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Points to Ask Medical Assistant Schools
Prior to examining your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to determine which type of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. Once those decisions have been made, you can start the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, a number of prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are nearest to Kilgore TX with the most affordable tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional factors that you must examine when evaluating programs. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your ultimate selection.
Is the Medical Assistant Course Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to confirm that the school you enroll in is accredited. To begin with, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both comprehensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you plan on becoming certified, you must enroll in an accredited program. Two of the approved 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 qualified to take the CMA examination. Additionally, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, many potential Kilgore TX employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.
What is the School's Passage Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant colleges develop their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you must determine which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students to take. 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 program's passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the means to help assess the quality of a school's program. Obviously schools with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.
Which Credentials are Available? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the fastest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is about one year. Or you can decide to acquire an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take approximately 2 years to accomplish in a community college or vocational school. Whichever program you elect to enroll in, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide the type of program you have an interest in.
Are Internships Provided? Many medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Kilgore TX area health care providers. They are a great means to get hands-on clinical experience and training. They may also assist students develop relationships within the Kilgore health care community. And as an additional perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews too.
Is Job Placement Support Supplied? Getting that first job can be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Verify that the colleges you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Kilgore TX 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 an excellent reputation within the medical community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in positions.
How Large are the Classrooms? Class size can be an indication of how much individual instruction you will receive throughout your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish increased access to teachers and face to face interaction. If possible, try to attend a few classes before enrolling in a program to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students get.
Is Class Scheduling Convenient? If you plan on attending a medical assistant program while you continue working on a full time basis, it's important that the school you select offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Kilgore TX, make certain that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more conveniently with an online program, but you will still have to schedule all internships or clinical training that will be required. Also, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.