Top Medical Assistant Programs Franklin TN - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant School Program near Franklin Tennessee

Franklin TN 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 Franklin TN, it’s time to choose a college that will provide the right training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the best one? Many potential students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the lowest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues as well. You might decide to take a look at several online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the colleges you are examining. And to assist you with that task, we have furnished some questions that you need to ask all of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s talk a little bit about the function of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Franklin TN nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Essentially their role is ensure that the Franklin TN hospitals, clinics and other medical care centers where they work operate efficiently. Depending on the type or size of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for providing direct support to the physicians, nurses and other medical professionals but can also be found working in an office or at the front desk. Some of the many responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

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

Although medical assistants can perform almost any activity they are qualified to under Tennessee law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options available 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 most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Franklin TN health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially two options provided for a formal education. The first and fastest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about one year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second alternative is to attain an Associate Degree, which are normally 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges in addition to 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 training. They frequently have a practical element involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. Associate Degrees are commonly a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Courses

woman attending medical assistant school online in Franklin TN There are many accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are a good choice for those who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good solution for students who continue to work full time while earning their degree or certificate. As an added benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more traditional on-campus alternatives. Ancillary costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies can be minimized also. But bear in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can typically be completed in Franklin TN area medical care facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of going to supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your training may be the best choice for you. Between the online lessons and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent option for individuals who want to advance their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining a job after graduation, but it might also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Many possible Franklin TN medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. One of the most popular and arguably the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, for instance the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are offered by the NHA.

Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Franklin TN medical assistant programs Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school options, you have to choose which type of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. Once those selections have been made, you can start the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many students restrict their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Franklin TN with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you should look at when assessing programs. To assist you with that task, below are some questions that you need to ask about all of the programs you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to ensure that the college you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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 qualified to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many prospective Franklin TN employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. First, you must find out which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to choose a program targeting that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. This is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school’s program. Of course schools with lower rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are basically two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is about 1 year. Or you can choose to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require approximately two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you choose to pursue, confirm that the colleges you are looking at offer the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Offered? Many medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Franklin TN area health care providers. They are an excellent means to get hands-on clinical training and experience. They may also assist students build relationships within the Franklin healthcare community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Provided? Landing that initial job may be a challenging undertaking for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Franklin TN area and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also indicates that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Big are the Classes? Class size might be an indication of how much individual attention you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to furnish increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a couple of classes before selecting a college to observe what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s important that the program you select provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes at night or on weekends near Franklin TN, make certain that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online school, but you will still need to schedule any internships or practical training that will be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Franklin Tennessee?

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

Franklin, Tennessee

Franklin is a city in, and the county seat of, Williamson County, Tennessee, United States.[5] Located about 21 miles south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee.

Williamson County was primarily rural into the late 20th century, with an economy based on traditional commodity crops and livestock. In the nineteenth century, part of its economy (especially the cultivation of tobacco and hemp) depended on slavery, and after the American Civil War racial violence, designed to suppress the black vote, claimed lives. The Ku Klux Klan is believed to have perpetrated the first lynching of a Jewish man in the United States in 1868, and Franklin was the site of more lynchings of black men, including one in 1888 of a man who was taken from the courtroom and hanged from the balcony of the courthouse. Since 1980, the northern part of the county has begun to be developed for residential and related businesses, in addition to modern service industries. Franklin's population has increased more than fivefold. Based on its 2016 estimated population of 74,794, it is ranked as the seventh-largest city in Tennessee.[6]

The community of Franklin was founded October 26, 1799, by Abram Maury, Jr. (1766–1825). He was later elected as a state senator. He is buried with his family in Founders Pointe. Maury named the town after national founding father Benjamin Franklin.[7][8]

Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant College Franklin TN

Franklin TN medical assistant student It’s imperative to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant school that will furnish the appropriate training. Whether you’re goal is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must acquire the right information on available programs prior to making your decision. There are so many colleges providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, confirm that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Top Medical Assistant Programs. But regardless of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the best program you can ultimately start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Franklin TN.