What Can You Do With A Medical Assistant Degree Greensboro NC - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Program near Greensboro North Carolina

Greensboro NC medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to enter the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Greensboro NC, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick the best one? Most prospective students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then gravitate toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues as well. You may decide to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have included several questions that you should ask all of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Greensboro NC nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their job is ensure that the Greensboro NC hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work run efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for providing direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. A few of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

While medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are authorized to under North Carolina law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the choices 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 Programs

In contrast to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, many Greensboro NC health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 choices offered for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about 1 year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges as well as technical and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a clinical element involving an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Greensboro NC There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online as well. They are an excellent choice for students who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full time while earning their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, many online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be lessened also. But bear in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be carried out in Greensboro NC area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your education might be the right choice for you. Between the online lessons and the practical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent idea for individuals who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it may also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential Greensboro NC medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and possibly 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 exam, an applicant must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available also, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Greensboro NC medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to decide which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. Once those selections have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many potential students limit their searches to the schools that are nearest to Greensboro NC with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you should look at when assessing programs. To assist you with that task, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make sure that the program you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective Greensboro NC employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you need to find out which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will need to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Next, ask 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 lower rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in 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 about one year. Or you can elect to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require approximately 2 years to complete in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to pursue, verify that the schools you are looking at provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

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

Is Job Placement Support Supplied? Finding that very first job can be a difficult undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they have some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Greensboro NC area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much personal instruction you will get throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to instructors and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a few classes before enrolling in a school to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the college you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Greensboro NC, make certain that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will still have to schedule all clinical training or internships that will be required. Also, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Greensboro North Carolina?

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

Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro (/ˈɡriːnzbʌroʊ/ (listen);[4] formerly Greensborough) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina.[1] It is the 3rd-most populous city in North Carolina, the 68th-most populous city in the United States, and the county seat and largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 269,666,[2] and in 2015 the estimated population was 285,342.[5] Three major interstate highways (Interstate 40, Interstate 85, and Interstate 73) in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina were built to intersect at this city.

In 1808, "Greensborough" (the spelling before 1895) was planned around a central courthouse square to succeed Guilford Court House as the county seat. The county courts were thus placed closer to the geographical center of the county, a location more easily reached at the time by the majority of the county's citizens, who depended on horse and foot for travel.

In 2003, the previous Greensboro – Winston-Salem – High Point metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was re-defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. This region was separated into the Greensboro–High Point MSA and the Winston-Salem MSA. The 2010 population for the Greensboro–High Point MSA was 723,801. The combined statistical area (CSA) of Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, popularly referred to as the Piedmont Triad, had a population of 1,599,477.

Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant College Greensboro NC

Greensboro NC medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant college that will furnish the appropriate training. Whether you’re objective is 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 information on available programs before making your selection. There are such a large number of schools offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make sure that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in What Can You Do With A Medical Assistant Degree. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can subsequently begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Greensboro NC.