is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the accepted organizations 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 agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Also, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Glens Falls NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will need to select a program concentrating on that certification. Next, 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. Of course schools with low rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can opt to earn an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Numerous medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Glens Falls NY area health care providers. They are a great method to receive hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also help students develop relationships within the Glens Falls healthcare community. And as an additional perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Assistance Provided? Landing that initial job may be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Glens Falls NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual attention you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to attend a couple of classes before choosing a program to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full-time, it’s imperative that the school you select provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Glens Falls NY, verify 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 will be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Glens Falls New York?

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

Glens Falls, New York

Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.[4] The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census.[5] The name was given by Colonel Johannes Glen, the falls referring to a large waterfall in the Hudson River at the southern end of the city.[6]

Glens Falls is a city located in the southeast corner of Warren County, surrounded by the town of Queensbury to the north, east, and west, and by the Hudson River and Saratoga County to the south. Glens Falls is known as "Hometown U.S.A.", a title given to it by Look Magazine in 1944. The city has also referred to itself in the past as the "Empire City."[7]

As a halfway point between Fort Edward and Fort William Henry, the falls was the site of several battles during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. The then-hamlet was mostly destroyed by fire twice during the latter conflict, forcing the Quakers to abandon the settlement until the war ended in 1783. Fire also ravaged the village in 1864, 1884, and 1902.[7]

Choose the Best Medical Assistant School Glens Falls NY

Glens Falls NY medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re planning to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the right information on available programs before making your selection. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, verify that the program you decide on is accredited by an acknowledged agency, 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 How To Be A Medical Assistant. But irrespective of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Glens Falls NY.