Medical Assistant Duties Virginia Beach VA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Choose a Medical Assistant School Program near Virginia Beach Virginia

Virginia Beach VA medical assistant checking pulse Once you have made a decision to become a part of the gratifying field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Virginia Beach VA, it’s time to select a school that will provide the right training. But just how do you undertake evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately pick the right one? Most future students start by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then gravitate toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are extremely important such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical factors also. You might choose to take a look at some online medical assistant programs as an option as well (more on that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a program you must carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that process, we have provided several questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” 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 Responsibilities of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Virginia Beach VA nursing home patient The role of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Basically their role is to make sure that the Virginia Beach VA clinics, hospitals and other medical care institutions where they work operate efficiently. Based 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 assistance to the physicians, nurses and other health practitioners but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. A few of the possible duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and submitting claims
Setting and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
Giving general support during exams and procedures

Even though medical assistants may carry out almost any duty they are authorized to under Virginia law, some opt to specialize in a particular area and attain 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 Programs

Compared to most other healthcare professionals, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Virginia Beach VA health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that are certified. There are basically two options available for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs usually take about a year to complete, some 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 alternative is to obtain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs provided at junior and community colleges together with technical and vocational schools. They are more expansive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant courses. They frequently have a practical element involving an internship with a local medical practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a four year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Online Medical Assistant Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Virginia Beach VA There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are a good choice for individuals who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good option for students who continue to work full time while attaining their degree or certificate. As an extra benefit, a number of online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus alternatives. Ancillary costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be reduced also. Just bear in mind that any requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can usually be completed in Virginia Beach VA area medical facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of getting your training might be the best option for you. With the online lessons and the practical training, everything needed to attain proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is furnished.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As previously mentioned, certification is not a legal requirement, but is a good choice for individuals who want to boost their careers. Not only will it help in attaining a position after graduation, but it may also help with initial salary negotiations. Many potential Virginia Beach VA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and possibly 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, an applicant must have graduated or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Alternative certifications are offered as well, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

Points to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges

Questions to ask Virginia Beach VA medical assistant programs Before you can start examining your medical assistant school options, you need to choose which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those decisions have been made, you can begin the process of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Virginia Beach VA with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you need to examine when researching schools. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several great reasons to verify that the program you choose is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming 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 program is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA examination. Also, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many potential Virginia Beach VA employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To begin with, you need to learn which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then of course you will want to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, learn what the program’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the methods to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Obviously programs with low rates are ones that you will prefer to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can choose to earn an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require approximately 2 years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whatever program you decide to enroll in, make certain that the schools you are reviewing provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Virginia Beach VA area medical providers. They are an excellent method to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also help students establish relationships within the Virginia Beach health care community. And as an additional benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Support Offered? Landing that initial job may be a difficult task for graduating medical assistant students unless they have a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Virginia Beach VA area and find out 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 health care community. It also suggests that it has a wide network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classes? Class size can be an indicator of how much individual attention you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to attend a couple of classes before enrolling in a school to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full time, it’s important that the college you select offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Virginia Beach VA, verify that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online college, but you will also need to schedule all internships or clinical training that might be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Virginia Beach Virginia?

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

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 437,994.[3] In 2015, the population was estimated to be 452,745.[4] In 2017 estimated population was 450,435.[5][6] Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city in Virginia and the 41st most populous city in the nation.[7] Located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach is included in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. This area, known as "America's First Region", also includes the independent cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk, as well as other smaller cities, counties, and towns of Hampton Roads.

Virginia Beach is a resort city with miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants along its oceanfront. Every year the city hosts the East Coast Surfing Championships as well as the North American Sand Soccer Championship, a beach soccer tournament. It is also home to several state parks, several long-protected beach areas, three military bases, a number of large corporations, Regent University, International headquarters and site of the television broadcast studios for Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment, and numerous historic sites. Near the point where the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet, Cape Henry was the site of the first landing of the English colonists, who eventually settled in Jamestown, on April 26, 1607.

The city is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the longest pleasure beach in the world. It is located at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the longest bridge-tunnel complex in the world.[8]

Enroll in the Right Medical Assistant Course Virginia Beach VA

Virginia Beach VA medical assistant student It’s imperative to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant college that will furnish the proper training. Regardless if you’re objective is to begin a career in medical care starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must get the right info on available programs prior to making your selection. There are such a large number of colleges providing training these days that you can make a selection based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, make sure that the program you select is accredited by a recognized agency, such as 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 Medical Assistant Duties. But irrespective of the type of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, be sure to ask the questions we have provided so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the best program you can ultimately begin a gratifying career as a medical assistant in Virginia Beach VA.