Choosing an Accredited Medical Assistant Program

Posted On January 16,2020

When researching different Medical Assistant training program options, there are always multiple things to consider. You may be tempted to choose a school or program based on the proximity to your home, or whether or not they offer day or evening classes.

Before committing to a program, it’s important to determine whether the institution you’re interested in is accredited. What does that mean exactly? Accreditation shows that a school has met and maintained a high level of standards set by an accrediting agency. In simpler terms, it’s a form of quality control, ensuring that colleges and institutes of higher education adhere to and satisfy certain standards.

Picking a school that isn’t accredited can end up costing you valuable resources, such as precious time and money that you may never be able to recoup, and it can also negatively impact your career. Deciding to enroll in school to become a medical assistant is a major life decision, so It’s important that you really take your time and choose wisely.

What are the advantages of choosing an accredited medical assistant program?

Students May Apply for Federal Financial Aid

One critical advantage to attending an accredited program is that they offer federal financial aid to help those who qualify pay for tuition and supplies. For students who rely on federal grants and loans in order to attend school, they will want to ask right away if federal financial aid is available before proceeding any further in the admissions process.

Students Receive a Higher Standard of Education

Since accredited schools are held to a higher standard by accrediting agencies and must meet certain program guidelines and requirements in order to remain accredited, you can feel confident in knowing you are receiving a quality education you can trust to serve as a solid foundation throughout your medical assistant career.

Students May Have the Option of Continuing Their Education

For students who wish to continue their education, and plan on transferring to another learning institution at some point throughout the course of their academic career, they will want to make sure they attend an accredited school or program, as no other school will accept transfer credits from those of an unaccredited school or program.

Students Have the Ability to Become Certified

State governments require that a college or program be accredited before they allow students to sit for state licensure examinations. For those students who don’t attend an accredited school or program, they will not be eligible to sit for CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) or RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) certification exam.

Students Have More Job Opportunities

It may seem like accreditation isn’t that big of a deal, as long as you complete the program, but after graduation and while job searching, many employers will take the program or school you attended into consideration, including whether or not it was accredited. Employers want to feel confident that they are hiring and investing in only the best candidates for the job, including those who acquired the proper amount of training and education from a reliable school.

Now that you have a clearer picture of the importance of choosing an accredited school or program for your training and education, contact Athena Career Academy today to find out how we can help you get started on an exciting medical assisting career journey.

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