Medical Assistant Schools in Connecticut
Are you looking for a career in health care that permits you to work with patients and improve the state of medical care in Connecticut? Medical assistant programs in Connecticut may be ready to provide you with the education you need to get started in a medical career that allows you to positively affect the lives of others, while minimizing the amount of time you have to spend in school. This versatile career can suit those who want to work in an administrative capacity, as well as those who want to work in hands-on care.
The services provided by medical assistants may be even more in demand in the coming years. The CT Mirror reports that Connecticut lawmakers have lowered health insurance rates across the board, making medical care more affordable for the majority of Connecticut residents. This is expected to lead to a surge of new patients.
Primary care providers, like nurse practitioners and physicians, often rely on medical assistants to collect information, check vitals, and prepare patients. These tasks are essential to maintaining a high level of patient satisfaction and may influence the quality of care at clinics and nursing homes. This is particularly true when you consider the provider shortage in Connecticut, reported by Hartford Business. This shortage may mean longer wait times for patients and a longer wait list for new patients. With the attention placed on the negative effects that can come from waiting lists and a lack of providers, any effort to help get patients seen in a timely manner can help.
Medical Assistant Education in Connecticut
Perhaps you’ve explored medical assisting careers before and you’ve been put off by the idea of spending four or more years in school. Maybe you’ve recently heard about job growth in this field and you’re ready to get involved. No matter what has pulled you into the field of medical assisting, you could discover that this is an excellent time to become a medical assistant in Connecticut.
Connecticut is home to a growing population of elderly residents and young families, both of which bring unique medical needs to the state. Whether you work in a nursing home, hospital, or clinic, the skills you get in your training may be very useful. Medical assistant graduates may work in clinical or administrative roles, a fact that may give you more diverse job options throughout your career. You may look for positions that focus exclusively on one area of medical assisting or jobs that blend the two together.
Before anything else, though, you need to learn about applying for medical assistant certification. Connecticut schools may have the opportunities you need. By contacting technical schools and community colleges, you may find the degree or certification program that best suits you.
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As you begin looking into medical assistant training, CT has many schools for you to consider. Programs are often offered at community colleges, technical schools, and even at local hospitals. You may wish to earn a certificate or diploma. These options generally take about one year. If you are looking for a more comprehensive program, consider earning an Associate’s degree in medical assisting, where you can plan on spending at least two years in school to get your degree. Select a program from the med assisting schools in Connecticut that you see below and request more information to get started.
As you earn your medical assistant (MA) degree, you may be required to take several courses that enhance your general understanding of medical care and the human body. These classes include Pharmacology, Diseases and Disorders, and Anatomy & Physiology. Medical Terminology is another course that is typically required for medical assisting students, and is essential to developing the communication and charting skills you will need as a MA.
Furthermore, you can expect to get lots of hands-on training. Throughout your program, you may get experience in the exam room and behind the desk. If you’re interested in pursuing medical assistant certification, employers in Connecticut may wish to see this type of experience. Your externship and internship experience may also help you prepare for certification. You may spend an entire semester working in a local medical facility, which will prepare you for your “real world” job as a med assistant.
In Connecticut, there are several types of health care and medical assistant careers you may be able to pursue. If you’re interested in a nursing career, consider becoming a certified nursing assistant. Those that would like to work in a dental office can look into becoming a dental assistant; this option takes about two years. There may be surgical, administrative, and patient care degree options too. Choose the ones that interest you from the schools below and request more information today.
If you are worried about how you can pay for school, there are many scholarship opportunities for students at medical assistant schools in CT. After you get accepted to the school of your choice, you can start applying for financial aid. Day Kimball Healthcare awards several health care scholarships, including the Susan Chilkott Memorial Healthcare Professionals’ Scholarship and the Gladys Pizzotti Health Care Workers Scholarship. The Connecticut Healthcare Financial Management Association also awards scholarships to students in health care, as does the Fairfield County Community Foundation.
Medical Assisting Classes in Connecticut
At many Connecticut schools, you may run into general medical assisting programs. There are lots of benefits you may get when you choose this type of degree. The training you get may cover both office skills and clinical skills, making you more indispensable to local facilities. You may also get plenty of experience working with local patients of different ages and healthcare needs.
There are several types of programs offered in this field, including one-year certificate programs, one-year diploma programs, and two-year Associate’s degree programs. Clinical requirements are set by each school, so you may want to find out how many clinical hours are required before selecting a school.
Course Requirements in Medical Assisting
- Medication Administration
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Medical Terminology
- Medical Assisting Fundamentals
Billing and Coding Programs in Connecticut
Although clinical care is an essential part of the medical industry, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes on in administrative positions. The field of medical billing and coding is the perfect example. Coding is crucial in healthcare. It outlines why a patient needs care, what symptoms they have, what diagnoses they receive, and what services they get. Facilities use this information to charge the appropriate fees and get the money they need to continue running.
Medical billing specialists ensure that codes are accurate and complete. They also submit bills to insurance and individuals using the appropriate procedures. They collect payments and handle overdue accounts. In this field, you could work with billing technology and use your natural mathematical skills to help your facility run more smoothly.
Class Options in Billing and Coding Programs
- Medical Language
- Coding for Medical Records
- Pharmacology for Health Professionals
- Health Insurance Coding and Reimbursement
Connecticut Nurse Aide and Patient Care Tech Classes
Certified nursing assistants and patient care technicians are extremely important to Connecticut nursing homes and hospitals. If you go this route, you may be the first medical professional a patient sees when they check in.
Some of the duties you may learn in your training include feeding, hydrating, administering medications, getting vital signs, and communicating changes to nurses and doctors. These programs tend to require a complete physical, since you spend a lot of your time lifting and transferring patients. Program lengths differ, but many CNA programs can be finished in three to eight weeks in Connecticut.
Nurse Aide Classes
- Laboratory Work with Specimens
- Nutrition and Feeding
- Patient Rights and Independence
- Documentation of Patient Status and Care
Medical Secretary and Administrative Med Assisting Programs in Connecticut
At many medical assistant schools in CT, you have the option of focusing your education on administrative jobs. Administrative medical assistants get the training they need to check patients in, schedule appointments, follow up with patients, and get their billing and insurance information. Some of the other topics you may cover in your training include patient privacy, handling cancelled appointments, and trying to resolve scheduling conflicts.
Required Medical Secretary Courses
- Healthcare Reimbursement
- Professionalism in the Medical Office
- Medical Documentation
- Medical Law and Ethics
Is medical assisting the right field for you?
If you’re ready to become involved in one of Connecticut’s biggest industries and work in a variety of healthcare settings, get started now by reaching out to medical assisting schools near you.
Medical Assisting Careers in Connecticut
Of course, a healthcare career can be very fulfilling and rewarding. You spend much of your time helping sick people, improving their care, and keeping them comfortable. However, there are also economic benefits that may come with this career choice. Across the board, the demand for medical assistants is high in Connecticut. A lot depends on which part of the state you work in and which type of facility you want to work for.
Between 2014 and 2024, medical assistants may see a boost in demand throughout Connecticut. O*Net anticipates a 17% increase in job openings (2017). At the same time, job openings for medical records technicians may swell 10% (O*Net, 2017). Nursing assistants, who primarily work in nursing homes and hospitals, may see steady growth in their employment options. A 5% boost in job openings is expected by 2024 (O*Net, 2017). From 2014 through 2024, demand for medical secretaries may jump 13% in Connecticut (O*Net, 2017).
Healthcare is one of the fastest changing industries in the United States, with researchers always looking for new ways to improve efficiency and patient outcomes. This may have a direct effect on your daily work as a medical assistant. Connecticut is in the process of opening a health information exchange, which may make patient information more easily accessible to healthcare providers (EHR Intelligence, 2017). This may save time for healthcare providers and require more support from medical records technicians.
Take advantage of healthcare expansion and start looking for the right career for you.
Take some time to plan for your future by getting more information about how to become a medical assistant. You can click on the programs you are interested in and get more information about your options for school today.
Listed below are all of the schools offering Medical Assistant programs in Connecticut. As a rule, you should contact at least 3-5 schools during the course of your research, and ideally more. There are important differences between the programs in terms of cost, admissions requirements, and other characteristics, and, as with many things in life, the way to find the best Medical Assistant program for your needs is to spend some time shopping around.
Here Are The Medical Assistant Schools…
Salary numbers provided are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.