Become A Certified Medical Assistant Archbald PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Program near Archbald Pennsylvania

Archbald PA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to join the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Archbald PA, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently pick the right one? Many potential students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical factors as well. You might decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you need to finish your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the schools you are reviewing. And to assist you with that process, we have provided a few questions that you should ask each of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Archbald PA nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their function is ensure that the Archbald PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions where they work operate efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but may also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Supplying general support during examinations and procedures

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are authorized to under Pennsylvania law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options 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 Education

Unlike many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Archbald PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about 1 year to finish, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to earn an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs offered at community and junior colleges in addition to technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local healthcare facility. 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 Archbald PA There are many accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are an excellent choice for those who might not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work 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 extra benefit, many online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be minimized as well. Just remember that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be performed in Archbald PA area medical facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your training may be the best choice for you. With the online lessons and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent idea for those who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in attaining a position after graduation, but it may also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. A number of potential Archbald PA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Archbald PA medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you must determine which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. After those selections have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of potential students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Archbald PA with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you need to explore when assessing programs. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many great reasons to verify that the program you enroll in is accredited. To start with, 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 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 program is not accredited by one of these agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you plan on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many potential Archbald PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you need to find out which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then of course you will want to select 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 means to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can elect to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require about two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, verify that the colleges you are looking at provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Archbald PA area healthcare providers. They are a great means to get hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also help students build relationships within the Archbald medical community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Assistance Offered? Getting that initial job may be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Archbald PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indicator of how much personal attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to sit in on a few classes before enrolling in a college to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full time, it’s important that the college you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Archbald PA, make sure that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will still have to schedule any internships or clinical training that may be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Archbald Pennsylvania?

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

Archbald, Pennsylvania

Archbald is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is named for James Archbald,[3] who was the first mayor of Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Before being renamed in Archbald's honor, the name of the settlement was White Oak Run. The vast majority of the settlers were Irish Catholics, fleeing the potato famine in Ireland.[4] The population was 6,984 at the 2010 census. The village of Eynon is incorporated into Archbald.

As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 6,984 people, 2,802 households, and 1,948 families residing in the borough. The population density was 408.9 people per square mile (157.9/km²). There were 2,952 housing units at an average density of 172.8 per square mile (67.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.9% White, 1.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 2,802 households, out of which 29% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% have a female householder with no husband present, 30.5% were non-families. 26% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.0.

The median income for a household in the borough was $39,428, and the median income for a family was $52,410. Males had a median income of $36,913 versus $26,343 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,352. About 3.8% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant College Archbald PA

Archbald PA medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will provide the proper training. Regardless if you’re goal 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 acquire the right information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, verify that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized agency, for example 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 Become A Certified Medical Assistant. But irrespective of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can ultimately start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Archbald PA.