Being a medical assistant is a great career choice because the employment outlook for this career is bright, and salaries for medical assistants have been steadily growing over the past decade. Most medical assistant programs take from nine months to two years to complete, and the training typically costs much less than a traditional four-year college degree. Furthermore, it is now possible to complete the training and to prepare for medical assistant certification online.
Becoming a Certified Medical Assistant does require specialized training, but it is less rigorous than some other careers in the medical field. One can become a medical assistant with a high school diploma or a GED, and the law does not require certification for assistants, but there are a number of benefits that come with certification.
In becoming certified, medical assistants show that they have taken extra steps to enhance their medical skills and knowledge. In passing the stringent testing from the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), they verify that they have met the detailed and exacting qualifications required to earn the credential. In other words, a Certified Medical Assistant has demonstrated her dedication to the profession and earned professional respect and recognition.
An additional benefit of certification is the chances of being hired are significantly increased when someone has become a CMA. Since employers tend to prefer hiring CMA’s, their salaries tend to be higher as well. Certified Medical Assistants are also more likely to be considered for supervisory or management positions over than those who are not certified.
If you should choose to earn your certification with an online program, one of the most important items to verify is the school’s accreditation. Only schools that are officially accredited by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) should be trusted to provide the proper training and qualified faculty necessary to lead you to pass the CMA exam and earn medical assistant certification.
Simply contact the school and ask them to provide you with their accreditation information. An online school should have a page dedicated or easily accessible links to show their accreditation. If they cannot produce proof of accreditation, or if they are hesitant to show it to you, chances are they are not a quality school that will be worth your time and money.
Studying to become a medical assistant or preparing for the CMA exam online offers several benefits over traditional brick and mortar schools, such as making it easy for you to take courses from the comfort of your home – or any place with an internet connection – thus saving money on commuting costs and parking fees, and the convenience of being able to log on to courses on your own time, such as during the evening or on weekends. This can be very helpful if you have a full-time job, or small children at home that require care.
If you prefer an online program, pay special attention to two key factors: how the coursework is presented, and how easy it will be to participate in online study groups and to interact with your instructors. It will be very important to be able to communicate with your fellow students and to have faculty that is responsive to students, even in an online context.
Many online programs use video lectures, and the caliber of those lectures will determine how well you learn from them. Request to view a sample lecture and a syllabus for a different sample course. A good school should also offer notes or an outline of each lecture’s main points.
Simply contact us if you would like to learn more about how to obtain your Medical Assistant Certification, whether it is on a traditional school campus or through the internet.
The post How to Get Your Medical Assistant Certification Online appeared first on Medical Assistant.
