Medical Assistant Schools Near Me Bakersville NC - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant Training School near Bakersville North Carolina

Bakersville NC medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to enter the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Bakersville NC, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the right training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? Many potential students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors as well. You might want to look into some online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you must carry out your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are assessing. And to help you with that task, we have included several questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Bakersville NC nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their duty is ensure that the Bakersville NC clinics, hospitals and other medical care institutions where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Providing basic support during exams and procedures

While medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are authorized to under North Carolina law, some choose to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the options offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) provided by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Education

In contrast to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Bakersville NC health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 choices available for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about one year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs offered at junior and community colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a practical component requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly 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 Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Bakersville NC There are many accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are an excellent option for those who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue working full-time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, many online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened as well. Just remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can typically be performed in Bakersville NC area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your education may be the ideal choice for you. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for graduates who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it might also help with initial salary negotiations. Some potential Bakersville NC medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. 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 apply for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered also, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Bakersville NC medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school options, you must decide which type of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can start the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, some students limit their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Bakersville NC with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you need to look at when assessing schools. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many great reasons to make certain that the program you enroll in is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction 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 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 one of these agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Bakersville NC employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must determine which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will need to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with low rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can opt to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take approximately two years to finish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you decide to pursue, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Bakersville NC area medical providers. They are an excellent means to receive hands-on practical experience and training. They may also help students develop relationships within the Bakersville healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Provided? Landing that first job may be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Bakersville NC area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may 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 prone to furnish greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a couple of classes before choosing a program to experience what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full time, it’s important that the college you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Bakersville NC, verify that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will still need to schedule all clinical training or internships that will be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Bakersville North Carolina?

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

Bakersville, North Carolina

In prehistoric times, local mica deposits were extensively mined by Native Americans. The first Euro-American settlers arrived in the area after the American Revolution, establishing scattered homesteads. The town of Bakersville dates from the 1850s[5] and was named for David Baker, one of the first to live in the area around 1790 and described as "a large land owner, innkeeper, merchant and political leader until about 1859, when he and his family migrated to the far west."[6] Situated on the main route leading over Roan Mountain and westward into Tennessee, the town developed slowly. Traveler Frederick Law Olmsted passed through Bakersville in the early 1850s and noted that the "town" consisted of only a couple of cabins within a quarter-mile radius.[5] In 1861, a post office was established and named Davis after Jefferson Davis.[6] Following the Civil War, the county seat of newly created Mitchell County was relocated to the town that had been renamed Bakersville by the Republican state government,[6][5] leading to the construction of a courthouse and a growth in population. In the 1870s, as mica became commercially valuable, the rich local deposits of the mineral caused a temporary economic boom.[5] Bakersville is also home to the North Carolina Rhododendron Festival. The pageant attracts visitors from across the state and nation, most notably Richard Nixon in 1968.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2). Bakersville is a small town, and is the county seat of Mitchell County located approximately 50 miles northeast of Asheville and 25 miles southeast of Johnson City, TN. It has one public primary and middle school with approximately two hundred students.

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 357 people, 168 households, and 97 families residing in the town. The population density was 474.4 people per square mile (183.8/km²). There were 206 housing units at an average density of 273.8 per square mile (106.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.72% White and 0.28% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population.

Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant College Bakersville NC

Bakersville NC medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will provide the right training. Regardless if you’re planning to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you must acquire the right info on available programs before making your decision. There are so many schools providing training these days that you can make a decision based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Schools Near Me. But irrespective of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the best program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Bakersville NC.