Registered Medical Assistant Exam Little Neck NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Program near Little Neck New York

Little Neck NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to enter the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Little Neck NY, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the proper training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently pick the right one? Most potential students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors as well. You may choose to look into some online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you must complete your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that task, we have included a few questions that you should ask each of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Little Neck NY nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Essentially their function is ensure that the Little Neck NY hospitals, clinics and other medical care institutions where they work run efficiently. Depending 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 giving direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the many duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Providing basic support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any task they are authorized to under New York law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and earn 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 Courses

Compared to most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Little Neck NY health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two choices available for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about a year to finish, some 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 acquire an Associate Degree, which are typically two year programs offered at junior and community colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a clinical element requiring an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Little Neck NY There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who might not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good alternative for students who continue working full-time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized also. Just bear in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be completed in Little Neck NY area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your training might be the ideal choice for you. Between the online courses and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for individuals who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in obtaining employment after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. A number of potential Little Neck NY medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered also, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Little Neck NY medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to choose which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those decisions have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, some prospective students confine their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Little Neck NY with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you should explore when evaluating schools. To help you with that task, below are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are many good reasons to ensure that the college you enroll in is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to 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 program is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many potential Little Neck NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must determine which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will want to select a program targeting that certification. Second, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is about 1 year. Or you can choose to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Many medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Little Neck NY area healthcare providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also assist students establish relationships within the Little Neck medical community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Supplied? Getting that first job may be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Little Neck NY area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in positions.

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

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full-time, it’s essential that the program you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Little Neck NY, make certain that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will still need to schedule all internships or clinical training that may be required. Also, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Little Neck New York?

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

Little Neck, Queens

Little Neck is an upper middle class neighborhood of Queens, New York City, bordered on the north by Little Neck Bay and on the east by Great Neck in Nassau County. Due to this proximity to Nassau, Little Neck remains one of the most suburban-looking areas in New York City. The southern border is the Grand Central Parkway, and to the west is Douglaston. The Little Neck station is the easternmost New York City station on the busy Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), and thus Little Neck is home to the busiest of approximately a dozen remaining railway grade crossings in New York City.[1] The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 11.[2]

Prior to the mid-1600s, the Matinecock lived in what is today considered Little Neck, sustained by the seafood in Little Neck Bay.[3] In the 17th century, European settlers began arriving in the area for its conveniently located harbor. Soon after, the British and Dutch gained control of the Matinecock lands peacefully, except for a small area known as Madnan's Neck (possibly a shortened form of Indian name for the area, Menhaden-ock, or "place of fish").[4] Thomas Hicks, of the Hicks family that eventually founded Hicksville, and a band of armed settlers forcibly drove out the Matinecock in a battle at today's Northern Boulevard and Marathon Parkway.[5] An old Matinecock cemetery remained in Little Neck on Northern Boulevard between Cornell Lane and Jesse Court. One of the last photographs of the cemetery (available online) was taken by the Daily News in August 1931, a few months before it was removed to make room for a widened Northern Boulevard.[6] The remains from the cemetery were moved to the Zion Episcopal Church of Douglaston and placed under a stone marker that reads "Here rest the last of the Matinecoc."[7]

The settlers thrived producing produce for the Manhattan market and the area was used as a dock on Little Neck Bay. As the population of Little Neck and New York in general began to grow, the Little Neck Long Island Rail Road station was opened in 1866 on the Port Washington Branch to serve the community and the dock area.[8] Northern Boulevard was developed into a commercial and cultural hub, and the Little Neck Theater, a 576-seat movie theater, was opened in 1929 at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Morgan Street.[9][10] The theater was closed in 1983.[11]

Select the Ideal Medical Assistant College Little Neck NY

Little Neck NY medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant college that will provide the proper training. Whether you’re planning to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to acquire the right information on available programs before making your selection. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, verify that the program you decide on is accredited by an acknowledged organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Registered Medical Assistant Exam. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Little Neck NY.