Medical Assistant Associate Degree Lewisville NC - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant School Program near Lewisville North Carolina

Lewisville 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 Lewisville NC, it’s time to select a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick the best one? Most prospective students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors also. You might choose to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have included several questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But before we start 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 Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Lewisville NC nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Basically their role is to make sure that the Lewisville NC hospitals, clinics and other medical care centers where they work run successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the many responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Supplying general support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are authorized to under North Carolina law, some elect 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 Programs

Unlike most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Lewisville NC health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 options available for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about a year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to earn an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a clinical element involving an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Lewisville NC There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. They are an excellent option for students who might not have the time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good alternative for students who continue to work full time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be lessened also. Just remember that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be completed in Lewisville NC area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this method of getting your training may be the ideal choice for you. Between the online courses and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a job after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Some potential Lewisville NC medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained 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). To qualify to take the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Lewisville NC medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school options, you need to determine which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, a number of students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Lewisville NC with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional issues that you should examine when researching schools. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are many great reasons to make sure that the program you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Lewisville NC employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passing Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must determine which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will need to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Second, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Of course schools with low rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is closer to one year. Or you can opt to obtain an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require approximately two years to finish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, make sure that the schools you are considering provide the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Lewisville NC area medical providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on practical experience and training. They can also assist students build relationships within the Lewisville health care community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Offered? Finding that initial job may be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Lewisville NC area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also suggests that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indication of how much individual attention you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to monitor a couple of classes before selecting a college to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue working full-time, it’s important that the program you select offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Lewisville NC, verify that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will also need to schedule any clinical training or internships that will be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Lewisville North Carolina?

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

Pfafftown, North Carolina

Pfafftown (pronounced "Poff-town"),[1]North Carolina is an Unincorporated community which has been partially annexed into the cities of Winston-Salem in Forsyth County and Lewisville, also in Forsyth County. As of the 2000 census, the ZCTA of Pfafftown had a population of 9,562. It is a Piedmont Triad community.

Pfafftown's Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) has a population of about 9,562 as of the 2000 census. The population is about 49% male and 51% female. About 89.6% of the population is white, 8% African-American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.6% Asian, 1.5% Hispanic, and 0.8% of another race. 0.9% of people are two or more races. There are no native Hawaiians or other Pacific islanders.

Major roads in Pfafftown include Yadkinville Road, connecting Reynolda Road (NC 67) in Winston-Salem to Old US-421 and eventually to Yadkinville, NC. Other major roads include NC 67, connecting NC 150 in Winston-Salem, NC to US 21 in Jonesville, NC; Transou Road, connecting NC 67 to Yadkinville Road; Skylark Road, connecting Transou Road to Vienna-Dozier Road; Lewisville-Vienna Road, connecting Yadkinville Road to Shallowford Road in Lewisville, NC.

Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Program Lewisville NC

Lewisville NC medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will provide the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re goal is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to get the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of schools offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, verify that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Associate Degree. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure to ask the questions we have supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the best program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Lewisville NC.