Short Medical Assistant Programs Hicksville NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Program near Hicksville New York

Hicksville NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Hicksville NY, it’s time to select a college that will provide the right training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? Most future students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues also. You might choose to research a few online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a college you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have provided some questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Hicksville NY nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their role is ensure that the Hicksville NY clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions where they work run efficiently. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but may also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the potential functions of a medical assistant include:

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

While medical assistants may carry out almost any duty they are authorized to under New York law, some elect 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) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Programs

Compared to most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Hicksville NY health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially 2 options provided for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about one year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to attain an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges in addition to technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a clinical component 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 Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Hicksville NY There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are an excellent choice for individuals who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue to work full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on campus options. Supplemental costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be lessened as well. Just keep in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can often be completed in Hicksville NY area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this approach to getting your training may be the ideal option for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything needed 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 requirement, but is an excellent choice for graduates who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting a position after graduation, but it can also enhance initial salary negotiations. Some potential Hicksville NY medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Hicksville NY medical assistant programs Before you can start reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to determine which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. After those selections have been made, you can begin the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many potential students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Hicksville NY with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you must look at when evaluating schools. To help you with that task, below are a few questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to make certain that the college you choose is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the education 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 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 program is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many prospective Hicksville NY employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you need to find out which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will want to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the means to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and obtain 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 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 elect to enroll in, make sure that the colleges you are looking at provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Many medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Hicksville NY area medical providers. They are an excellent means to get hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also assist students establish relationships within the Hicksville health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Landing that first job can be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Hicksville NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might be an indication of how much individual attention you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to attend a few classes before choosing a program to observe what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s important that the school you choose provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Hicksville NY, make sure that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will also have to schedule any internships or clinical training that may be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Hicksville New York?

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

Hicksville, New York

Hicksville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population of the CDP was 41,547 at the 2010 census.

Valentine Hicks, son-in-law of abolitionist and Quaker preacher Elias Hicks, and eventual president of the Long Island Rail Road, bought land in the village in 1834 and turned it into a station stop on the LIRR in 1837. The station became a depot for produce, particularly cucumbers for a Heinz Company plant. After a blight destroyed the cucumber crops, the farmers grew potatoes. It turned into a bustling New York City suburb in the building boom following World War II.[1][2]

The Rubber Company of America (RUCO) built a manufacturing site in 1945. RUCO Polymer Corp. (Hooker Chemical Company) manufactured plastics, latex, and esters. Occidental Chemical Corporation (OCC) owned and operated this site from 1966 to 1982. The site was purchased by Sybron Corporation, then in 2000, the Bayer Corporation (Bayer MaterialScience) purchased the Hooker Ruco facility and in 2002 decided to close the facility.[4] The site was used for the production of polyester from 1982 until 2002.[5]

Pick the Best Medical Assistant Training Program Hicksville NY

Hicksville NY medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will provide the proper training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you must acquire the appropriate info on available programs before making your selection. There are such a large number of schools offering training these days that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you choose is accredited by an acknowledged agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Short Medical Assistant Programs. But regardless of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can subsequently start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Hicksville NY.