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Topics to Ask Medical Assistant Colleges
Prior to assessing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to choose which kind of credential you want to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on campus or online from home. After those selections have been made, you can start the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, many potential students confine their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Bridgeport CT with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are important qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional issues that you need to look at when researching programs. To help you with that process, below are some questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.
Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to confirm that the college you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps ensure that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you need to enroll in 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 qualified to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you anticipate applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not offered for non-accredited programs. And last, as previously mentioned, many prospective Bridgeport CT employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited program.
What is the School's Passage Percentage? The majority of accredited medical assistant schools create their programs to prep students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you need to learn which of the certifications the programs you are considering are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then of course you will want to select a program focused on that certification. Second, learn what the school's passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the ways to help evaluate the quality of a college's program. Of course schools with lower rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.
Which Credentials are Offered? As we previously covered, there are essentially two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, however the average is about one year. Or you can elect to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will require approximately two years to accomplish in a junior college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, verify that the colleges you are looking at offer the type of program you have an interest in.
Are Internships Available? A large number of medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Bridgeport CT area medical providers. They are an excellent way to receive hands-on practical training and experience. They may also help students develop relationships within the Bridgeport medical community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.
Is Job Placement Support Offered? Getting that initial job can be a daunting undertaking for graduating medical assistant students unless they receive a little help from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are interviewing offer job placement assistance in the Bridgeport CT area and find out what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has an excellent reputation within the health care 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 may be an indication of how much individual instruction you will receive during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to offer increased access to instructors and one-on-one interaction. If convenient, try to monitor a few classes before enrolling in a school to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students receive.
Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant program while you continue to work full time, it's important that the school you enroll in provides classes that fit your schedule. If you have to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Bridgeport CT, make sure that those times are offered. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online program, but you will still need to schedule all internships or clinical training that will be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.