Medical Assistant Graduation Blooming Glen PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Program near Blooming Glen Pennsylvania

Blooming Glen PA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to become a part of the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Blooming Glen PA, it’s time to select a school that will provide the right training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the ideal one? Many prospective students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors also. You may want to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you must carry out your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have included several questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are offered.

The Function of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Blooming Glen PA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their job is to make sure that the Blooming Glen PA hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work operate successfully. Based on the type or size of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any task they are authorized to under Pennsylvania law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options available 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 most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, many Blooming Glen PA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two choices offered for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about one year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs available at community and junior colleges in addition to technical and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They frequently have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Blooming Glen PA There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are a good option for individuals who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good option for students who continue to work full time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, many online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on campus options. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be minimized also. But remember that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be carried out in Blooming Glen PA area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this method of receiving your training might be the best choice for you. With the online courses and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good choice for graduates who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining employment after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. Some possible Blooming Glen PA medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Blooming Glen PA medical assistant programs Prior to examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to determine which type of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Blooming Glen PA with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you must examine when evaluating programs. To help you with that process, following are some questions that you should ask about all of the programs you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are several good reasons to confirm that the school 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 must complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 qualified to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective Blooming Glen PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you need to learn which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will need to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Next, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Offered? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about 1 year. Or you can choose to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take about two years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whatever program you choose to pursue, make sure that the colleges you are considering offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Blooming Glen PA area medical care providers. They are a great way to obtain hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students build relationships within the Blooming Glen medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Support Offered? Landing that very first job can be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Blooming Glen PA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of employers 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 throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to attend a couple of classes before enrolling in a college to witness what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full time, it’s important that the college you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Blooming Glen PA, make certain that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will also need to schedule any internships or practical training that may be required. Also, ask what the protocol 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 Blooming Glen Pennsylvania?

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

Pennsylvania Route 413

Pennsylvania Route 413 (PA 413) is a 31-mile-long (50 km), north–south state highway in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The route runs from the New Jersey state line on the Burlington-Bristol Bridge over the Delaware River outside Bristol, where it continues as Route 413 into New Jersey, to PA 611 in Bedminster Township. The route passes through the lower and central portions of Bucks County, serving Bristol, Levittown, Langhorne, Newtown, and Buckingham. The route intersects U.S. Route 13 (US 13) and Interstate 95 (I-95) near Bristol, I-295 near Penndel, US 1 in Langhorne Manor, and US 202 in Buckingham.

The modern-day alignment of PA 413 roughly follows the Durham Road, an 18th-century road that connected Bristol to upper Bucks County. PA 413 was originally designated in 1928 to run from US 309 (Main Street) in Sellersville east to PA 113 in Blooming Glen. The route was extended to US 122 (now US 202) in Buckingham by 1930. In 1946, the northern terminus was moved to US 611 in Pipersville, with portions of the route between Sellersville and Pipersville becoming parts of PA 113 and PA 152. The route was also extended south to US 13 in Bristol by this time, replacing PA 101 between Bristol and Penndel and PA 113 between Penndel and Buckingham. The route was extended south to its current terminus and moved to its current alignment between Bristol and Penndel by 1950. In 1977, PA 413 was routed to bypass Newtown.

PA 413 begins at the Burlington-Bristol Bridge over the Delaware River in Bristol Township, Bucks County, where the road continues south into Burlington, New Jersey as Route 413. From the bridge, PA 413 heads north as two-lane undivided Veterans Highway, passing over the abandoned Maple Beach community before curving northwest and back north through woodland. The route heads into industrial areas and widens into a four-lane road, bending northeast and crossing Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Bristol Industrial Track. PA 413 turns northwest at an intersection with Otter Street and passes under Amtrak's Northeast Corridor before it reaches an intersection with US 13. Past this intersection, the road becomes a four-lane divided highway and passes between homes to the west and a shopping center to the east, at which point it forms the border between Bristol Township to the west and the borough of Bristol to the east. The route fully enters Bristol Township again and continues through residential areas with a few businesses as a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane, passing to the west of the Lower Bucks Campus of Bucks County Community College. PA 413 becomes a six-lane divided highway as it comes to a ramp that provides access to I-95 to the west.[2][3]

Choose the Right Medical Assistant Training Blooming Glen PA

Blooming Glen PA medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant program that will furnish the proper training. Whether you’re planning to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must obtain the appropriate info on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of schools offering training these days that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you decide on 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 Graduation. But irrespective of the kind 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 so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Blooming Glen PA.