How Long Is Medical Assistant Training Lansing NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant Program near Lansing New York

Lansing NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to join the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Lansing NY, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the ideal one? Many future students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors also. You might want to look into several online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the schools you are examining. And to help you with that process, we have included some questions that you need to 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 kind of credentials and training that are offered.

The Duties of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Lansing NY nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their function is ensure that the Lansing NY clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers where they work operate successfully. 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 responsible for providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but may also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the potential functions of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are qualified to under New York law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and earn certification. Two of the options offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Education

Unlike most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Lansing 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 generally 2 options available for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about a year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are created 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 normally two year programs offered at junior and community colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently 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 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Lansing NY There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are a good option for those who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, a number of online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on campus options. Ancillary expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced as well. Just keep in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be carried out in Lansing NY area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your education may be the best option for you. Between the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in obtaining a position after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. A number of potential Lansing NY medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. Among the most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Lansing NY medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to determine which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. After those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many potential students limit their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Lansing NY with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you must look at when evaluating programs. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to verify that the school you enroll in is accredited. To start with, 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 complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 program is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many potential Lansing NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passing Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you need to determine which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to choose 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. This is one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Of course schools with low rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to one year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take approximately two years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, verify that the schools you are considering offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Many medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Lansing NY area health care providers. They are an excellent method to receive hands-on practical training and experience. They can also help students develop relationships within the Lansing health care community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Furnished? Getting that very first job can be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Lansing NY area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may 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 selecting a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue working full time, it’s important that the program you choose offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Lansing NY, make certain that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will also have to schedule all clinical training or internships that might be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Lansing New York?

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

Lansing, New York

Lansing (/ˈlænsɪŋ/) is a town in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 11,033 at the 2010 census. The town is named after John Lansing. People from Lansing were early settlers of Lansing, Michigan, and named it after their hometown; it later became the capital of Michigan.

Lansing, located on the Eastern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes district of New York, is known best as a small town close to Ithaca, New York. Lansing was within the realm of the Cayuga tribe. The Sullivan Expedition of 1779 passed through the area to destroy native villages in retaliation for raids on colonists.[citation needed]

In 1780, the area was divided into lots (the Central New York Military Tract) to pay the Revolutionary war soldiers for their service. The first settlers came to Lansing in 1781. John Lemming, Jr., secretary to General Schuyler, was charged with granting this land. The Town of Lansing was formed in 1817 from the Town of Genoa, Cayuga County, when Tompkins County was founded.

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant Training Lansing NY

Lansing NY medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re goal is 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 decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized organization, such as 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 How Long Is Medical Assistant Training. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online 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 begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Lansing NY.