Medical Assistant Associate Degree Laurel NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant School near Laurel New York

Laurel NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to join the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Laurel NY, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the ideal one? A number of future students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences 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 important factors as well. You may decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you must carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the colleges you are assessing. And to assist you with that task, we have provided a few questions that you should ask each of the schools on your “maybe” list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Function of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Laurel NY nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their duty is ensure that the Laurel NY clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers 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 tasked with giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. A few of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and confirming 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

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any task they are authorized to under New York law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the options available 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 Programs

Compared to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Laurel NY health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two options available for a formal education. The first and quickest way to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about a year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a clinical element requiring an internship with a local medical facility. 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 similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Laurel NY There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are an excellent option for students who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue to work full-time while earning their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, a number of online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced also. But keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be carried out in Laurel NY area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your education might be the right choice for you. With the online lessons and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good option for graduates who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of potential Laurel NY medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Laurel NY medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must decide which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online at home. After those selections have been made, you can start the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, some potential students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Laurel NY 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 issues that you should examine when evaluating programs. To assist 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 ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to make certain that the school you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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 school is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Laurel NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then of course you will want to select a program focused on that certification. Next, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously schools with lower rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about 1 year. Or you can opt to earn an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require approximately two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you choose to pursue, verify that the colleges you are considering provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Offered? Many medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Laurel NY area healthcare providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also help students build relationships within the Laurel medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Provided? Landing that very first job can be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Laurel NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a wide network of contacts 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 likely to furnish increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to attend a couple of classes before enrolling in a school to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full time, it’s essential that the program you enroll in offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Laurel NY, make sure that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will also need to schedule all internships or practical training that will be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Laurel New York?

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

Laurel and Hardy filmography

Laurel and Hardy were a motion picture comedy team whose official filmography consists of 106 films released from 1921 and 1951.[1] Together they appeared in 34 silent shorts,A 45 sound shorts, and 27 full-length sound feature films.B In addition to these, Laurel and Hardy appeared in at least 20 foreign-language versions of their films and a promotional film, Galaxy of Stars (1936), made for European film distributors.[2]

Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) were established as film comedians prior to their teaming, with Laurel appearing in over 50 silent films and Hardy in over 250. (Hardy also appeared in three sound features without Laurel.)[3] Although they first worked together in the film The Lucky Dog (1921), this was a chance pairing and it was not until 1926 when both separately signed contracts with the Hal Roach film studio that they appeared in movie shorts together.[4] Laurel and Hardy officially became a team the following year, in their eleventh silent short film The Second Hundred Years (1927).[5] The pair remained with the Roach studio until 1940.[6] Between 1941 and 1945 they appeared in eight features and one short for 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[7] After finishing their movie commitments Laurel and Hardy concentrated on stage shows, embarking on a music hall tour of Great Britain.[8] In 1950, they made their last film Atoll K, a French/Italian co-production.[9]

In 1932 Laurel and Hardy's short The Music Box won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film (Comedy).[10][11] In 1960, Laurel was presented with an Honorary Academy Award "for his creative pioneering in the field of cinema comedy."[12] In 1992, 1997 and 2012, respectively, Big Business, The Music Box and Sons of the Desert were added to the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[11][13][14] For their contributions to cinema Laurel and Hardy have been awarded separate stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[15][16]

Pick the Best Medical Assistant College Laurel NY

Laurel NY medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant program that will provide the right training. Regardless if you’re objective is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must get the appropriate information on available programs before making your selection. There are such a large number of schools offering training these days that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Associate Degree. 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, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the best program you can subsequently start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Laurel NY.