Medical Assistant Colleges Near Me Massapequa Park NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Program near Massapequa Park New York

Massapequa Park NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to join the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Massapequa Park NY, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the proper training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently enroll in the right one? Most prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues as well. You may want to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a program you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that process, we have included a few questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are offered.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Massapequa Park NY nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Basically their duty is ensure that the Massapequa Park NY clinics, hospitals and other medical care institutions 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 tasked with giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health practitioners but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the possible responsibilities 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 fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants can carry out almost any activity they are qualified to under New York law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and attain 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 healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Massapequa Park NY health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about a year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed 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 typically 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often 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 similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Massapequa Park NY There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online too. They are an excellent option for students who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue to work full-time while earning their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be minimized also. Just bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be carried out in Massapequa Park 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 receiving your training may 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 furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good idea for individuals who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. A number of potential Massapequa Park NY medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered as well, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Massapequa Park NY medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to decide which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. After those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Massapequa Park NY with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you need to examine when evaluating programs. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to ensure that the program you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the accepted agencies 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 organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many potential Massapequa Park NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passing Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To begin with, you must learn which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to select a program focused on that certification. Next, learn what the school’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. Of course programs with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Offered? As we previously covered, there are generally two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is about 1 year. Or you can elect to obtain an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take about two years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whatever program you choose to enroll in, verify that the colleges you are reviewing provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? A large number of medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Massapequa Park NY area healthcare providers. They are an excellent method to obtain hands-on practical training and experience. They can also assist students develop relationships within the Massapequa Park healthcare community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Landing that initial job can be a challenging undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Massapequa Park NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size can be an indicator of how much personal instruction you will get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a couple of classes before choosing a school to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full time, it’s important that the program you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Massapequa Park NY, make sure that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will also have to schedule all internships or clinical training that might be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Massapequa Park New York?

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

Massapequa Park, New York

Massapequa Park is a village and hamlet located within the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. Areas south and east of the village borders are considered the hamlet of Massapequa Park because they are under the jurisdiction of the Town of Oyster Bay rather than the village. The hamlet shares the same zip code, fire department and school district as the village. The population was 17,008 at the 2010 census.

The village located on the South Shore of Long Island shares the early Native American history of Massapequa. Then, in the 19th century, families of German descent relocated from Brooklyn to what is now Massapequa Park, and the resulting community was known as Wurtenberg or Stadtwurtemburg. The main attraction and center of activity was the Woodcastle Hotel, a rooming house built in 1868 on Front Street next to the fire department as a summer resort. It was destroyed by fire in 1952 and replaced by houses.[citation needed]

In 1928 readers of The New York Times saw ads for Massapequa Park, a development built by a real estate firm owned by Michael J. Brady, Frank Cryan and Peter Colleran. The three Irish-Americans described their project as having a bit of Old Erin and the area between Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road still has its mostly Irish street names. In 1931, Massapequa Park was incorporated as a village to ensure control of land use and other issues.[citation needed]. Several dozen kit houses from Sears Roebuck were built in two different areas of the Village. These include some of the largest model kit houses offered by Sears.[2]

Select the Right Medical Assistant School Massapequa Park NY

Massapequa Park NY medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will provide the right training. Whether you’re objective is to launch a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to get the right info on available programs before making your decision. 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 addressed in this article, make sure that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Colleges Near Me. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the right program you can ultimately start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Massapequa Park NY.