Medical Assistant Technical School Newtown PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School Program near Newtown Pennsylvania

Newtown PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to join the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Newtown PA, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the proper training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick 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 lowest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors also. You may choose to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are examining. And to help you with that process, we have furnished several questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Newtown PA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their function is ensure that the Newtown PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Based on the type or size of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with giving direct support to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Supplying general support during exams and procedures

While medical assistants may carry out almost any duty they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and earn certification. Two of the choices 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 Courses

Compared to most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Newtown PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two options provided for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs typically take about one year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to earn an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs available at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They frequently have a clinical element 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 Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Newtown PA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are a good alternative for those who might not have the time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue working full-time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, many online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be lessened as well. Just remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can typically be completed in Newtown PA area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this mode of getting your education may be the best option for you. With the online lessons and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is a good option for graduates who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in attaining employment after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. A number of potential Newtown PA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not received accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Newtown PA medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you must choose which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. After those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of potential students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Newtown PA with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you should look at when researching schools. To help you with that process, 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 several good reasons to ensure that the school you choose is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you must complete 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 either of these agencies, you will not be allowed to take the CMA examination. Also, if you plan on 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 Newtown 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 create their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to find out which of the certifications the schools you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will want to choose a program targeting that certification. Next, ask what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Of course programs with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Programs are Available? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can decide to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to complete in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you decide to pursue, verify that the colleges you are considering provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Provided? A large number of medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Newtown PA area medical care providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also assist students develop relationships within the Newtown healthcare community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Assistance Supplied? Finding that first job may be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Newtown PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size might be an indication of how much personal instruction you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If practical, try to attend a couple of classes before enrolling in a school to observe what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full-time, it’s important that the program you enroll in offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Newtown PA, make sure that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will still need to schedule all internships or clinical training that may be required. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Newtown Pennsylvania?

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

Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Newtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,248 at the 2010 census. It is located just west of the Trenton, New Jersey metropolitan area, and is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is entirely surrounded by Newtown Township, from which it separated in 1838. State Street is the main commercial thoroughfare with wide sidewalks, shops, taverns, and restaurants.

In September 2011, Yahoo! Travel ranked Newtown Borough seventh in their annual 10 Coolest Small Towns in America list, despite incorrectly claiming that Newtown is part of "Amish Country".[4] There is a thriving Amish Market in Newtown Township, and perhaps this could explain the confusion. While there are very small pockets of Amish communities in Bucks County, this is much more characteristic of Central Pennsylvania, a considerably more rural area than suburban Lower Bucks.[citation needed]

Newtown was founded by William Penn in 1684. Newtown was one of several towns that Penn had organized around Philadelphia to provide country homes for city residents and to support farming communities. It was the county seat of Bucks County from 1726 until 1813, when it was replaced by a more central Doylestown. After his December 26, 1776 morning march to Trenton, and before the Battle of Princeton, General George Washington made his headquarters in Newtown. Newtown was incorporated on April 16, 1838 and has been enlarged three times since. In 1969 Newtown's entire central business district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation was largely due to Newtown's historic clock tower. Newtown is enhanced by unique boutiques, colleges, cuisine, a climate for industry, Pennsylvania’s most popular state park (Tyler State Park) and a Heritage Walk that traces the very steps of George Washington. The Law School Admission Council is headquartered in Newtown Township. As a result, many American lawyers have heard of Newtown. The oldest operating movie theater in America is Newtown Theatre at 120 North State Street.

Select the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Program Newtown PA

Newtown PA medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant school 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 pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to get the right information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, confirm that the program you choose is accredited by a recognized agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Technical School. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision 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 subsequently begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Newtown PA.