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How to Pick a Medical Assistant Training Program near New Castle Pennsylvania

New Castle PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to enter the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near New Castle PA, it’s time to select a school that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing schools so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? A number of potential students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then gravitate toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors as well. You might decide to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are evaluating. And to assist you with that task, we have included a few questions that you should ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are available.

The Function of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with New Castle PA nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Basically their function is to make sure that the New Castle PA hospitals, clinics and other medical care centers where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct support to the physicians, nurses and other health practitioners but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the many responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Giving general support during examinations and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some choose 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) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training Programs

Unlike most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of New Castle PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially two options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about 1 year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs available at junior and community colleges as well as technical and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a clinical element requiring 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 similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in New Castle PA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are an excellent option for students who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good alternative for students who continue to work full time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, some online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus options. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced also. But keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be carried out in New Castle PA area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your education may be the ideal option for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for those who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in getting a position after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential New Castle PA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered as well, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask New Castle PA medical assistant programs Before you can start assessing your medical assistant school options, you must determine which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to New Castle PA with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you must explore when researching programs. To help you with that task, below are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to ensure that the program you choose 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 must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 school is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many potential New Castle PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passing Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you must determine which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will want to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Second, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Naturally programs with lower rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are basically two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can opt to acquire an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require about two years to finish in a community college or vocational school. Whatever program you choose to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are considering provide the type of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Sponsored? Numerous medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with New Castle PA area medical providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students build relationships within the New Castle health care 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 initial job can be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in the New Castle PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classes? Class size may be an indicator of how much personal attention you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide greater access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a school to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s essential that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near New Castle PA, make certain that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will also have to schedule any clinical training or internships that might be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near New Castle Pennsylvania?

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

New Castle, Pennsylvania

New Castle is a city in and the county seat of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border just 18 miles (29 km) east of Youngstown, Ohio. The population was 23,128 as of the 2010 census. It is the commercial center of a fertile agricultural region.[3]

New Castle is the principal city of the New Castle, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 91,108 in 2010. New Castle also anchors the northwestern part of the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-WV-OH Combined Statistical Area.

In 1798, John Carlysle Stewart, a civil engineer, traveled to western Pennsylvania to resurvey the "donation lands," which had been reserved for veterans of the Revolutionary War. He discovered that the original survey had neglected to stake out approximately 50 acres (20 ha) at the confluence of the Shenango River and the Neshannock Creek, at that time a part of Allegheny County. The Indian town of Kuskusky was listed on early maps in this location [4]. Claiming the land for himself, he laid out what was to become the town of New Castle. Stewart laid out the town of New Castle in April 1798. It comprised approximately that same 50 acres (20 ha), in what was then part of Allegheny County.[citation needed]

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant Program New Castle PA

New Castle PA medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant college that will provide the appropriate training. Whether you’re goal is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the appropriate info on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges offering training these days that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, make certain that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, such as 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 Fast Medical Assistant Programs. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied so you can compare programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in New Castle PA.