Medical Assistant Career Connellsville PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Training School near Connellsville Pennsylvania

Connellsville PA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to enter the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Connellsville PA, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? A number of potential students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors also. You might want to research some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that before you select a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that process, we have included some questions that you should ask all of the colleges 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 type of training and credentials that are available.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Connellsville PA nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Primarily their role is to make sure that the Connellsville PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work operate successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners but may also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible 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 tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Providing basic support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants can carry out almost any task they are authorized to under Pennsylvania law, some choose to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the choices available are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training

Compared to many other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Connellsville PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about a year to finish, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs available at community and junior colleges as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They often have a practical component involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly 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 Connellsville PA There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online as well. They are an excellent option for those who might not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue working full time while earning their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, many online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be lessened also. But remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be performed in Connellsville PA area health care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this mode of receiving your education may be the best option for you. Between the online courses and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for graduates who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in obtaining a position after graduation, but it can also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. A number of possible Connellsville PA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and possibly the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered as well, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Connellsville PA medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you must determine which type of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. Once those selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many potential students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Connellsville PA with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you must explore when researching programs. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make sure that the program you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the education you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged agencies 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 one of these agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Connellsville PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to learn which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will need to enroll in a program focused on that certification. Next, find out what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Of course programs with lower rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and obtain 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 get a more comprehensive education that will take approximately 2 years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whatever program you choose to enroll in, verify that the colleges you are considering provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Numerous medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Connellsville PA area medical care providers. They are an excellent method to get hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also assist students develop relationships within the Connellsville healthcare community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Getting that very first job can be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Connellsville 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 suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual attention you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a couple of classes before enrolling in a college to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full time, it’s important that the school you choose provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Connellsville PA, 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 need to schedule any clinical training or internships that will be required. Also, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Connellsville Pennsylvania?

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

Connellsville, Pennsylvania

Connellsville is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Pittsburgh on the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,637 at the 2010 census,[3] down from 9,146 at the 2000 census.

During the French and Indian War, a British army commanded by General Edward Braddock approached Fort Duquesne and crossed the Youghiogheny River at Stewart's Crossing, which is situated in the middle of what is now the city of Connellsville.

Connellsville was officially founded as a township in 1793 then as a borough on March 1, 1806, by Zachariah Connell, a militia captain during the American Revolution. In February 1909, balloting in New Haven and Connellsville resulted in these two boroughs joining and becoming the first city in Fayette County on May 12, 1911.

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant Course Connellsville PA

Connellsville 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 proper training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the right info on available programs before making your selection. There are so many colleges offering training these days that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, confirm that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Career. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision 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 picking the ideal program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Connellsville PA.