Clinical Medical Assistant Certificate Program Stephens City VA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant Training Program near Stephens City Virginia

Stephens City VA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to enter the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Stephens City VA, it’s time to choose a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you go about evaluating and comparing schools so that you ultimately enroll in the best one? A number of future students start by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes 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 important factors also. You might want to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an option also (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the colleges you are assessing. And to help you with that process, we have provided several questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your short list. But prior to starting that review, let’s briefly talk about the responsibilities of a medical assistant and the kind of credentials and training that are offered.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Stephens City VA nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Essentially their job is ensure that the Stephens City VA hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are responsible for providing direct assistance to the physicians, nurses and other medical practitioners but may also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the potential duties of a medical assistant include:

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

While medical assistants may perform almost any duty they are qualified to under Virginia law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the choices 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

Unlike most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, many Stephens City VA 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 options provided for a formal education. The first and shortest path to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs generally take about a year to complete, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and prepare graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are usually 2 year programs provided at community and junior colleges in addition to technical and vocational schools. They are more extensive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They usually have a clinical component involving an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.

Online Medical Assistant Colleges

woman attending medical assistant school online in Stephens City VA There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs offered online too. They are a good choice for individuals who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is an especially good choice for students who continue working full time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, many online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for textbooks, commuting and school supplies can be lessened also. But remember that all requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can usually be completed in Stephens City VA area medical facilities. If you can learn without the formal structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your education 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 a good idea for those who wish to boost their careers. It will not only help in securing a position after graduation, but it can also enhance initial salary negotiations. Many potential Stephens City VA medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must have graduated or will graduate within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Additional certifications are available also, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Stephens City VA medical assistant programs Before you can start examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you must determine which type of credential you want to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. After those selections have been made, you can start the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, some prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Stephens City VA with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you need to look at when evaluating schools. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are many good reasons to make certain that the school you choose is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you must 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 organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many potential Stephens City VA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you must find out which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students to take. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, ask what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Of course schools with lower rates are those that you will want to eliminate.

Which Credentials are Available? As we covered earlier, there are basically two routes to acquiring medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can elect to earn an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require approximately 2 years to accomplish in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you elect to pursue, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Offered? Numerous medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with Stephens City VA area medical providers. They are an excellent means to obtain hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also help students establish relationships within the Stephens City health care community. And as an added benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Service Supplied? Finding that first job may be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Stephens City VA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in positions.

How Large are the Classes? Class size might be an indicator of how much personal instruction you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide increased access to instructors and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a few classes before choosing a school to see what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full time, it’s important that the program you select provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Stephens City VA, confirm that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will still need to schedule any internships or clinical training that might be required. Also, find out 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 Stephens City Virginia?

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

Stephens City, Virginia

Stephens City (/ˈstiːvənz/ STEE-vənz) is an incorporated town in the southern part of Frederick County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 1,829 at the time of the 2010 Census. In 2014, it was estimated that the population of Stephens City had risen to 1,921.

Founded by Peter Stephens in the 1730s, the colonial town was chartered and named for Lewis Stephens in October 1758. It was originally settled by German Protestants from Heidelberg. Stephens City is the second-oldest municipality in the Shenandoah Valley after nearby Winchester, which is about 5 miles (8 km) to the north. "Crossroads", the first free black community in the Valley in the pre-Civil War years, was founded east of town in the 1850s. Crossroads remained until the beginning of the Civil War when the freed blacks either escaped or were recaptured. Stephens City was saved from intentional burning in 1864 by Union Major Joseph K. Stearns. The town has gone through several name changes in its history, starting as Stephensburg, then Newtown, and finally winding up as Stephens City, though it nearly became Pantops. Interstate 81 and U.S. Route 11 pass close to and through the town, respectively.

A large section of the center of the town, including buildings and homes, covering 65 acres (26 ha), is part of the Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Stephens City celebrated its 250th anniversary on October 12, 2008. The town is a part of the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area, an offshoot of the Washington–Baltimore–Northern Virginia, DC–MD–VA–WV Combined Statistical Area. It is a member of the Winchester–Frederick County Metropolitan Planning Organization.[10]

Pick the Best Medical Assistant School Stephens City VA

Stephens City VA medical assistant student It’s important to start your new career on the right foot by choosing a medical assistant program that will provide the right training. Whether you’re planning to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you need to acquire the appropriate information on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of schools providing training nowadays that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have addressed in this article, verify that the program you select is accredited by an acknowledged organization, such as the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you intend on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Clinical Medical Assistant Certificate Program. But regardless of the kind 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 in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the ideal program you can subsequently begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Stephens City VA.