Medical Assistant Credentials Homer City PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Program near Homer City Pennsylvania

Homer City PA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to enter the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Homer City PA, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently enroll in the right one? Many potential students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences 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 critical factors also. You may choose to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are assessing. And to help you with that task, we have provided a few questions that you need to 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 credentials and training that are available.

The Job of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Homer City PA nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Essentially their duty is ensure that the Homer City PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions where they work operate successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but may also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the potential functions of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Giving basic support during exams and procedures

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

Medical Assistant Training

In contrast to many other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to earn a college degree. However, a number of Homer City PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest way to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about a year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges as well as technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They often have a practical component requiring an internship with a local healthcare facility. 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 similar field.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Homer City PA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are an excellent option for individuals who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue to work full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, some online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus options. Supplemental costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be reduced as well. Just remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be completed in Homer City PA area medical facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your training might be the ideal choice for you. Between the online classes and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good choice for those who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in getting employment after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of potential Homer City PA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. 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 apply for the CMA examination, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Homer City PA medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school options, you must choose which kind of credential you want to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. After those decisions have been made, you can begin the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many potential students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Homer City PA with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you must look at when researching schools. To assist you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many good reasons to make certain that the college you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you must 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 school is not accredited by one of these agencies, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Homer City PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will need to select a program targeting that certification. Next, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Of course programs with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are generally two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require approximately two years to finish in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, verify that the colleges you are considering provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Numerous medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Homer City PA area healthcare providers. They are a great method to get hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students build relationships within the Homer City health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Supplied? Getting that very first job may be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Homer City PA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good 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 may be an indicator of how much individual attention you will get throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer increased access to instructors and face to face interaction. If practical, try to attend a few classes before selecting a program to see what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s important that the program you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Homer City PA, make sure that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will still have to schedule any clinical training or internships that may be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of illness, work or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Homer City Pennsylvania?

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

Homer City, Pennsylvania

Homer City is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,707 at the 2010 census. Homer City is located in the Indiana metro area. The community was named for the famous Greek poet Homer by founder William Wilson in 1854. It was incorporated as a borough in 1872.

The two treaties of Fort Stanwix (of 1768 and, after American independence, of 1784) secured the westward expansion of Pennsylvania into the region where the Borough of Homer City is now located, on land inhabited by the six Indian nations. With white settlement these new territories were initially organized as part of existing counties in eastern and central Pennsylvania. White settlers were few in the eighteenth century and encountering Indians still very much a part of daily life. Any degree of stability and safety came only after the Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794). Indiana County was carved out of Westmoreland and Lycoming counties in 1803 and divided into three townships: Wheatfield, Armstrong, and Mahoning. The confluence of Two Lick and Yellow creeks (present-day Homer City) was a contender for the seat of government for the new county, but instead the "extraordinary overtures" of George Clymer, a local landowners and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, saw the county seat situated instead in what would become the Borough of Indiana. Center Township - the unincorporated area surrounding present-day Homer City - was created from a portion of Armstrong Township in 1807, its landscape dotted with larger and smaller family homesteads (farms) and an increasing number of mills and trading posts.

Parts of Center Township were settled early on by Scots-Irish Presbyterians as in other parts of Indiana County, but Methodist families of English and Welsh descent came to dominate the Homer City area, and they remained prominent in its civic and commercial life well into the twentieth century. William Wilson laid out the village of Homer in 1854 naming it after the Classical Greek poet. For several years, however, its post office was designated Phillips Mill (or Mills on some maps), a name derived from that of early settler Armour Phillips, Sr. When the village became a borough in 1872 - with the consolidation and annexation of neighboring parcels - more and more it was referred to as Homer City.

Select the Best Medical Assistant Training Homer City PA

Homer City PA medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will provide the proper training. Regardless if you’re planning to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you must obtain the appropriate info on available programs prior to making your decision. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged 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 Credentials. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, be sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Homer City PA.