Medical Assistant Curriculum Melville NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Program near Melville New York

Melville 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 Melville 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 ultimately enroll in the ideal one? Most potential 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 decide to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have furnished some questions that you need to ask all of the colleges 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 Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Melville NY nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their function is to make sure that the Melville NY hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities where they work operate successfully. 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 tasked with giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants may perform almost any task they are qualified to under New York law, some choose to specialize in a specific area and earn certification. Two of the choices offered 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 Education

Unlike most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, many Melville NY health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two options offered for a formal education. The first and fastest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about 1 year to finish, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at community and junior colleges as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a practical component involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Melville NY There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. They are a good choice for those who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be minimized also. But bear in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be carried out in Melville NY area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your training might be the best choice for you. With the online lessons and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good option for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in securing a position after graduation, but it can also help with initial salary negotiations. Some potential Melville NY medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA examination, an applicant 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 provided by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Melville NY medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school options, you need to determine which type of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. After those decisions have been made, you can start the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of potential students limit their searches to the colleges that are closest to Melville NY with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you should examine when evaluating schools. To assist you with that process, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to verify that the program you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved 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 school is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many potential Melville NY employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to determine which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then of course you will want to enroll in 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. Doing this is one of the means to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Of course programs with low rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are basically two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can opt to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require about 2 years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you elect to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are reviewing provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Numerous medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Melville NY area health care providers. They are an excellent method to get hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students develop relationships within the Melville health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Getting that very first job can be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Melville NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a large network of contacts 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 throughout your training. Smaller 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 enrolling in a program to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Melville NY, make certain that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will still need to schedule any internships or clinical training that might be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Melville New York?

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

Melville, New York

Melville is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, in the United States. The population was 18,985 at the 2010 census.[1]

Melville lies directly east of the boundary with Nassau County. The Long Island Expressway (LIE) and Northern State Parkway, two of the country's busiest highways and major points of entry in and out of New York City, pass through Melville. Melville is located immediately off Exit 49 of the LIE. New York State Route 110 runs through the center of Melville.

Melville is home to the U.S. headquarters of several national and international corporations, including Canon USA,[2][3]Hain Celestial, Arrow Electronics, Chyron, MSC Industrial Direct, Nikon, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Allion the medical and dental supply distributor Henry Schein, Bouchard Transportation and global staffing giant Adecco (US headquarters). In addition, significant operations of Manhattan-based Estée Lauder are conducted there. Melville is also the host of operations for many Fortune 500 companies. These headquarters and many other corporate and industrial centers are found on or near Route 110, which runs north to south through Huntington, Melville, Farmingdale, North Amityville, and Amityville.[citation needed]

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Course Melville NY

Melville NY medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant college that will provide the right training. Whether you’re planning to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you must get the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, verify that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Curriculum. But regardless of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Melville NY.