How to Find the Right Medical Assistant School Program near Independence Wisconsin
Now that you have decided to enter the rewarding field of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Independence WI, it’s time to choose a school that will provide the proper training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? A number of future students start by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their residences and then lean toward those that have the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are extremely important such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical issues as well. You may want to research some online medical assistant programs as an alternative also (more on that later). The main point is that before you select a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all relevant qualifications of the colleges you are reviewing. And to assist you with that process, we have furnished several questions that you need to 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 Duties of a Medical Assistant
The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be varied as well as challenging. Primarily their function is to make sure that the Independence WI hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centers where they work run successfully. Depending on the size or type of facility, they may be more of an administrative assistant, a clinical assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are responsible for giving direct support to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals but may also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many responsibilities of a medical assistant include:
- Completing insurance forms and filing claims
- Setting and verifying appointments
- Weighing and taking patients vital signs
- Taking blood and other tissue and fluid specimens
- Preparing rooms and instruments for doctors
- Supplying general support during examinations and procedures
Although medical assistants may carry out almost any task they are qualified to under Wisconsin law, some elect to specialize in a specific area and obtain certification. Two of the options available are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) made available by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
Medical Assistant Training
Compared to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become certified, licensed, or to obtain a college degree. However, a number of Independence WI health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (we’ll cover accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically two choices offered for a formal education. The first and fastest way to becoming a medical assistant is to obtain a certificate or diploma. These programs typically take about one 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 attain an Associate Degree, which are usually two year programs available at community and junior colleges together with vocational and technical schools. They are more expansive 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 requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are routinely a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.
Online Medical Assistant Colleges
There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs offered online as well. They are an excellent alternative for individuals who may not have the time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if accessible at home. This is an especially good solution for students who continue working full-time while earning their certificate or degree. As an added benefit, some online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus options. Supplemental expenses such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be minimized also. Just remember that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be satisfied, but they can usually be completed in Independence WI area medical care facilities. If you can earn a degree without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on campus, then this approach to receiving your training may be the right option for you. Between the online courses and the clinical training, everything necessary to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.
Certification Options for Medical Assistants
As earlier stated, becoming certified is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent choice for individuals who wish to boost their careers. Not only will it help in obtaining employment after graduation, but it can also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. Some possible Independence WI medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not obtained certification or accredited formal training. One of the most popular and possibly the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, a candidate must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered also, such as the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.
Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges
Prior to evaluating your medical assistant school alternatives, you must determine which type of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online at home. As soon as those selections have been made, you can begin the procedure of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, some potential students confine their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Independence WI with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional issues that you must examine when researching programs. To help you with that task, following are some questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are thinking about before making your ultimate selection.
Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are several good reasons to confirm that the college you select is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged organizations for accreditation are the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). If your school is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA exam. Also, if you intend on obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many potential Independence WI employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.
What is the Program’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you must learn which of the certifications the programs you are looking at are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will need to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Second, learn what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. Doing this is one of the means to help assess the quality of a college’s program. Naturally programs with low rates are those that you will want to eliminate.
Which Credentials are Provided? As we previously covered, there are generally two paths to acquiring medical assistant training. You can choose a diploma or certificate program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can elect to acquire an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about two years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whatever program you decide to enroll in, make sure that the colleges you are reviewing provide the kind of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant colleges offer internship programs with Independence WI area health care providers. They are an excellent way to obtain hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students build relationships within the Independence medical community. And as an additional perk, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.
Is Job Placement Support Offered? Landing that very first job can be a daunting undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are interviewing provide job placement assistance in the Independence WI area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its graduates, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the healthcare community. It also signifies that it has a large 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 throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a couple of classes before enrolling in a program to witness what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.
Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full-time, it’s imperative that the program you select provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Independence WI, make sure that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier 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 protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to work, illness or family emergencies.
Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Independence Wisconsin?
If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Independence WI area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.
Independence, Wisconsin
Independence is in the Town of Burnside, which corresponds with one of the townships created under the Land Ordinance of 1785. Shortly after the naming of Burnside in 1863, settlers from Europe and the Eastern United States began arriving in significant numbers.
The city of Independence owes its existence to a railroad and a man named David M. Kelly as well as Mitchell J. Warner. Running almost parallel to the Trempealeau River is the Green Bay and Western Railroad, which is part of a line originally intended to run from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Wabasha, Minnesota. Kelly was an enthusiastic promoter of building a depot for the new line in Burnside.
After much disagreement and dispute over its location, Green Bay and Lake Pepin (as the company was then known) agreed to build a depot if $5,000 could be raised by the residents to finance construction. The money was raised, and Kelly bought the land for the depot in 1876. He founded a village on the land and named it Independence in honor of the nation’s centennial of independence. The village was incorporated in 1885 and became a city in 1942.
Enroll in the Ideal Medical Assistant Course Independence WI
It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by enrolling in a medical assistant program that will provide the proper training. Whether you’re planning 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 appropriate information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training these days that you can make a selection based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have addressed in this article, make certain that the program you decide on is accredited by a recognized agency, such as the CAAHEP. This is particularly critical if you anticipate taking the CMA certification examination. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Certified Medical Assistant Certification. But irrespective of the kind 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 provided in order to compare programs and make an informed decision. And by choosing the ideal program you can subsequently begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Independence WI.
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