Registered Medical Assistant South Glens Falls NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant School near South Glens Falls New York

South Glens Falls NY medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to join the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near South Glens Falls NY, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately enroll in the best one? Many prospective students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical factors also. You might choose to look into some online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a college you need to finish your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to help you with that task, we have provided a few questions that you should ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with South Glens Falls NY nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Primarily their job is ensure that the South Glens Falls NY clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers where they work operate 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 responsible for providing direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but may also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the potential functions of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Providing basic support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are authorized to under New York law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the options available 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 Training

In contrast to most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many South Glens Falls NY health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about 1 year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs provided at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more expansive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often have a practical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in South Glens Falls NY There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are a good alternative for students who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good option for students who continue working full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, a number of online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be reduced also. Just remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be completed in South Glens Falls NY area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your training might be the best option for you. With the online lessons and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good choice for those who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in getting a position after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. A number of possible South Glens Falls 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 respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit 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 available also, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask South Glens Falls NY medical assistant programs Before you can start examining your medical assistant school options, you need to choose which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. After those selections have been made, you can start the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many potential students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to South Glens Falls NY with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you need to look at when evaluating schools. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many great reasons to verify that the school you enroll in is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you must 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 program is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective South Glens Falls NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you must find out which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Next, find out what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course programs with lower rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is closer to one year. Or you can choose to obtain an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to complete in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, verify that the schools you are looking at provide the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant schools offer internship programs with South Glens Falls NY area healthcare providers. They are a great method to get hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also assist students establish relationships within the South Glens Falls medical community. And as an additional perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Offered? Landing that first job may be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the South Glens Falls 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 an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might 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 provide greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to attend a few classes before selecting a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full time, it’s important that the program you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near South Glens Falls NY, confirm that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will still have to schedule any internships or practical training that will be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near South Glens Falls New York?

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

Glens Falls, New York

Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.[4] The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census.[5] The name was given by Colonel Johannes Glen, the falls referring to a large waterfall in the Hudson River at the southern end of the city.[6]

Glens Falls is a city located in the southeast corner of Warren County, surrounded by the town of Queensbury to the north, east, and west, and by the Hudson River and Saratoga County to the south. Glens Falls is known as "Hometown U.S.A.", a title given to it by Look Magazine in 1944. The city has also referred to itself in the past as the "Empire City."[7]

As a halfway point between Fort Edward and Fort William Henry, the falls was the site of several battles during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. The then-hamlet was mostly destroyed by fire twice during the latter conflict, forcing the Quakers to abandon the settlement until the war ended in 1783. Fire also ravaged the village in 1864, 1884, and 1902.[7]

Choose the Best Medical Assistant School South Glens Falls NY

South Glens Falls NY medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Whether you’re planning to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must acquire the right information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges providing training these days that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, make certain that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Registered Medical Assistant. 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 supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can ultimately start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in South Glens Falls NY.