Prior to examining your medical assistant school options, you have to decide which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you want to attend classes on campus or online at home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can start the procedure of comparing medical assistant schools. As we discussed at the opening of this article, some students restrict their searches to the colleges that are nearest to Claremont California with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are significant qualifications, they are not the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you must explore when assessing programs. To assist you with that process, following 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 School Accredited? There are a number of good reasons to verify that the school you select is accredited. First, accreditation helps ensure 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 agencies 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. Additionally, if you intend on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. And last, as mentioned previously, many prospective California 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 California accredited medical assistant schools develop their programs to prepare students to pass one or more certification examinations. To start with, you must determine which of the certifications the programs you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are planning on taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to select a program targeting that certification. Second, find out what the school's passage rate is for the certification and compare it to the national average. Doing this is just one of the means to help evaluate the quality of a college's program. Naturally programs with low rates are those that you will want to eliminate.
Which Programs are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are essentially two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can select a diploma or certificate program and receive entry level training in the shortest amount of time, starting at just 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can decide to earn an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will take approximately two years to complete in a junior college or trade school. Whatever program you elect to pursue, confirm that the California schools you are looking at provide the kind of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Provided? Numerous medical assistant colleges sponsor internship programs with California medical providers. They are an excellent way to get hands-on practical training and experience. They can also help students build relationships within the Claremont medical community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.
Is Job Placement Service Offered? Finding that initial job may be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the colleges you are researching provide job placement assistance in California 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 indicates that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in positions.
How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to furnish greater access to teachers and face to face interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a few classes before selecting a college to witness what the teaching atmosphere is like and how much attention the students receive.
Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you anticipate attending a medical assistant school while you continue to work full time, it's essential that the college you select offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Claremont California, confirm that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online program, but you will still have to schedule all clinical training or internships that may be required. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.