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There are many space and places for people to earn a living and eventually have the opportunity to follow a career. The medical assistant is responsible for administrative and clinical needs and various other responsibilities. These responsibilities would depend on the size of the medical care facility where you would be working as an intern or and extern (the latter is a much shorter program than the internship program). An internship can also lead to a long-term appointment.
In order for you to perform at your best is to obtain as much knowledge and education as possible. Thus, it would be a good idea to look into the education and training, and especially the medical assistant education cost. It is also best to look at the ones that would cost you a little as opposed to those that offer free courses. The paid courses are extremely valuable and will serve you best in the long run.
Even though your duties may seem mundane and of little consequence, you should know that it is a vital role, as someone is needed to fulfill these roles. The duties would include, for example, answering phones and filling out insurance forms, getting patient medical histories and assisting the doctors before or during medical examinations. Other duties would include:
- The scheduling of appointments
- Admitting patients
- Billing
- Bookkeeping
- Explaining procedures
- Assisting in physical examinations
- Collecting and preparing lab specimens and
- Changing dressings
You might also feel that you do not need to have to pay for the courses as these can be learnt on the job. However, the idea behind getting an education is the possibility of furthering your studies. Thus there are courses that you should take to add to further your education at a later stage. Most of these courses would mean that you would pay for it. Those you do not pay for, would not be accredited courses.
Some Courses And Duration And The Medical Assistant Education Cost
Length Of The Training
The courses you might want to do could be for one year, especially if you are doing these as a post-secondary certificate or diploma. You might also want to choose to study for an Associate Degree. That would generally be for a period of two years. This course could also lead you into a specific field of medicine (such as nursing) and that would mean extra courses. This would mean that it would add to your medical assistant education cost as well. There are many free courses online and you might be tempted to do these free courses. This should be fine, but you have to keep in mind that this will not give you college credits and hence you would not be able to continue your studies with it and it would also not be accepted as valid qualifications should you wish to apply for a position (and this is regardless of your experience).
Some Accredited Courses
Some accredited courses that you would do, that should be accredited by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), are:
- The study of the human body, and this includes:
– The Anatomy
– The Physiology and
– The Pathology - Medical Terminology, which is a vital part of the assistant’s daily work.
- Applications for keyboarding and computer as this entails more specialized computing.
- Recordkeeping: It is important that the assistance knows the correct procedures and keep records thoroughly u to date and filed correctly.
- Accounting
- Coding
- Insurance Processing
- Laboratory Techniques
- Clinical Procedures
- Diagnostic Procedures
- Pharmacology
- Medication Administration
- First aid
- Office Practices
- Patient Relations
- Medical Law
- Medical Ethics
These courses would give you the credits as well as the knowledge and expertise to do your work to the best of your ability. This means that you are able to study, but will need to do your practical experience by completing an unpaid, supervised on-site work experience in a health care setting. This forms part of the program. However, you might be in the position to be in a working position already and would simply be adding your academic section to it. You would also have the choice of online, part-time and full-time studies and this would also significantly influence the medical assistant education cost as well.
The Total Cost Of The Medical Assistant Education Cost
You now have a choice to do the one-year course or the two-year course. This will influence how much your fees would be. You should also remember that there is always some kind of financial assistance available if you are not able to pay for it yourself. The center you work for might also be willing to assist you in this venture. Some places would also offer you payment plan.
When you do apply at any of the institutions for this program, you should contact the financial administrator to find out about the financial aids they have on offer. There are many ways of obtaining financial assistance and there is no need for you to put your studies on hold should you wish to be a part of this program. There are scholarships, grants, loans, and part-time employment available for you to start your career in the medical field.
It is important to calculate everything into your fee structure. This means that you would need to look at textbooks, uniforms and the courses you need to do. Extra costs would include CPR that could be $90.00 and could include the textbook as well as the mask. Any further courses you add would add to the overall cost of the program. This is however not a problem as you would be able to find financial assistance for your studies.
The Fee Structure For The Medical Assistant Education Cost
The fees might differ from one institution to the next and that includes the combination of the various courses. This would also influence how much you would be paying toward the fees. Here is an estimate of a few of these courses. You would have, for example:
The overall fees:
- The complete course would cost between $1,200 to $4,200
- If you are interested in the year course, which is the certificate program. You might pay between $2,500 and $10,000
- The average Associate Degree would cost you between $5,490 and $10,800 as an annual fee.
- Added to this would be the licensing after you have completed all your courses. The fee for this is about $170 and $250.
What is vital is that you should also look at places that would offer discounts or specials at times. What you should also take note of the fact that some institutions would charge per section and others would charge a per course fee. If it is the latter, it might be easier to add courses as you go along as opposed to paying for a section that has been predetermined. It is therefore important for you to do as much research and comparisons as possible. It does not always mean that the most expensive program would be the best. You should find out from people who have studied the program before as well as do a thorough Internet search.
The Cost Of Textbooks And Uniforms
Some of the places of study would include the textbooks in the medical assistant education cost. Some of the other institutions would charge you their fees separate from the textbooks. In this instance you would pay approximately $375.00 for the textbooks per course. These prices might change each year. This will however give you the opportunity to buy some books secondhand and that would allow you to save some cost.
It is important that there is also a specific need for uniforms as the Medical Assistant is part of the medical fraternity. You are therefore to look the part and be as hygienic as possible for the tasks you are to perform. You would also need to obtain a laboratory coat for your lab practical work. These products you are able to shop around for or you might just want to purchase it from the institution with which you would be studying. The cost of your uniform could be about $175.00. This would include two sets of scrubs, shoes and a lab coat.
Finding The School To Suit Your Medical Assistant Education Cost
What is often the motivation for seeking out a particular school would be the cost. Most prospective students would look at what the cheapest medical assistant education cost would be. However, you should look at what the quality of the courses offer as well, especially if you wish to further your studies in a particular medical field.
Many of the different schools also offer different course combinations. This is very important to look at, as it will determine whether you can specialize as well as point you in the direction of your further studies. It is important though that you must keep in mind that this could often mean added medical assistant education cost, but it is also the future that is more important.