How to Pick a Medical Assistant School near Spring Green Wisconsin
Now that you have decided to join the rewarding profession of healthcare and enroll in a medical assistant school near Spring Green WI, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the right training. But just how do you approach comparing and evaluating schools so that you subsequently enroll in the ideal one? Many prospective students begin by checking out the medical assistant schools that are nearest to their residences and then gravitate 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 factors also. You might decide to look into a few online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more on that later). The main point is that before you select a program you must finish your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the colleges you are evaluating. And to assist you with that task, we have provided several questions that you need to ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the type of training and credentials that are available.
The Responsibilities of Medical Assistants
The duties of a medical assistant can be varied as well as demanding. Basically their function is ensure that the Spring Green WI clinics, hospitals and other medical care centers where they work run successfully. Based 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 responsible for giving direct assistance to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals but can also be found performing duties at the front desk or in an office. Some of the many functions of a medical assistant include:
- Completing insurance forms and filing claims
- Setting and confirming appointments
- Taking vital signs and weighing patients
- Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
- Preparing instruments and rooms for doctors
- Supplying general support during exams and procedures
Although medical assistants can carry out almost any activity they are authorized to under Wisconsin law, some prefer to specialize in a particular area and obtain certification. Two of the options offered 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 Education
Unlike most other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants are not required to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Spring Green WI health care employers prefer to hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training school (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are basically 2 choices provided for a formal education. The first and shortest route to becoming a medical assistant is to earn a certificate or diploma. These programs normally take about one year to finish, some as little as six to nine months. They are developed to teach the fundamentals of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to acquire an Associate Degree, which are normally two year programs offered at junior and community colleges in addition to trade and vocational schools. They are more expansive in nature than the certificate or diploma programs, and include general education courses in addition to the medical assistant classes. They usually have a practical component involving an internship with a local medical facility. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be transferred to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a similar field.
Online Medical Assistant Programs
There are numerous accredited medical assistant programs available online also. They are a good option for students who might not have time to attend classes on campus but could fit them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue working full-time while attaining their certificate or degree. As an extra benefit, some online programs have lower tuitions than the more traditional on campus options. Ancillary costs such as for commuting, textbooks and school supplies may be lessened also. Just remember that all requirements for practical training or internships must still be met, but they can often be performed in Spring Green WI area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of attending supervised classes on-campus, then this approach to receiving your education may be the right choice for you. Between the online lessons and the clinical training, everything necessary to attain proficiency to work as a medical assistant is furnished.
Certification Options for Medical Assistants
As earlier stated, certification is not a legal mandate, but is an excellent choice for graduates who want to boost their careers. It will not only help in getting a job after graduation, but it might also enhance preliminary salary negotiations. A number of potential Spring Green WI medical employers simply will not employ a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and possibly the most highly regarded certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). In order to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will graduate within thirty days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, including the CCMA and the CMAA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.
Questions to Ask Medical Assistant Schools
Prior to assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you need to choose which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. Once those choices have been made, you can start the process of evaluating medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of potential students restrict their searches to the colleges that are closest to Spring Green WI with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you should look at when researching programs. To assist you with that process, below are a few questions that you should ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate choice.
Is the Medical Assistant School Accredited? There are several great reasons to verify that the college 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 must complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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 program is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be allowed 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 last, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Spring Green WI employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.
What is the Program’s Passage Percentage? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To begin with, you need to determine which of the certifications the colleges you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will need to choose a program concentrating on that certification. Second, ask 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 school’s program. Naturally programs with lower rates are those that you will want to eliminate.
Which Credentials are Available? As we previously covered, there are basically two paths to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and obtain 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 choose to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take approximately two years to finish in a junior college or trade school. Whichever program you elect to pursue, verify that the schools you are looking at offer the kind of program you have an interest in.
Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Spring Green WI area health care providers. They are an excellent method to receive hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students build relationships within the Spring Green healthcare community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.
Is Job Placement Service Supplied? Landing that initial job can be a daunting task for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive some help from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are researching offer job placement assistance in the Spring Green WI area and ask what their placement rate is. If a program has a high job placement rate for its students, it indicates that it has an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also indicates that it has a broad network of contacts to help place students in jobs.
How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indication of how much personal attention you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to teachers and one-on-one interaction. If possible, try to monitor a couple of classes before choosing a college to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.
Is Class Scheduling Accommodating? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue working on a full time basis, it’s imperative that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you need to attend classes at night or on weekends near Spring Green WI, confirm that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will also have to schedule any internships or clinical training that might be required. Also, ask what the protocol 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 Spring Green Wisconsin?
If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Spring Green WI area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.
Spring Green, Wisconsin
As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 1,628 people, 690 households, and 433 families residing in the village. The population density was 904.4 inhabitants per square mile (349.2/km2). There were 753 housing units at an average density of 418.3 per square mile (161.5/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.5% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population.
There were 690 households of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.
The median age in the village was 42.5 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
Pick the Ideal Medical Assistant College Spring Green WI
It’s important to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant program that will furnish the right training. Regardless if you’re objective is to launch a career in healthcare starting out as a medical assistant or to practice medical assistance as your life long career, you need to acquire the right info on available programs before making your selection. There are so many colleges providing training these days that you can make a decision based on your individual circumstances and personal preferences. And as we have covered in this article, make certain that the program you pick is accredited by a recognized organization, for example the CAAHEP. This is especially important if you plan on taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Class Requirements. 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, make sure to ask the questions we have provided in order to evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by selecting the right program you can subsequently start a rewarding career as a medical assistant in Spring Green WI.
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