Medical Assistant Duties Pine Grove PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School Program near Pine Grove Pennsylvania

Pine Grove PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to join the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Pine Grove PA, it’s time to select a school that will provide the right training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently pick the ideal one? Many prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are important issues also. You might want to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a college you must carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the colleges you are assessing. And to assist you with that process, we have included several questions that you need to 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 kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Pine Grove PA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Essentially their role is to make sure that the Pine Grove PA clinics, hospitals and other medical care facilities where they work operate successfully. Depending 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 giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but may also be found working in an office or at the front desk. A few of the many functions of a medical assistant include:

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

Even though medical assistants can 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) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Programs

Compared to many other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Pine Grove PA health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are essentially two options offered for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about a year to complete, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed 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 normally 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges in addition to 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 courses. They frequently have a practical component involving an internship with a local medical facility. 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.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Pine Grove PA There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are an excellent choice for individuals 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 choice for students who continue working full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, many online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized also. Just bear in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be performed in Pine Grove PA area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to 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 needed to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent option for individuals who wish to advance their careers. Not only will it help in attaining a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Many potential Pine Grove PA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. Among the most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to take the CMA examination, an applicant 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 previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Pine Grove PA medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to choose which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can begin the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, a number of prospective students limit their searches to the colleges that are closest to Pine Grove PA with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional issues that you should look at when evaluating schools. To help you with that process, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to confirm that the school you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become 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 program is not accredited by one 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 aid, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Pine Grove PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to learn which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to select a program targeting that certification. Second, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is one of the means to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Of course programs with low rates are ones that you will want to avoid.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are generally two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select 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 choose to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require approximately two years to accomplish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, make sure that the colleges you are reviewing provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Pine Grove PA area medical care providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on practical training and experience. They can also help students build relationships within the Pine Grove medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Offered? Landing that initial job may be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they obtain a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Pine Grove PA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program 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 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 get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a program to observe what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant college while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s important that the program you select provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Pine Grove PA, make certain that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will still have to schedule any clinical training or internships that will be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Pine Grove Pennsylvania?

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

Pine Grove, Pennsylvania

Select the Best Medical Assistant Training Program Pine Grove PA

Pine Grove PA medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant school that will provide the appropriate 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 get the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are so many schools providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, verify that the program you decide on is accredited by an acknowledged agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Duties. But irrespective 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, be 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 start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Pine Grove PA.