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What to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges
Prior to examining your medical assistant school options, you have to decide which kind of credential you would like to earn, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. As soon as 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 potential students confine their searches to the schools that are nearest to Fairbanks AK with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are important qualifications, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional factors that you should examine when assessing schools. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are thinking about before making your final selection.
Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are several great reasons to make certain that the program you select is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps guarantee that the training you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the accepted 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 either of these organizations, you will not be allowed to take the CMA exam. Additionally, if you anticipate obtaining a student loan or financial assistance, they are often not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, a number of prospective Fairbanks AK employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.
What is the School's Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you need to determine which of the certifications the schools you are considering are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then obviously you will need to select a program targeting that certification. Second, ask what the program's passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the ways to help assess the quality of a college's program. Obviously programs with lower rates are ones that you will want to eliminate.
Which Credentials are Available? As we previously covered, there are generally two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, however the average is closer to one year. Or you can decide to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a more comprehensive education that will require about 2 years to accomplish in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer the type of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Offered? A large number of medical assistant programs offer internship programs with Fairbanks AK area healthcare providers. They are a great method to obtain hands-on clinical training and experience. They can also assist students develop relationships within the Fairbanks medical community. And as an added benefit, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.
Is Job Placement Support Supplied? Landing that first job may be a difficult undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they have some assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the schools you are evaluating provide job placement assistance in the Fairbanks AK area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the medical community. It also signifies that it has a wide network of contacts to help place students in jobs.
How Large are the Classrooms? Class size might be an indicator of how much individual instruction you will receive throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If convenient, try to sit in on a few classes before enrolling in a college to see what the teaching environment is like and how much attention the students get.
Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue working full time, it's essential that the program you enroll in provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Fairbanks AK, confirm that those times are available. You may be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online college, but you will also have to schedule any internships or practical training that might be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of illness, work or family issues.