Medical Assistant Qualifications Thornwood NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant School Program near Thornwood New York

Thornwood NY medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to become a part of the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Thornwood NY, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the right training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently pick the best one? A number of future students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues also. You may decide to research several online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you must complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are assessing. And to assist you with that process, we have provided a few questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Thornwood NY nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their function is to make sure that the Thornwood NY clinics, hospitals and other medical care institutions where they work run efficiently. Depending on the type or size of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. Some of the many functions of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Supplying general support during examinations and procedures

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

Medical Assistant Education

Compared to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Thornwood 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 choices available for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about one year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges as well as technical and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a clinical element requiring an internship with a local medical 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.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Thornwood NY There are many accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are a good alternative for those who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue to work full-time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened also. Just bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be performed in Thornwood NY area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your education might be the right choice for you. Between the online classes and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for those who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting a job after graduation, but it might also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Many possible Thornwood NY medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within thirty 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 Schools

Questions to ask Thornwood NY medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to determine which type of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Thornwood NY with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you must look at when researching schools. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to verify that the college you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you need to complete 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 agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Thornwood NY employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To begin with, you must learn which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will need to select a program concentrating on that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the ways to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally schools with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are generally two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take approximately 2 years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, verify that the colleges you are considering offer the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? A large number of medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Thornwood NY area health care providers. They are an excellent method to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students establish relationships within the Thornwood medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Service Offered? Landing that first job may be a difficult undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the Thornwood NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indicator of how much personal attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to attend a few classes before choosing a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full time, it’s essential that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Thornwood NY, make certain that those times are offered. You might 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 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 responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Thornwood New York?

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

Thornwood, New York

Thornwood is a hamlet (unincorporated community), census-designated place (CDP), and postal designation (with zip code 10594) in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York. The population was 3,759 at the 2010 census.[1]

In 1891, Lewis Smadback started a very successful development at what is now Thornwood. The village of Sherman Park was incorporated in 1906 and the name was changed to Hillside in 1909. The village was dissolved in 1914, when Thornwood took its current name and became a hamlet within the Town of Mount Pleasant. It is possible that Thornwood is a derivative of "Hawthorne's Woods," since Hawthorne is an adjacent hamlet.

Thornwood once had a large and thriving Westchester marble quarry near its heart, the intersection of Route 141 and Kensico Road (known as Four Corners). Dating back to 1845, the quarry supplied white marble which helped build St. Patrick's Cathedral (hence the name of Marble Avenue which runs through the hamlet). The quarry pit was filled in during the mid-1980s, and the Town Center shopping mall was constructed over it.

Choose the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Program Thornwood NY

Thornwood NY medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re planning to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to acquire the appropriate info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, such as 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 Medical Assistant Qualifications. But irrespective 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, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the right program you can subsequently start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Thornwood NY.