Before you can start reviewing your medical assistant school alternatives, you have to decide which kind of credential you would like to attain, and if you would prefer attending classes on-campus or online from home. As soon as those choices have been made, you can start the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Coachella California with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are not the only ones. There are several additional considerations that you should look at when assessing schools. To help you with that process, below are a few questions that you need to ask about all of the schools you are considering before making your final choice.
Is the Medical Assistant Program Accredited? There are a number of great reasons to ensure that the program you choose is accredited. To start with, accreditation helps ensure that the education you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Second, if you intend to become certified, you need to enroll in an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged 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 school is not accredited by either of these agencies, you will not be eligible to take the CMA examination. Also, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, as previously mentioned, many potential California employers will not hire a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited school.
What is the Program's Passing Rate? The majority of California accredited medical assistant colleges design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. First, you need to find out which of the certifications the colleges you are reviewing are preparing their students for. If you are interested in taking the CMA for example, then naturally you will want to enroll in a program targeting that certification. Next, learn what the school's passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is just one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a school's program. Obviously schools with low rates are those that you will prefer to eliminate.
Which Credentials are Available? As we previously covered, there are generally two routes to obtaining medical assistant training. You can select a certificate or diploma program and obtain entry level training in the fastest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can elect to acquire an Associate Degree and get a broader education that will require approximately two years to accomplish in a community college or trade school. Whichever program you decide to pursue, verify that the California schools you are looking at provide the kind of program you are interested in.
Are Internships Available? Many medical assistant schools offer internship programs with California medical providers. They are a great means to receive hands-on practical experience and training. They can also help students develop relationships within the Coachella medical community. And as an added perk, they are an advantage on resumes and for job interviews as well.
Is Job Placement Support Offered? Landing that very first job can be a daunting task for medical assistant school graduates unless they have a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are evaluating offer job placement assistance in California and ask what their placement rate is. If a school has a higher job placement rate for its students, it affirms that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also suggests that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in positions.
How Large are the Classes? Class size can be an indication of how much individual instruction you will get during your training. Smaller classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more likely to provide increased access to instructors and face to face interaction. If possible, try to monitor a few classes before choosing a program to see what the teaching atmosphere is like and just how much attention the students receive.
Is Class Scheduling Practical? If you plan on attending a medical assistant school while you continue working on a full time basis, it's imperative that the college you choose provides classes that accommodate your schedule. If you have to go to classes at night or on weekends near Coachella California, make sure that those times are available. You might be able to fit your classes in more easily with an online school, but you will still have to schedule all clinical training or internships that might be required. Additionally, find out what the policy is for making up classes that you may have to miss because of illness, work or family issues.