Medical Assistant Student Raleigh NC - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

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

Raleigh NC medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to become a part of the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Raleigh NC, it’s time to select a school that will provide the proper training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the ideal one? Many potential students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors as well. You might choose to research a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you must finish your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are reviewing. And to help you with that task, we have furnished some questions that you need to ask each of the schools 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 kind of training and credentials that are available.

The Role of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Raleigh NC nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their duty is ensure that the Raleigh NC hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but may also be found working in an office or at the front desk. Some of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Supplying basic support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants may carry out almost any activity they are authorized to under North Carolina law, some opt 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) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training Programs

Unlike many other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Raleigh NC health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially 2 choices offered for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about 1 year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs provided at junior and community colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a practical component requiring 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 Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Raleigh NC There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are an excellent alternative for students who might not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue to work full-time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, many online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be minimized also. Just keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be completed in Raleigh NC area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your education may be the best option for you. With the online lessons and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent idea for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in obtaining employment after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. A number of possible Raleigh NC medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available also, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Raleigh NC medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school options, you need to decide which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, many students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Raleigh NC with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should examine when assessing schools. To assist you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make sure that the college you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the accepted organizations for accreditation are the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). If your school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective Raleigh NC employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you must determine which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to select a program focused on that certification. Next, 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 ways to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Naturally programs with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to complete in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you decide to enroll in, confirm that the colleges you are reviewing provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Raleigh NC area health care providers. They are an excellent means to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also help students build relationships within the Raleigh medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Supplied? Landing that first job can be a daunting undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Raleigh NC area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to attend a few classes before selecting a college to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full-time, it’s imperative that the college you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Raleigh 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 also have to schedule all internships or clinical training that might be required. Additionally, find out what the policy 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 Raleigh North Carolina?

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

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh (/ˈrɑːli/; RAH-lee)[6] is the capital of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. Raleigh is the second-largest city in the state, after Charlotte. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees, which line the streets in the heart of the city.[7] The city covers a land area of 142.8 square miles (370 km2). The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population as 464,758 as of July 1, 2017.[4] It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.[8][9] The city of Raleigh is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the lost Roanoke Colony in present-day Dare County.

Raleigh is home to North Carolina State University (NCSU) and is part of the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area, together with Durham (home of Duke University) and Chapel Hill (home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). The "Triangle" nickname originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located in Durham and Wake counties, among the three cities and their universities. The Research Triangle region encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which had an estimated population of 2,037,430 in 2013.[10] The Raleigh metropolitan statistical area had an estimated population of 1,214,516 in 2013.

Most of Raleigh is located within Wake County, with a very small portion extending into Durham County.[11] The towns of Cary, Morrisville, Garner, Clayton, Wake Forest, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Knightdale, Wendell, Zebulon, and Rolesville are some of Raleigh's primary nearby suburbs and satellite towns.

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Course Raleigh NC

Raleigh NC medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will furnish the right training. Regardless if you’re planning to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to acquire the right info on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have covered in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Student. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can ultimately begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Raleigh NC.