How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training School near New Hartford New York
Now that you have made a decision to become a part of the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near New Hartford NY, it’s time to select a college that will provide the proper training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing schools so that you ultimately pick the best one? Most potential students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues as well. You might decide 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 carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that process, we have provided some questions that you need to ask each of the schools on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are offered.
The Job of Medical Assistants
The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their job is ensure that the New Hartford NY hospitals, clinics and other medical care institutions where they work run efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. A few of the potential functions of a medical assistant include:
- Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
- Setting and verifying appointments
- Taking vital signs and weighing patients
- Taking blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
- Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
- Providing general support during exams and procedures
Although medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are authorized to under New York law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and obtain 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 Programs
Compared to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of New Hartford NY health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two choices offered for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about a year to complete, a few as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to earn an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs offered at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare 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 Programs
There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are an excellent choice for those who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue to work full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be minimized also. Just bear in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be carried out in New Hartford NY area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this mode of receiving your education may be the right choice for you. With the online lessons and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.
Certification Programs for Medical Assistants
As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent choice for individuals who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in attaining employment after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Many possible New Hartford NY medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to apply for the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered as well, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.
Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools
Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school options, you have to determine which type of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. After those decisions have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, some students limit their searches to the colleges that are nearest to New Hartford NY with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you must examine when evaluating programs. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your final selection.
Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are several good reasons to ensure that the college you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you must enroll in 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 school is not accredited by one of these agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective New Hartford NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.
What is the Program’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to learn 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, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.
Which Credentials are Available? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can elect to earn an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are considering offer the kind of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with New Hartford NY area health care providers. They are an excellent method to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also assist students establish relationships within the New Hartford health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.
Is Job Placement Support Furnished? Landing that very first job can be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the New Hartford 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 a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in jobs.
How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will receive during your training. Small 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 practical, try to monitor a couple of classes before choosing a school to see what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.
Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the college you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near New Hartford NY, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online college, but you will also need to schedule all internships or practical training that might be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.
Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near New Hartford New York?
If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the New Hartford NY area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.
New Hartford, New York
New Hartford is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 22,166. The name of New Hartford was provided by a settler family from Hartford, Connecticut.
According to the earliest recorded history (Annals and Recollections of Oneida County, Jones, 1851), Sanger bought 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land at a price of fifty cents an acre. This land, thought to be separated into two equal parts by the Sauquoit Creek, was part of the Town of Whitestown at the time. Within a year, Sanger sold the area east of the creek to Joseph Higbee, the areas' second resident, for one dollar per acre. A subsequent survey found this area was 600 acres (240 ha).[5]
This narrative of a 1000-acre purchase by Sanger for $500 and the ensuing resale to Higbee of half the land for $500 (a 100% profit) is repeated in The History of Oneida County, New York by Samuel W. Durant, 1878 which used the Jones' Annals of 1851 as a primary reference. The story was expressed in an address at the 1888 New Hartford Centennial by Henry Hurlburt, again citing Jones' Annals as his source.[6] It is again repeated in Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Oneida County, New York, Wager, 1896.
Choose the Right Medical Assistant College New Hartford NY
It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to obtain the right information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges offering training these days that you can make a decision based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Classes Needed For Medical Assistant. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can subsequently begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in New Hartford NY.
More Medical Locations in New York
Business Results 1 - 10 of 1
2 Reviews 