Medical Assistant How Long Scranton PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant Program near Scranton Pennsylvania

Scranton PA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Scranton PA, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick the ideal one? A number of potential students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues also. You may decide to take a look at a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have included several questions that you need to ask each of the colleges on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the role of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Function of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Scranton PA nursing home patient The job of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their job is to make sure that the Scranton PA hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work operate efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for giving direct support 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 responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and verifying appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Providing general support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants may perform almost any task they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and obtain 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 Training

Compared to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Scranton PA health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two choices available for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about a year to finish, a few as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs available at junior and community colleges as well as technical and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a clinical component requiring 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 related field.

Online Medical Assistant Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Scranton PA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are an excellent option for individuals who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue to work full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, a number of online schools have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Supplemental expenses including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be reduced also. But keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be completed in Scranton PA area health care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of getting your training might be the right choice for you. With the online lessons 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, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent option for graduates who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in attaining employment after graduation, but it may also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many possible Scranton PA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained certification or accredited formal training. The most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Scranton PA medical assistant programs Prior to assessing your medical assistant school options, you need to determine which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. After those decisions have been made, you can start the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, a number of students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Scranton PA with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you must look at when evaluating schools. To assist you with that task, following are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to make sure that the school you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved agencies 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 allowed to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many prospective Scranton PA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passing Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. To begin with, you must determine which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Second, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the ways to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course schools with low rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select 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 opt to obtain an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require approximately two years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whatever program you decide to pursue, make certain that the colleges you are considering provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant programs sponsor internship programs with Scranton PA area healthcare providers. They are an excellent means to obtain hands-on practical training and experience. They may also assist students build relationships within the Scranton health care community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Finding that first job may be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they obtain some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Scranton PA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the health care community. It also indicates that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indication of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If practical, try to attend a few classes before selecting a school to see 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 to work on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the college you select offers classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Scranton PA, make sure that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will also need to schedule any internships or practical training that might be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Scranton Pennsylvania?

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

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Scranton is the sixth-largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County in Northeastern Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley and hosts a federal court building. With a population of 77,291, it is the largest city in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of about 570,000.[4]

Scranton is the geographic and cultural center of the Lackawanna River valley, and the largest of the former anthracite coal mining communities in a contiguous quilt-work that also includes Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, and Carbondale. Scranton was incorporated on February 14, 1856, as a borough in Luzerne County and as a city on April 23, 1866. It became a major industrial city, a center of mining and railroads, and attracted thousands of new immigrants. It was the site of the Scranton General Strike in 1877.

People in northern Luzerne County sought a new county in 1839 but the Wilkes-Barre area resisted losing its assets. Lackawanna County did not gain independent status until 1878. Under legislation allowing the issue to be voted by residents of the proposed territory, voters favored the new county by a proportion of 6 to 1, with Scranton residents providing the major support. The city was designated as the county seat when Lackawanna County was established in 1878, and a judicial district was authorized in 1879.

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Course Scranton PA

Scranton PA medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will provide the appropriate training. Whether you’re goal is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to acquire the right info on available programs prior to making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training these days that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have covered in this article, make sure that the program you pick is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant How Long. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Scranton PA.