Colleges That Offer Medical Assistant Degrees Sumner WA - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Enroll In a Medical Assistant Program near Sumner Washington

Sumner WA medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have decided to enter the rewarding field of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Sumner WA, it’s time to select a college that will furnish the appropriate training. But just how do you approach evaluating and comparing colleges so that you ultimately enroll in the right one? Many prospective students begin by researching the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then gravitate toward those that have the lowest tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, job assistance and internship programs are critical issues as well. You might choose to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The main point is that prior to selecting a college you must complete your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the schools you are evaluating. And to help you with that task, we have included some questions that you should ask all of the colleges 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 kind of credentials and training that are offered.

The Role of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Sumner WA nursing home patient The duties of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as challenging. Primarily their role is ensure that the Sumner WA hospitals, clinics and other medical care facilities where they work operate successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they can be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller facilities both. They are tasked with providing direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners but can also be found working at the front desk or in an office. A few of the many duties of a medical assistant include:

Filling out insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Weighing and taking patients vital signs
Collecting blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
Supplying general support during examinations and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any duty they are authorized to under Washington law, some elect 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) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training Courses

Unlike most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Sumner WA 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 offered for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to attain a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about 1 year to complete, a few as little as six to nine months. They are designed 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 usually 2 year programs offered at junior and community colleges as well as vocational and technical schools. They are more extensive in nature than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a practical element involving an internship with a local healthcare facility. 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.

Medical Assistant Online Programs

woman attending medical assistant school online in Sumner WA There are many accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are an excellent alternative for those who may not have time to go to classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue to work full time while earning their certificate or degree. As an additional benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more conventional on-campus options. Supplemental costs including those for commuting, textbooks and school supplies might be lessened also. Just remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can typically be completed in Sumner WA area healthcare facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this mode of receiving your training may be the best choice for you. Between the online classes and the clinical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to work as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Options for Medical Assistants

As stated previously, becoming certified is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for individuals who wish to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing a job after graduation, but it can also help with preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Sumner WA medical employers just will not employ a medical assistant that has not received certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and arguably the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we previously mentioned which are provided by the NHA.

What to Ask Medical Assistant Schools

Questions to ask Sumner WA medical assistant programs Prior to reviewing your medical assistant school options, you have to determine which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online at home. After those decisions have been made, you can begin the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we covered at the opening of this article, many students confine their searches to the schools that are closest to Sumner WA with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are several additional factors that you should examine when assessing programs. To help you with that process, following are a few questions that you should ask about each of the programs you are considering before making your final choice.

Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are several great reasons to ensure that the program you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the education 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 organizations 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 one of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many prospective Sumner WA employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.

What is the School’s Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you must learn which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want 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 methods to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Naturally schools with low rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.

Which Programs are Provided? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to 1 year. Or you can opt to earn an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take approximately two years to complete in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you elect to pursue, verify that the schools you are looking at provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Sumner WA area health care providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on practical training and experience. They can also help students build relationships within the Sumner medical community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Finding that first job can be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Sumner WA area and find out what their placement rate is. If a college has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a large network of employers to help place students in jobs.

How Large are the Classes? Class size may be an indication of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to sit in on a couple of classes before choosing a school to witness what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.

Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full time, it’s essential that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Sumner WA, make sure that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in easier with an online school, but you will also need to schedule any clinical training or internships that will be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of illness, work or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Sumner Washington?

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

Sumner, Washington

Sumner is a city in northern Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,451 at the 2010 census. Nearby cities include Puyallup to the west, Auburn to the north, and Bonney Lake to the east.

Sumner was founded in 1853 as Stuck Junction and platted in 1883 by George H. Ryan, in anticipation of a stop on the Northern Pacific Railway. The town was named "Franklin" until 1891, when the Post Office Department requested that the name be changed to avoid confusion with similarly named towns. The name of abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner was chosen for the town after a lottery.[5][6][7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.62 square miles (19.74 km2), of which, 7.51 square miles (19.45 km2) is land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km2) is water.[1]

Select the Best Medical Assistant Training Program Sumner WA

Sumner WA 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 right training. Regardless if you’re goal is to begin a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your lifetime career, you must get the appropriate information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of schools providing training these days that you can make a selection based on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have covered in this article, make certain that the program you decide on is accredited by an acknowledged organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you intend on taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Colleges That Offer Medical Assistant Degrees. But regardless of the kind of credential that you plan to earn or if you have decided to attend either an online or on-campus school, don’t forget to ask the questions we have supplied in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can ultimately begin a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Sumner WA.