Medical Assistant Training Near Me Prospect Park PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Training Program near Prospect Park Pennsylvania

Prospect Park PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to join the gratifying field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Prospect Park PA, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the appropriate training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? Many prospective students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important issues as well. You might want to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you must carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have provided a few questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are offered.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Prospect Park PA nursing home patient The function of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their role is to make sure that the Prospect Park PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the type or size of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but may also be found working at the front desk or in an office. Some of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Giving general support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants may perform almost any activity they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some choose to specialize in a specific area and earn certification. Two of the options available 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

Unlike many other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, many Prospect Park PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially two options offered for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about one year to complete, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals 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 provided at junior and community colleges as well as technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a clinical component 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.

Medical Assistant Online Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Prospect Park PA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are an excellent choice for students who might not have time to attend 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 earning their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, a number of online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced also. Just keep in mind that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be carried out in Prospect Park PA area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this approach to getting your training may be the right option for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal mandate, but is a good choice for individuals who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in obtaining employment after graduation, but it might also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Many potential Prospect Park PA medical employers simply will not hire 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 sit for the CMA examination, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are available also, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are offered by the NHA.

Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Prospect Park PA medical assistant programs Before you can start reviewing your medical assistant school options, you have to determine which type of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online from home. As soon as those decisions have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of prospective students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Prospect Park PA with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should explore when evaluating programs. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are several great reasons to confirm that the school you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction 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 accepted 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. Additionally, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Prospect Park PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you must find out which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will want to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the ways to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Naturally programs with lower rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are essentially two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can choose to acquire an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require approximately two years to finish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are looking at provide the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Offered? Many medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Prospect Park PA area healthcare providers. They are an excellent way to get hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students build relationships within the Prospect Park medical community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Service Furnished? Getting that initial job may be a challenging task for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Prospect Park PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indication of how much individual instruction you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a couple of classes before enrolling in a program to observe what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue working full-time, it’s important that the college you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Prospect Park PA, make certain that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will still have to schedule all internships or practical training that might be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to work, illness or family responsibilities.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Prospect Park Pennsylvania?

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

Pennsylvania Route 420

Pennsylvania Route 420 (PA 420) is a north–south state highway in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The route runs 5.6 miles (9.0 km) from PA 291 in Tinicum Township, a short distance west of the Philadelphia International Airport, northwest to PA 320 in Springfield Township. PA 420 runs through suburban areas, passing through Prospect Park, Folsom, and Morton. The route interchanges with Interstate 95 (I-95) in Tinicum Township and intersects U.S. Route 13 (US 13) in Prospect Park. PA 420 was first designated by 1928 to run from PA 191 at the intersection of 84th Street and Bartram Avenue in Philadelphia to PA 320 in Springfield. By 1950, the southern terminus was moved to its current location at PA 291.

PA 420 begins at an intersection with PA 291 in Tinicum Township, Delaware County, heading north on four-lane divided Wanamaker Avenue. South of here, Wanamaker Avenue continues south as an unnumbered road into the community of Essington toward the Delaware River. From PA 291, the route passes near businesses and comes to a cloverleaf interchange with I-95, where it curves to the north-northwest. Past this interchange, the road heads through wooded areas within the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum before crossing the Darby Creek into the borough of Prospect Park. Here, PA 420 curves north and becomes four-lane undivided Lincoln Avenue, heading into residential areas. The route turns north-northwest again and intersects US 13 near businesses. The road narrows to two lanes and passes more homes and businesses, running through the downtown of Prospect Park. PA 420 comes to a bridge under Amtrak's Northeast Corridor near the Prospect Park station serving SEPTA's Wilmington/Newark Line before it runs past more homes. The route crosses under CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision, at which point it enters Ridley Township and becomes Kedron Avenue.[2][3]

The road runs into business areas and crosses MacDade Boulevard in the community of Folsom. PA 420 continues through suburban development, curving to the northwest and passing near more residential neighborhoods. The route continues into the borough of Morton, where it passes businesses. PA 420 becomes Woodland Avenue as it intersects Morton Avenue immediately before a grade crossing with SEPTA's Media/Elwyn Line near the Morton station. Past this, the road heads through commercial development with some homes to the northeast, continuing into Springfield Township. The route heads between woods to the west and residential areas to the east, gaining a second southbound lane as it heads into business areas and crosses Baltimore Pike. Past this, PA 420 becomes two lanes again and continues through suburban areas of homes. The road gains a center left-turn lane and passes businesses as it comes to a grade crossing with SEPTA's Route 101 trolley line at the Woodland Avenue station. The route becomes two lanes again and passes near more homes with some patches of woods. PA 420 curves more to the west and comes to its northern terminus at an intersection with PA 320 a short distance to the south of that route's interchange with US 1.[2][3]

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant School Prospect Park PA

Prospect Park PA medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant program that will provide the right training. Regardless if you’re planning to launch a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to obtain the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many schools 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 select is accredited by an acknowledged agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Training Near Me. But regardless of the type of credential that you plan 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 provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can ultimately begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Prospect Park PA.