Medical Assistant Qualifications Portage OH - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant School near Portage Ohio

Portage OH 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 Portage OH, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the proper training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently enroll in the right one? Many potential students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues also. You might choose to look into a few 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 pertinent qualifications of the schools you are evaluating. And to help you with that process, we have provided several questions that you should ask each of the schools on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Portage OH nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their role is to make sure that the Portage OH clinics, hospitals and other medical care centers where they work operate 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 tasked with giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical practitioners but may also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the potential responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

While medical assistants can carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Ohio law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and earn 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 Training Programs

Compared to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Portage OH health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two choices available for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about 1 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 option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs available at junior and community colleges in addition to technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often have a clinical component involving an internship with a local medical practice. 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 similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Portage OH There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who might not have time to go to 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 degree or certificate. As an added benefit, many online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus options. Ancillary costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be minimized also. But bear in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be completed in Portage OH area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your training may be the right option for you. With the online courses and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good option for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in attaining a position after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. Many potential Portage OH medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and perhaps 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 examination, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available as well, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Portage OH medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to decide which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can begin the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, some students limit their searches to the schools that are closest to Portage OH with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you need to examine when researching programs. To assist you with that process, following are some questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are several good reasons to make sure that the college you select is accredited. To begin 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 need to 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 either of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Portage OH employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to learn which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Next, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Naturally programs with low rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can choose to obtain an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take about two years to finish in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, make sure that the colleges you are reviewing offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Portage OH area medical providers. They are a great method to receive hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students build relationships within the Portage medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Supplied? Getting that very first job can be a challenging undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Portage OH area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size may be an indicator of how much personal attention you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a program to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full time, it’s imperative that the program you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Portage OH, verify that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will still have to schedule any internships or clinical training that may be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Portage Ohio?

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

Portage County, Ohio

Portage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 161,419.[1] Its county seat is Ravenna.[2] The county was created in 1807 and organized in 1808[3] and is named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers.[4]

The name "Portage" comes from an old Native American path called "Portage Path", which ran between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers, where travelers portaged their canoes. The location of the trail today is within the boundaries of neighboring Summit County.[5][6]

After the discovery of the New World, the land that became Portage County was originally part of the French colony of Canada (New France), which was ceded in 1763 to Great Britain and renamed the Province of Quebec. In the late 18th century the land became part of the Connecticut Western Reserve in the Northwest Territory, then was purchased by the Connecticut Land Company in 1795.

Choose the Right Medical Assistant Program Portage OH

Portage OH medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant program that will furnish the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin 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 prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of schools 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 certain that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Qualifications. But irrespective of the kind of credential that you plan 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 right program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Portage OH.