Medical Assistant Responsibilities Greensburg PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training School near Greensburg Pennsylvania

Greensburg PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to enter the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Greensburg PA, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick the best one? A number of prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors as well. You may decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the schools you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have provided several questions that you need to ask each of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are available.

The Responsibilities of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Greensburg PA nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Basically their duty is to make sure that the Greensburg PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities where they work operate successfully. Depending on the type or size of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for providing direct support to the physicians, nurses and other health practitioners but may also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the potential duties 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 physicians
Supplying general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants can carry out almost any activity they are authorized to under Pennsylvania law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and obtain 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 Courses

In contrast to most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Greensburg PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially two options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about one year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to earn an Associate Degree, which are typically two year programs offered at junior and community 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 training. 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 related field.

Online Medical Assistant Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Greensburg PA There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are a good alternative for students who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue to work full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, many online schools have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Ancillary expenses including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be reduced as well. Just keep in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be carried out in Greensburg PA area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your training might be the ideal choice for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for individuals who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in obtaining employment after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. A number of potential Greensburg PA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and arguably 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 have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Greensburg PA medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to decide which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at 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, some prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Greensburg PA with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you need to explore when evaluating schools. To assist you with that task, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are several great reasons to confirm that the college you enroll in is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you need to 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 organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Also, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, many potential Greensburg PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you need to determine which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will want to select a program concentrating on that certification. Next, find out 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 school’s program. Naturally schools with lower rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose 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 1 year. Or you can choose to earn an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will take approximately 2 years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whatever program you decide to pursue, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? A large number of medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Greensburg PA area health care providers. They are a great way to receive hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also help students develop relationships within the Greensburg medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Offered? Getting that first job can be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Greensburg PA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also indicates that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator of how much personal instruction you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a couple of classes before choosing a college to observe what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the program you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Greensburg PA, make certain that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will still need to schedule all internships or clinical training that might be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Greensburg Pennsylvania?

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

Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States,[5] and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city lies within the Laurel Highlands and the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau.[6] The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. The population was 14,892 at the 2010 census.

Located 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Greensburg is a major business, academic, tourism and cultural center in Western Pennsylvania. It is evident as the city's population doubles during work hours. The city ranks seventh in Pennsylvania in daytime growth, behind Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, King of Prussia, Lancaster, and State College. It also ranks 16th in the United States for daytime growth among towns with a resident population between 15,000 and 24,999.[7] In 2007, Greensburg was ranked as one of the "Best Places to Retire" in Pennsylvania by U.S. News & World Report.[8]

After the end of the Revolutionary War, an inn was built along a wagon trail that stretched from Philadelphia west over the Appalachian Mountains to Fort Pitt, now the city of Pittsburgh. A tiny settlement known as Newtown grew around the inn, today the center of Greensburg's Business District at the intersection of Pittsburgh and Main Streets. At Pittsburgh, the wagon trail became Penn Avenue.

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant School Greensburg PA

Greensburg PA medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will furnish the appropriate training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must acquire the right information on available programs before making your selection. There are such a large number of schools providing training these days that you can make a selection based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you plan on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Responsibilities. But regardless of the type 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 so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Greensburg PA.