What Can A Certified Medical Assistant Do Woodbury NY - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Program near Woodbury New York

Woodbury NY medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to become a part of the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Woodbury NY, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the right one? Many future students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences 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 important factors as well. You may decide to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a program you must finish your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to assist you with that process, we have provided several questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Duties of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Woodbury NY nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Basically their function is ensure that the Woodbury NY hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

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

While medical assistants can perform almost any activity they are authorized to under New York law, some opt 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) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Courses

Compared to most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Woodbury NY health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 options provided for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about 1 year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more extensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a practical element requiring 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 related field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Woodbury NY There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are a good alternative for individuals 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 earning their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, many online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be lessened also. But keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be completed in Woodbury NY area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your training may be the ideal choice for you. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent idea for individuals who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting a job after graduation, but it may also enhance initial salary negotiations. A number of possible Woodbury NY medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. 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 take the CMA examination, 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, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Woodbury NY medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to choose which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. After those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Woodbury NY with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you need to look at when assessing schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are several great reasons to make sure that the school you choose is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the approved agencies for accreditation are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). 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 normally not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Woodbury NY employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you must find out which of the certifications the programs 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 select a program concentrating on that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in 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 1 year. Or you can elect to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about two years to complete in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, make certain that the schools you are considering offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? A large number of medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Woodbury NY area medical care providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on practical training and experience. They may also help students establish relationships within the Woodbury health care community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Supplied? Landing that first job may be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Woodbury NY area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indicator of how much personal instruction you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a program to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full time, it’s imperative that the college you choose offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Woodbury NY, verify that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online college, but you will still have to schedule all internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Woodbury New York?

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

Woodbury, New York

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant Program Woodbury NY

Woodbury NY medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant school that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to get the right info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many schools providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in What Can A Certified Medical Assistant Do. But irrespective of the type of credential that you plan 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 supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can ultimately start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Woodbury NY.