Medical Assistant Class Requirements Southeastern PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant School Program near Southeastern Pennsylvania

Southeastern PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to enter the gratifying profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Southeastern PA, it’s time to select a school that will provide the proper training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately pick the best one? Many potential students start by evaluating 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 factors also. You might decide to research several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a college you need to finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are evaluating. And to assist you with that process, we have provided some questions that you should ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are available.

The Function of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Southeastern PA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Basically their duty is to make sure that the Southeastern PA hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work operate efficiently. Based on the size or type of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the potential functions of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue specimens
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Giving general support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants may perform almost any task they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and attain certification. Two of the choices 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 Courses

Compared to many other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Southeastern PA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest way to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a diploma or a certificate. These programs generally take about one year to complete, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs provided at community and junior colleges as well as trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a practical element involving an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Southeastern PA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs accessible online too. They are a good alternative for students who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible 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 schools have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be minimized as well. But bear in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be performed in Southeastern PA area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your training might be the right choice for you. Between the online lessons and the practical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for those who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in attaining a job after graduation, but it might also enhance initial salary negotiations. Some possible Southeastern PA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and perhaps the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to take the CMA examination, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other 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 Schools

Questions to ask Southeastern PA medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school options, you must determine which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. After those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, some potential students restrict their searches to the colleges that are closest to Southeastern PA with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you need to explore when evaluating schools. To assist you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about each of the programs you are thinking about before making your ultimate choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are many great reasons to make sure that the school you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted organizations 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 either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Also, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Southeastern PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.

What is the Program’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To begin with, you must find out which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will want to enroll in 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 methods to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously schools with lower rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Programs are Available? As we previously covered, there are basically two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and get 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 choose to acquire an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require about 2 years to finish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you decide to enroll in, make certain that the colleges you are considering offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Offered? Many medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Southeastern PA area medical providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on practical training and experience. They may also help students establish relationships within the Southeastern healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Assistance Furnished? Getting that initial job can be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Southeastern PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to attend a couple of classes before selecting a school to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue working full-time, it’s essential that the school you choose provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Southeastern PA, make certain that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will also have to schedule all internships or clinical training that might be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Southeastern Pennsylvania?

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

Planned Parenthood v. Casey

Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992),[1] was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the constitutionality of several Pennsylvania state statutory provisions regarding abortion was challenged. The Court's plurality opinion reaffirmed the central holding of Roe v. Wade[2] stating that "matters, involving the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime, choices central to personal dignity and autonomy, are central to the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment."[3]

The Court's plurality opinion upheld the constitutional right to have an abortion while altering the standard for analyzing restrictions on that right, crafting the "undue burden" standard for abortion restrictions. Planned Parenthood v. Casey differs from Roe, however, because under Roe the state could not regulate abortions in the first trimester whereas under Planned Parenthood v. Casey the state can regulate abortions at any point prior to fetal viability (when a fetus is able to live outside of the mother's womb) and beyond as long as that regulation does not pose an undue burden on the woman.[4]

In Casey, the plaintiffs challenged five provisions of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982 authored by Rep. Stephen F. Freind,[5] arguing that the provisions were unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade. The Court in Roe was the first to establish abortion as a fundamental right protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The majority in Roe further held that women have a privacy interest protecting their right to abortion embedded in the liberty clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The five provisions at issue in Casey are summarized below.

Enroll in the Best Medical Assistant School Southeastern PA

Southeastern PA medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant school that will furnish the right training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you must acquire the appropriate info on available programs before making your decision. There are so many colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, confirm that the program you choose is accredited by an acknowledged agency, for example 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 Class Requirements. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the best program you can subsequently start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Southeastern PA.