How To Become A Medical Assistant Valley Forge PA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Find the Right Medical Assistant Program near Valley Forge Pennsylvania

Valley Forge PA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to enter the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Valley Forge PA, it’s time to choose 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 right one? A number of prospective students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical factors as well. You might want to research a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The main point is that before you select a college you need to finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to help you with that process, we have included a few questions that you should ask all of the schools on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s talk a little bit about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of credentials and training that are available.

The Job of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Valley Forge PA nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Essentially their function is ensure that the Valley Forge PA hospitals, clinics and other medical care centers where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for providing direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health 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
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Providing general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants can perform almost any task they are qualified to under Pennsylvania law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and obtain 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 Training Courses

In contrast to most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Valley Forge PA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are essentially 2 choices offered for a formal education. The first and quickest way to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about 1 year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are created to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to earn an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs provided at community and junior colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a clinical element involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. 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 Schools

woman attending medical assistant school online in Valley Forge PA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online also. They are a good choice for students who might not have the time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue working full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, many online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus options. Ancillary expenses such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be minimized as well. But keep in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be carried out in Valley Forge PA area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on campus, then this approach to getting your education may be the right choice for you. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for individuals who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a position after graduation, but it can also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. A number of possible Valley Forge PA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. Among the most popular and arguably the most respected 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 graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Valley Forge PA medical assistant programs Before you can start reviewing your medical assistant school options, you need to choose which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from 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 students confine their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Valley Forge 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 considerations that you must look at when researching schools. To assist you with that task, below 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 a number of great reasons to confirm that the program you enroll in is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction 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 school is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, a number of potential Valley Forge 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 develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must find out which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will need to select a program targeting that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Obviously programs with lower rates are ones that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is about 1 year. Or you can choose to earn an Associate Degree and get a more comprehensive education that will require about two years to complete in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you choose to pursue, verify that the colleges you are looking at provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Provided? Numerous medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Valley Forge PA area medical care providers. They are a great means to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also help students build relationships within the Valley Forge medical community. And as an added perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Provided? Getting that first job may be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Valley Forge PA area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much individual attention you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If practical, try to monitor a few classes before selecting a school to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full time, it’s important that the school you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Valley Forge PA, make sure 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 any internships or clinical training that might be required. Also, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Valley Forge Pennsylvania?

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

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, United States. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, but once spanned Valley Creek into Montgomery County. The name Valley Forge is often used to refer to anywhere in the general vicinity of the park, and many places actually in King of Prussia, Trooper, Oaks, and other nearby communities will use the name, leading to some ambiguity on the actual location of the modern village.

Valley Forge is known by travelers in the Philadelphia area as the westbound control city on Interstate 76 (the Schuylkill Expressway), as it is near where I-76 joins the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This remains, despite no exit being designated for Valley Forge, since the previous exit became the off-ramp to Mall Blvd., serving King of Prussia.

Choose the Right Medical Assistant Training Valley Forge PA

Valley Forge PA medical assistant student It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will furnish the right training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you must obtain the appropriate info on available programs before making your decision. There are so many colleges offering training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you select is accredited by a recognized agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in How To Become A Medical Assistant. But irrespective of the type of credential that you plan 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 supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the ideal program you can ultimately start a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Valley Forge PA.