Classes Needed For Medical Assistant Lansdale PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Program near Lansdale Pennsylvania

Lansdale PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to join the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Lansdale PA, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you undertake comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently pick the right one? Many future students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues also. You may decide to research several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you need to complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to assist you with that process, we have provided a few questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are available.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Lansdale PA nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their job is ensure that the Lansdale PA clinics, hospitals and other healthcare centers 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 facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. Some of the many duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Supplying basic support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants can perform almost any activity they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and earn certification. Two of the options offered 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

Unlike many other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Lansdale PA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two options available for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about one year to complete, a few as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed 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 typically 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges in addition to vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often 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.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Lansdale PA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are a good option for students who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue working full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened also. Just bear in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be carried out in Lansdale PA area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this mode of receiving your education might be the best choice for you. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain 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 graduates who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in getting a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of possible Lansdale PA medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered as well, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Lansdale PA medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school options, you need to determine which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, some prospective students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Lansdale PA with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you need to examine when researching schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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 organizations, you will not be eligible 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 last, as previously mentioned, many prospective Lansdale PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to determine which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will want to select a program focused on that certification. Next, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Naturally programs with low rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are basically two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest 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 require approximately two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, make certain that the schools you are looking at provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Numerous medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Lansdale PA area health care providers. They are a great method to obtain hands-on practical training and experience. They may also assist students develop relationships within the Lansdale health care community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Furnished? Landing that initial job may be a challenging task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Lansdale PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indication of how much personal attention you will receive during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If possible, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a program to experience what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full-time, it’s imperative that the program you select offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Lansdale PA, verify that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online college, but you will also need to schedule any clinical training or internships that will be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Lansdale Pennsylvania?

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

Lansdale, Pennsylvania

Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Early in the 20th century, its industries included agricultural implement works, a canning factory, foundries, brickyards, a silk mill, and manufacturers of cigars, stoves, shirts, rope, iron drain pipe, and glue.[citation needed] In 1900, 2,754 people lived here; in 1910, 3,551; and in 1940, 9,316 people were inhabitants of Lansdale. The population was 16,269 at the time of the 2010 census.

The earliest known settlers in Lansdale were members of the Jenkins family. At the peak of its growth, the Jenkins homestead occupied approximately 120 acres of land. The construction of the North Pennsylvania Railroad during the 1850s contributed to rapid growth and expansion in Lansdale. Employment opportunities generated by the railroad brought settlers, housing, and local businesses to the area. By 1872, Lansdale Borough was officially incorporated and named after Phillip Lansdale Fox, chief surveyor of the North Penn Railroad. By the naming conventions of the time, it should have been called Jenkintown, since the land immediately surrounding the train station was owned by the Jenkins family, but there was already a town by that name along the rail line.[3]

Lansdale is home to a Kugel ball, which is a dark grey granite sphere supported by a very thin film of water pumped from beneath its base.[5] The Kugel Ball is located in Railroad Plaza, adjacent to the SEPTA Lansdale/Doylestown Line train station in downtown Lansdale. The plaza consists of a bricked patio with benches centered on the Kugel Ball and closes at 11:00 pm. An annual 5k race is held in June, accordingly named the Kugel Ball race, which starts and ends at the actual Kugel Ball in Railroad Plaza.

Choose the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Lansdale PA

Lansdale PA medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant program that will provide the proper training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must obtain the right information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many schools offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, confirm that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Classes Needed For Medical Assistant. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can subsequently begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Lansdale PA.