Become A Certified Medical Assistant Wantagh NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training Program near Wantagh New York

Wantagh NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Wantagh NY, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the ideal one? A number of future students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then gravitate toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues as well. You might want to research several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have provided several questions that you need to ask all of the schools 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 Duties of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Wantagh NY nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Essentially their job is ensure that the Wantagh NY hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work operate successfully. 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 tasked with giving direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health professionals but may also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Providing basic support during exams and procedures

While medical assistants can carry out almost any task they are authorized to under New York law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the options offered 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 Courses

Unlike many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Wantagh NY health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two options offered for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about a 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 earn an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the certificate or diploma 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 medical practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Wantagh NY There are many accredited medical assistant programs accessible online too. They are an excellent choice for those who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue to work full time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, a number of online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be reduced as well. But keep in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be performed in Wantagh NY area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your education may be the right choice for you. Between the online lessons and the practical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent choice for graduates who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in obtaining a job after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Some potential Wantagh NY medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered also, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Wantagh NY medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school options, you need to decide which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. After those selections have been made, you can begin the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, some prospective students restrict their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Wantagh NY with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you need to examine when researching schools. To help 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 Course Accredited? There are many great reasons to ensure that the college you select is accredited. First, 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 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 school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many potential Wantagh NY employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to find out which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will need to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the ways to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can decide to obtain an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take approximately two years to finish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, make certain that the schools you are considering provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Many medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Wantagh NY area healthcare providers. They are an excellent way to get hands-on practical training and experience. They may also help students establish relationships within the Wantagh health care community. And as an additional perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Offered? Landing that first job can be a daunting undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Wantagh NY area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size can 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 face to face interaction. If possible, try to monitor a few classes before enrolling in a college to see what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full-time, it’s important that the program you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Wantagh NY, confirm that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will still 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 Wantagh New York?

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

Wantagh, New York

Wantagh (/ˈwɒntɔː/ WAHN-taw) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County on Long Island, New York, United States. The population of Wantagh was 18,871 at the time of the 2010 census. It is serviced by the Wantagh Station on the Long Island Rail Road.

The Wantagh area was inhabited by the Merokee (or Merikoke) tribe of the Metoac Indians prior to the first wave of European settlement in the mid-17th century. The Merokee were part of the greater Montauk tribe that loosely ruled Long Island's Native Americans. Wantagh was the sachem (chief) of the Merokee tribe in 1647,[4] and was later the grand sachem of the Montauk tribe from 1651-1658. The Dutch settlers came east from their New Amsterdam colony, and English settlers came south from Connecticut and Massachusetts settlements. When the English and Dutch settled their competing claims to Long Island in the 1650 treaty conducted in Hartford, the Dutch partition included all lands west of Oyster Bay and thus the Wantagh area. Long Island then was ceded to the Duke of York in 1663-64, but then fell back into Dutch hands after the Dutch regained New York in 1673. The Treaty of Westminster in 1674 settled the land claims once and for all, incorporating Long Island into the now-British colony of New York.[5]

Wantagh was originally known as "Jerusalem", although some early accounts do refer to the area as "Wantagh". The creek running north/south through Wantagh, and which has been covered up in many places but is still visible between the Wantagh Parkway and the housing developments west of Wantagh Avenue, was originally the Jerusalem River. The original post office was built in 1837, for Jerusalem, but mail service from Brooklyn began around 1780. The town's first school was established in 1790.[6] At some time around the 1880s, Jerusalem was renamed Ridgewood, and the town's original LIRR station was named "Ridgewood Station". Later, Ridgewood was renamed Wantagh to avoid confusion with another town in New York State with the same name.

Select the Right Medical Assistant Course Wantagh NY

Wantagh NY medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will provide the proper training. Whether you’re planning to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the right info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many schools offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, confirm that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, such as 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 Become A Certified Medical Assistant. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can subsequently start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Wantagh NY.