Accredited Medical Assistant Programs Piermont NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant School Program near Piermont New York

Piermont 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 Piermont NY, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently pick the best one? A number of potential students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical factors also. You might choose to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the schools you are reviewing. And to help you with that task, we have included a few questions that you should ask each of the schools on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Function of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Piermont NY nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their job is to make sure that the Piermont NY hospitals, clinics and other medical care 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 health professionals but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

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

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are qualified to under New York law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options available 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 healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Piermont NY health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about one year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs provided at junior and community colleges as well as technical and vocational schools. They are more extensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a practical component involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Piermont NY There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are a good option for students who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good option for students who continue working full time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced as well. But remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be carried out in Piermont NY area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your training might be the best choice for you. Between the online classes and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for those who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in attaining a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Some possible Piermont NY medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Piermont NY medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school options, you need to determine which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those decisions have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of prospective students restrict their searches to the colleges that are closest to Piermont NY with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you must explore when researching programs. To assist you with that task, following are a few questions that you should ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to confirm that the school you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you need to complete 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 program is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Piermont NY employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you need to determine which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will want to choose a program targeting that certification. Second, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Of course schools with low rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Available? As we covered earlier, there are generally two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can elect to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will take approximately two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, make sure that the colleges you are considering offer the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Piermont NY area health care providers. They are a great way to receive hands-on practical experience and training. They can also assist students build relationships within the Piermont health care community. And as an additional perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Provided? Landing that first job may be a daunting undertaking 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 Piermont NY area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to sit in on a few classes before selecting a college to witness what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the school you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Piermont NY, verify that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will also have to schedule all clinical training or internships that will be required. Additionally, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Piermont New York?

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

Piermont, New York

Piermont is a village incorporated in 1847 in Rockland County, New York, United States. Piermont is in the town of Orangetown, located north of the hamlet of Palisades, east of Sparkill, and south of Grand View-on-Hudson, on the west bank of the Hudson River. The population was 2,510 at the 2010 census.[3]Woody Allen set The Purple Rose of Cairo, a fictional film within The Purple Rose of Cairo (1984) in Piermont.

The village's name, in earlier years known as Tappan Landing, was given by Dr. Eleazar Lord, author, educator, deacon of the First Protestant Dutch Church and first president of the Erie Railroad. It was derived by combining a local natural feature – Tallman Mountain – and the most prominent man-made feature of the village – the long Erie Railroad pier.

Sparkill Creek cuts through the north end of the Hudson Palisades, providing easy access to the fertile valley of the unnavigable upper Hackensack River. "Tappan Landing," "Tappan Slote", or "Taulman Landing," as the little port on the Hudson River was called,[2] thus became the original port for southern Orange County. The valley in the Palisades created by the creek also provided a way for the Erie Railroad to easily reach the Hudson, and the railroad built a long pier in 1839 as its principal terminal. The pier and the nearby mountains suggested a new name for the community, which was incorporated as a village in 1850. During World War II the pier was the ferry terminal to which troops from Camp Shanks marched and were then transported to New York Port of Embarkation piers for transfer to overseas transports bound for the European Theater.[4] A memorial plaque notes that history at the pier.[4]

Choose the Right Medical Assistant Training Piermont NY

Piermont NY medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by choosing 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 pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to acquire the right info on available programs before making your decision. There are so many colleges providing 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 choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Accredited Medical Assistant Programs. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided 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 ideal program you can ultimately start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Piermont NY.