Medical Assistant Course Cost Durham NC - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Training School near Durham North Carolina

Durham NC 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 Durham NC, it’s time to select a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the best one? Many future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences 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 factors as well. You might choose to look into several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that task, we have furnished some questions that you should ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Role of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Durham NC nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their duty is to make sure that the Durham NC clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Depending on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners 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:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Providing general support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under North Carolina law, some opt 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) provided by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training

In contrast to many other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Durham NC health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially two choices offered for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about a year to complete, a few as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available 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 classes. They frequently have a clinical element requiring an internship with a local medical facility. 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 Durham NC There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are a good option for individuals who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, some online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be minimized also. Just remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can often be completed in Durham NC area medical facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your training may be the best choice for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for those who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in securing employment after graduation, but it might also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of possible Durham NC medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA exam, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available also, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Durham NC medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to choose which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. As soon as those decisions have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of prospective students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Durham NC with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should look at when evaluating programs. To assist you with that process, below are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are many great reasons to verify that the college you enroll in is accredited. First, 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 must enroll in 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 plan on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Durham NC employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must learn which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will need to select a program focused on that certification. Second, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are basically two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and obtain 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 choose to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take about 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to pursue, make certain that the colleges you are looking at provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Numerous medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Durham NC area medical providers. They are an excellent method to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also help students develop relationships within the Durham health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Furnished? Finding that first job can be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Durham NC area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much individual attention you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a program to witness 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 school while you continue to work full-time, it’s imperative that the college you choose provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Durham NC, make sure that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will also need to schedule any internships or practical training that will be required. Also, ask what the policy 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 Durham North Carolina?

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

Durham, North Carolina

Durham is a city in and the county seat of Durham County[6] in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 251,893 as of July 1, 2014, making it the 4th-most populous city in North Carolina, and the 78th-most populous city in the United States.[7] Durham is the core of the four-county Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Area, which has a population of 542,710 as of U.S. Census 2014 Population Estimates. The US Office of Management and Budget also includes Durham as a part of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area, which has a population of 2,037,430 as of U.S. Census 2014 Population Estimates.[8]

The Eno and the Occoneechi, related to the Sioux and the Shakori, lived and farmed in the area which became Durham. They may have established a village named Adshusheer on the site. The Great Indian Trading Path has been traced through Durham, and Native Americans helped to mold the area by establishing settlements and commercial transportation routes.

In 1701, Durham's beauty was chronicled by the English explorer John Lawson, who called the area "the flower of the Carolinas." During the mid-1700s, Scots, Irish, and English colonists settled on land granted to George Carteret by King Charles I (for whom the Carolinas are named). Early settlers built gristmills, such as West Point, and worked the land.

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Course Durham NC

Durham NC medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant school that will furnish the right training. Whether you’re planning to launch a career in healthcare 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 before making your selection. There are so many colleges providing training these days that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, verify that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged agency, 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 Course Cost. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure 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 subsequently begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Durham NC.