How Long Is Medical Assistant Training Salt Lake City UT - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Program near Salt Lake City Utah

Salt Lake City UT medical assistant checking pulse Once you have decided to enter the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Salt Lake City UT, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you undertake evaluating and comparing schools so that you subsequently enroll in the best one? A number of prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are important factors also. You might want to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have provided some questions that you should ask all of the schools on your short list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.

The Role of a Medical Assistant

medical assistant with Salt Lake City UT nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Essentially their duty is ensure that the Salt Lake City UT hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Depending on the type or size of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with giving direct assistance 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 possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
Preparing instruments and rooms for physicians
Providing basic support during examinations and procedures

While medical assistants may carry out almost any activity they are authorized to under Utah law, some prefer to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the options 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 Programs

In contrast to most other medical professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to earn a college degree. However, many Salt Lake City UT health care employers choose to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and quickest path to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about one year to complete, a few as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the basics of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs offered at junior and community colleges in addition to vocational and technical schools. They are more expansive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They frequently have a practical component requiring an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Salt Lake City UT There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs accessible online as well. They are a good choice for those who may not have the time to go to classes on campus but could fit them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue to work full-time while pursuing their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Supplemental costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be minimized also. But keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be carried out in Salt Lake City UT area medical facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your training might be the best option for you. Between the online classes and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent option for graduates who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining a job after graduation, but it can also help with initial salary negotiations. A number of possible Salt Lake City UT medical employers just will not hire a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. Among the most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to apply for the CMA examination, a candidate must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered also, including the CMAA and the CCMA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Salt Lake City UT medical assistant programs Before you can start examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to decide which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. After those decisions have been made, you can begin the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many potential students limit their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Salt Lake City UT with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you need to examine when assessing schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are many great reasons to make sure that the program you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to complete 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 program is not accredited by one of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. 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, a number of potential Salt Lake City UT 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 schools create their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to learn which of the certifications the colleges you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then naturally you will need to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Second, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with lower rates are those that you will prefer to avoid.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we previously covered, there are generally two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can elect to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take approximately two years to accomplish in a community college or vocational school. Whatever program you decide to enroll in, confirm that the schools you are considering offer the kind of program you have an interest in.

Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant schools offer internship programs with Salt Lake City UT area health care providers. They are a great means to obtain hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also assist students establish relationships within the Salt Lake City medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Furnished? Getting that very first job can be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have some help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Salt Lake City UT area and ask what their placement rate is. If a college has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the health care community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size might be an indication of how much individual attention you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to offer 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 experience what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work on a full time basis, it’s important that the college you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Salt Lake City UT, verify that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will still need to schedule any internships or practical training that may be required. Additionally, ask what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Salt Lake City Utah?

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

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and the most populous municipality of the U.S. state of Utah. With an estimated population of 190,884 in 2014,[7] the city is the core of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,153,340 (2014 estimate). Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo Combined Statistical Area. This region is a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along an approximately 120-mile (190 km) segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a population of 2,423,912 as of 2014[update].[8] It is one of only two major urban areas in the Great Basin (the other is Reno, Nevada).

The world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is located in Salt Lake City and the city's street grid system is based on the temple constructed by the Church at its center. The city was originally founded in 1847 by Brigham Young, and other followers of the Church, who were seeking to escape religious persecution in the mid-western United States. These Mormon pioneers, as they would come to be known, at first encountered an arid, inhospitable valley that they then extensively irrigated and cultivated, thereby establishing the foundation to sustain the area's large population of today.

Due to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"; however, the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868 by the 17th Utah Territorial Legislature.[9]

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Program Salt Lake City UT

Salt Lake City UT medical assistant student It’s essential to start your new career on the right foot by picking a medical assistant college that will provide the right training. Whether you’re goal is to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to get the right information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of schools offering training nowadays that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, confirm that the program you select is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially critical if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in How Long Is Medical Assistant Training. But irrespective of the type of credential that you plan to earn or if you have made a decision to attend either an on-campus or online school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the right program you can subsequently begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Salt Lake City UT.