Medical Assistant Job Description Pennsburg PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Program near Pennsburg Pennsylvania

Pennsburg PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to join the gratifying profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Pennsburg PA, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? Most potential students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest 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 issues also. You might choose to look into several online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you must finish your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have furnished some questions that you should 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 type of credentials and training that are available.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Pennsburg PA nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Essentially their job is to make sure that the Pennsburg PA clinics, hospitals and other medical care centers where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with giving direct assistance 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 potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Providing basic support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants may carry out almost any activity they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some choose to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the options offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) provided by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training Courses

Compared to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, many Pennsburg PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are generally 2 options available for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about 1 year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs available at community and junior colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a clinical element involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred 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 Pennsburg PA There are many accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are a good choice 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 a particularly good option for students who continue working full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, many online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies might be minimized also. Just bear in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can often be carried out in Pennsburg PA area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your education might be the ideal option for you. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good idea for those who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in obtaining a job after graduation, but it might also help with initial salary negotiations. Some possible Pennsburg PA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA examination, a candidate must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are offered also, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Pennsburg PA medical assistant programs Before you can start reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to decide which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online at home. After those decisions have been made, you can begin the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many students restrict their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Pennsburg PA with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you need to examine when assessing programs. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are many great reasons to verify that the program you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted organizations 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 qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Pennsburg PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools design 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 considering are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will need to select a program focused on 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 ways to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Naturally schools with low rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can opt to obtain an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Pennsburg PA area medical care providers. They are an excellent method to get hands-on practical experience and training. They can also assist students build relationships within the Pennsburg medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Getting that very first job may be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Pennsburg PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also signifies that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? 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 furnish increased access to instructors and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a college to witness what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue to work full time, it’s essential that the school you enroll in offers classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Pennsburg PA, verify that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will still need to schedule any clinical training or internships that may be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Pennsburg Pennsylvania?

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

Pennsburg, Pennsylvania

It is also part of the strip of small towns that run together along Route 29: Red Hill, Pennsburg, and East Greenville. Apocryphal history[citation needed] relates that these towns considered merging around the early 1970s and the combined name may have been 'Red Pennsville' or 'East Pennhill'. The towns are collectively referred to as "Upper Perk".

Pennsburg is located at 40°23′44″N 75°29′50″W / 40.39556°N 75.49722°W / 40.39556; -75.49722 (40.395595, −75.497361).[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all of it land. Pennsburg is located 40 mi (64 km) northwest of Philadelphia and 5 mi (8.0 km) southwest of Quakertown. Pennsburg's elevation is at 350 ft (110 m) above sea level. There is a nature preserve along Macoby Creek.[4]

As of the 2010 census, the borough was 90.0% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 5.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 1.4% were two or more races. About 4.1% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[8]

Pick the Right Medical Assistant School Pennsburg PA

Pennsburg PA medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re objective is to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you must obtain the right information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have covered in this article, confirm that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Job Description. But regardless of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an online or on-campus school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Pennsburg PA.