Medical Assistant Trade School Queens Village NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant School near Queens Village New York

Queens Village NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to become a part of the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Queens Village NY, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the proper training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? A number of future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors as well. You may decide to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you must complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that task, we have furnished a few questions that you need to ask all of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Queens Village NY nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their duty is to make sure that the Queens Village NY clinics, hospitals and other medical care institutions where they work run efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the potential responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are qualified to under New York law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training

In contrast to most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Queens Village NY health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are essentially 2 options provided for a formal education. The first and quickest way to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about one year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs provided at community and junior colleges in addition to technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a practical element requiring an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Queens Village NY There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are a good choice for individuals who might not have the time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good option for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, some online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be reduced as well. Just keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be performed in Queens Village NY area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this method of getting your training might be the best option for you. With the online lessons and the practical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for graduates who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing a job after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Some potential Queens Village 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) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to apply for the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Queens Village NY medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to decide which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. Once those selections have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, some prospective students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Queens Village NY with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you need to explore when researching programs. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several great reasons to verify that the program you enroll in is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved 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 program is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Queens Village NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must determine which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will need to enroll in a program concentrating on that certification. Next, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Of course programs with lower rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose 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 opt to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require approximately 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, verify that the colleges you are reviewing provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Numerous medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Queens Village NY area health care providers. They are an excellent method to obtain hands-on practical experience and training. They can also assist students establish relationships within the Queens Village medical community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Provided? Getting that first job can be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Queens Village NY area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual attention you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to monitor a couple of classes before selecting a college to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full-time, it’s important that the college you select offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Queens Village NY, make sure that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will also need to schedule any internships or clinical training that will be required. Additionally, find out what the policy 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 Queens Village New York?

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

Queens Village, Queens

Queens Village is a mostly residential middle class neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Queens.[4] The Queens Village Post Office serves the ZIP codes of 11427 (Hollis Hills and Bellaire), 11428 (central Queens Village), and 11429 (Southern Queens Village south of the LIRR Main Line). The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.[5]

Shopping in the community is located along Braddock Avenue, Hillside Avenue, Hempstead Avenue, and Jamaica Avenue (NY 25), as well as on Springfield Boulevard. Located just east of Queens Village, in Nassau County, is the Belmont Park race track.

Close to the neighborhood are Cunningham Park and Alley Pond Park, as well as the historic Long Island Motor Parkway (LIMP), home of the turn of the century racing competition, the Vanderbilt Cup. The LIMP was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt, a descendant of the family that presided over the New York Central Railroad and Western Union; it is now part of the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway used by bicyclists, joggers and nature trail lovers.

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant Course Queens Village NY

Queens Village NY medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will provide the proper training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must acquire the appropriate info on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training these days that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged agency, 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 Trade School. But regardless 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 in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Queens Village NY.