How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School Program near Oil City Pennsylvania
Now that you have decided to join the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Oil City PA, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you undertake evaluating and comparing schools so that you subsequently enroll in the best one? Many prospective students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important factors also. You may decide to research some online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have furnished a few questions that you should ask each of the schools on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.
The Job of Medical Assistants
The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their duty is ensure that the Oil City PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical practitioners but may also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. Some of the possible functions of a medical assistant include:
- Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
- Setting and confirming appointments
- Taking vital signs and weighing patients
- Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
- Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
- Supplying general support during examinations and procedures
Although medical assistants may carry out almost any task they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
Medical Assistant Education
Unlike most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Oil 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 options provided for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about one year to finish, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are typically two year programs offered at community and junior colleges as well as trade and vocational 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 usually have a practical element involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.
Online Medical Assistant Schools
There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are a good alternative for individuals who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good alternative for students who continue to work full time while earning their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be lessened also. Just bear in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be performed in Oil City PA area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to getting your training might be the ideal choice for you. With the online lessons and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.
Certification Options for Medical Assistants
As earlier stated, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for individuals who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a position after graduation, but it might also help with initial salary negotiations. Some potential Oil City PA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are available also, for instance the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.
Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges
Before you can start examining your medical assistant school options, you need to choose which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, a number of prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Oil 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 issues that you must explore when researching programs. 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 final selection.
Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are several great reasons to make sure that the college you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in 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 eligible to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of potential Oil City PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.
What is the School’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you need to find out which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will need to select a program concentrating on that certification. Second, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally programs with low rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.
Which Credentials are Offered? As we previously covered, there are generally two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is about 1 year. Or you can decide to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require approximately 2 years to finish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, confirm that the schools you are reviewing provide the kind of program you have an interest in.
Are Internships Offered? A large number of medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Oil City PA area medical providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students develop relationships within the Oil City medical community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.
Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Finding that first job can be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Oil City PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also suggests that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.
How Big are the Classes? Class size may be an indicator of how much personal attention you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to attend a couple of classes before choosing a college to witness what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.
Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full time, it’s important that the school you choose offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Oil City PA, make sure that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will still need to schedule all internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of illness, work or family responsibilities.
Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Oil City Pennsylvania?
If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Oil City PA area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.
Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania, that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. Initial settlement of the town was sporadic, and tied to the iron industry. After the first oil wells were drilled in 1861, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker State, and Wolf's Head motor oil companies. Tourism plays a prominent role in the region by promoting oil heritage sites, nature trails, and Victorian architecture. The population was 10,557 at the 2010 census, and is the principal city of the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area.
In 1796, the state of Pennsylvania gave Cornplanter,[2] chief of the Wolf Band of the Seneca nation, 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of land along the west bank of the Allegheny River in Warren County, Pennsylvania,[2] as well as a small tract on both sides of the mouth of Oil Creek,[3] in compensation for his services during the American Revolutionary War.[2] The first white settler in what became Oil City was an unknown individual who cleared and farmed about 400 acres (1.6 km2) on the west side of Oil Creek upstream from Cornplanter's land.[4] Francis Halyday[4] (or Holliday)[5] purchased this land in 1803, and settled there with his family.[5] The first white child known to be born in what became Oil City was James Halyday, born January 13, 1809.[4] Three or four other families soon settled on the east side of the creek above the "Cornplanter Tract".[6] Cornplanter sold the eastern half of his tract to two white settlers, William Connely and William Kinnear, in May 1818. Connely sold his quarter of the original tract back to Cornplanter in October 1818, but the land was seized by the county for nonpayment of taxes and sold at auction in November 1819 to Alexander McCalmont. McCalmont sold his land to Mathias Stockberger in the spring of 1824.[4]
On June 25, 1824, Kinnear, Stockerberger, and settler Richard Noyes formed William Kinnear & Co., a company which swiftly erected an iron bloomery, foundry, gristmill, and several warehouses.[4] A mill race provided water power for the furnace.[6] Homes were built for workers, and a steamboat landing constructed on the Allegheny River. This settlement was called Oil Creek Furnace.[4] Settler James Young opened the first general store in town, and operated it in the 1850s.[7] The original incorporators were bought out by brothers William and Frederick Crary in January 1825. The company was purchased in February 1835 by William Bell, who changed the corporate name to W. Bell & Son. He and his son, Samuel, operated the furnace until 1849, emplying about 40 men. The poor quality of iron ore in the area made their operations unprofitable and the furnace closed in 1849.[4] The settlement was soon deserted, except for two families (the Bannons and the Halydays).[7]
Pick the Best Medical Assistant Program Oil City PA
It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re objective is to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to acquire the right information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many schools providing training these days that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged organization, 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 Medical Assistant Evening Classes. But irrespective 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, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the right program you can ultimately begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Oil City PA.
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