How Long Are Medical Assistant Programs Burlington NC - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Training Program near Burlington North Carolina

Burlington NC medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to enter the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Burlington NC, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the ideal one? Many potential students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues also. You might decide to research several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the schools you are assessing. And to assist you with that task, we have furnished several questions that you should ask each of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Role of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Burlington NC nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their role is ensure that the Burlington NC clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions where they work operate efficiently. Based 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 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. Some of the possible functions of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Giving basic support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are qualified to under North Carolina law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the choices 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 Education

In contrast to most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Burlington NC health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about a year to complete, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs offered at community and junior colleges in addition to vocational and technical schools. They are more expansive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local medical facility. 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 related field.

Online Medical Assistant Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Burlington NC There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are an excellent alternative for those who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue to work full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, many online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be reduced also. But remember that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be completed in Burlington NC area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to getting your training may be the best option for you. Between the online classes and the practical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for those who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in attaining employment after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Some potential Burlington NC medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. Among the most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered as well, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Burlington NC medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to determine which type of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from 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 students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Burlington NC with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you should look at when assessing schools. To assist you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to confirm that the school you choose is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged organizations for accreditation are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). If your school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many prospective Burlington NC employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must learn 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 obviously you will want to select a program targeting that certification. Second, ask 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 evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Obviously schools with lower rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Available? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to finish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you choose to pursue, make certain that the schools you are considering provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Offered? A large number of medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Burlington NC area medical providers. They are an excellent way to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also assist students build relationships within the Burlington health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Furnished? Finding that first job can be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Burlington NC area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size may be an indication of how much personal instruction you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish increased access to instructors and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a college to observe what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full time, it’s important that the school you select offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Burlington NC, confirm that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will still have to schedule any internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, 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 Burlington North Carolina?

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

Burlington, North Carolina

Burlington is a city in Alamance and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Alamance County, in which most of the city is located, and is a part of the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point CSA. The population was 50,042 at the 2010 census,[4] which makes Burlington the 17th largest city in North Carolina. The Metropolitan Statistical Area population was over 150,000 in 2010.

Alamance County was created when Orange County was partitioned in 1849. Early settlers included several groups of Quakers, many of which remain active in the Snow Camp area, German farmers, and Scots-Irish immigrants.

The need of the North Carolina Railroad in the 1850s to locate land where they could build, repair and do maintenance on its track was the genesis of Burlington, North Carolina. The company selected a piece of land slightly west of present-day Graham. On January 29, 1856, the last spikes were driven into the final tie of the North Carolina Railroad project, uniting the cities of Goldsboro and Charlotte by rail. The next day, the first locomotive passed along the new route. When the iron horse arrived in Alamance County, locals referred to it as "the eighth wonder of the world".

Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Burlington NC

Burlington NC medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will furnish the right training. Whether you’re objective is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must get the right information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, make certain that the program you decide on is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in How Long Are Medical Assistant Programs. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided 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 selecting the right program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Burlington NC.