Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Clarks Summit PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School near Clarks Summit Pennsylvania

Clarks Summit PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to enter the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Clarks Summit PA, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing colleges so that you subsequently pick the right one? Many potential students start 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 very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important issues also. You might choose to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have included some questions that you need to ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are offered.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Clarks Summit PA nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their duty is ensure that the Clarks Summit PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Depending 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 responsible for giving 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. A few of the many functions of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Giving general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may perform almost any task they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the choices 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 practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Clarks Summit PA health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 choices available for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs normally take about a year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn 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 expansive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They frequently have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are often 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 Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Clarks Summit PA There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online also. They are an excellent choice for students who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue working full time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, a number of online schools have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus options. Ancillary costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be lessened also. Just bear in mind that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be carried out in Clarks Summit PA area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your education may be the ideal choice for you. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good option for individuals who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a job after graduation, but it might also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of possible Clarks Summit PA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to apply for the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Clarks Summit PA medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school options, you need to decide which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. After those selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Clarks Summit PA with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should explore when assessing programs. To help you with that process, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many good reasons to ensure that the school you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the approved agencies 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 exam. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many potential Clarks Summit PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you must determine which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to choose a program targeting that certification. Second, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a school’s program. Obviously schools with lower rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically 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 1 year. Or you can decide to obtain an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take about two years to finish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, verify that the schools you are looking at offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? A large number of medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Clarks Summit PA area health care providers. They are a great way to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also help students develop relationships within the Clarks Summit medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Landing that first job may be a difficult undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Clarks Summit PA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may 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 offer increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to attend a few classes before choosing a program to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full-time, it’s imperative that the program you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Clarks Summit PA, verify that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will still have to schedule any internships or clinical training that may be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Clarks Summit Pennsylvania?

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

Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania

Clarks Summit is a borough in Lackawanna County northwest of Scranton in northeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,116 at the 2010 census. It is also the northern terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, I-476.

The first settler in the area currently known as Clarks Summit was William Clark. Clark had fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Revolutionary War, and as payment for his military service, he was issued 800 acres (3.2 km2) of Pennsylvania land by Congress. Because of disputes between Pennsylvania and Connecticut over the area of land that is now northern Pennsylvania (resulting in the Pennamite-Yankee War), the land deed issued to Clark was deemed invalid by the Luzerne County land grant office. Clark had no choice but to pay for the land himself. In March 1799, Clark and his three sons moved into a log cabin in the Abington wilderness, located on what is currently the Clarks Green Cemetery. The first school was built in 1893 and was destroyed by fire two years later.[3] The village of Clarks Summit and an adjacent tract of land were incorporated into the Borough of Clarks Summit on August 30, 1911.

There are many geological features that add appeal to the area of Clarks Summit. Many of the locals enjoy the plethora of natural lands and features during the warmer months. Clarks Summit area has four dams (Cobbs Lake Dam, Fords Lake Dam, Interlaken Dam, and Summit Lake Dam) that all have scenic bodies of water attached for many outdoor activities such as fishing and swimming. Moreover, Cummings Pond, Gravel Pond, and Lance Pond additionally offer many outdoor opportunities for residents and their families. Along with these lakes, ponds, and dams, there are also several reservoirs that are contained in the area. The area's four reservoirs serve as local hot spots for summer swimming and rope swings for much of Clarks Summit's youth. In addition to bodies of water, the area also services many hiking and walking locations throughout the borough. The area is home to Bald Mountain, Captain White Hill, Griffin Hill, Pinnacle Rock, West Mountain, Wilbur Hill, Summit Pointe, Waverly Community walking trail and many others.

Pick the Right Medical Assistant College Clarks Summit PA

Clarks Summit PA medical assistant student It’s imperative 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 planning 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 acquire the right info on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, confirm that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Certified Clinical Medical Assistant. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can ultimately begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Clarks Summit PA.