3 Month Medical Assistant Program Tarentum PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Select a Medical Assistant School Program near Tarentum Pennsylvania

Tarentum PA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to join the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Tarentum PA, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? Most future 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, internship programs and job assistance are critical factors as well. You might choose to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The bottom line is that before you select a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are assessing. And to assist you with that process, we have furnished a few 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 training and credentials that are available.

The Function of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Tarentum PA nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their role is to make sure that the Tarentum PA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities where they work operate successfully. Based on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for providing direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical practitioners but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the potential responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other tissue and fluid samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Supplying general support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any task they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and earn certification. Two of the options 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 Education

Unlike most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not mandated to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, many Tarentum PA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are generally two choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest route to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about one year to complete, a few as little as six to nine months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs provided at junior and community colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They often have a clinical component requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Tarentum PA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could work 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 conventional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be minimized as well. Just bear in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can often be completed in Tarentum PA area health care facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this approach to getting your training may be the best 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 Options for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good choice for those who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing a position after graduation, but it may also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. A number of potential Tarentum 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 highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Tarentum PA medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to determine which type of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online at home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can start the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, a number of prospective students limit their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Tarentum PA with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you need to explore when researching schools. To assist you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several great reasons to make sure that the school you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you need to complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 program is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial aid, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many prospective Tarentum PA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you need to learn which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will need to select a program focused on that certification. Next, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Of course schools with lower rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can choose to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will take about two years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are reviewing provide the kind of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Numerous medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Tarentum PA area medical providers. They are a great way to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also help students build relationships within the Tarentum medical community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews too.

Is Job Placement Service Offered? Landing that initial job may be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Tarentum PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a large network of employers to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will receive during your training. Smaller 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 convenient, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a program to observe what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s important that the program you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Tarentum PA, make sure that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will still have to schedule all internships or clinical training that may be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Tarentum Pennsylvania?

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

Tarentum, Pennsylvania

Tarentum is a borough in Allegheny County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Downtown Pittsburgh, along the Allegheny River. Tarentum was an industrial center where plate glass and bottles were manufactured; bricks, lumber, steel and iron novelties, steel billets and sheets, sack and wrapping paper were also produced. The Pennsylvania Railroad operated a station in Tarentum; its rail line ran through the town.[3] The population was 4,530 at the 2010 census.[4] Two statues of Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth, are displayed by the borough in Tarentum.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), of which 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), or 12.06%, is water.

Tarentum is bordered by East Deer Township to the west, Frazer Township to the northwest, Fawn Township to the north, Harrison Township to the northeast, and Brackenridge to the east. To the southeast, across the Allegheny River in Westmoreland County, are New Kensington (via Tarentum Bridge) and Lower Burrell.

Select the Ideal Medical Assistant Training Program Tarentum PA

Tarentum PA medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant college that will furnish the appropriate training. Whether you’re objective is to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to get the appropriate info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are so many colleges providing training these days 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 choose is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in 3 Month Medical Assistant Program. 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, be sure 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 start a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Tarentum PA.