Though Vermont does not necessitate its medical assistants to have a degree or certificate to practice, it is better in the current age if you’ve proper certification, as rules are fast-changing and having proper accreditation allows you to climb to better career options. To find out about the nationally accredited MA programs in Vermont, try our search widget.
Medical assistants are the allied health professionals working in the frontline with physicians and medical practitioners. Adept in several clinical and administrative frontiers is no mean feat, hence proper training from an accredited college is essential.
The first thing you should take into consideration when you’re signing up for a medical assistant program in VT is to check whether your college has accreditation. It’s imperative that you ensure it does, for that enables you eligible to take certification for MAs later on. The state offers a certificate program to its MAs, and the course costs around $10,000 to $11,000, depending on credit hours, externship, and other essential factors.
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Looking for the top medical assistant schools in Vermont might initially seem like a challenging task, but on further inquiry, you’d realize it is quite a straightforward process. What becomes essentially of importance is the medical assistant degree you choose and the continuing education path you follow later, as it can determine what direction your career takes in the future. However, you need to be careful about the fees, accreditation, and internship/externship opportunities while making your choice.
At present, there are not many options to choose from in the state for the prospective medical assistants. There is just one public college with campus locations across the state that is providing an accredited MA program in Vermont. The list will be updated further if there are any new additions in the upcoming years.
The Community college of Vermont has an ABHES accreditation, which makes you eligible for taking CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) tests as well as RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) ones. The program has to be completed within 3 semesters and requires you to complete a minimum of 30 credits. CCV takes admission for fall, summer, and winter terms across its campuses located all over Vermont. They also offer a Health Science program, which is an associate degree, and prepares you for advancing your career in the medical field.
The program requires you to complete CPR/First Aid certification, as one of the basics of its core program requirements. Students are required to maintain this certification throughout the program length. This program also requires its enrolled students to complete an unpaid internship that lasts for 80 hours in their in-patient services inside their premises, without any compensation. For the internship, you should have your scrubs and nametag, which can be procured for a price of $55 at present.
The internship with this program is known by the name of the Clinical Medical Assistant internship, which requires the students to attend an orientation program at some of the partnered centers. Students must manage their transportation to the CCV internship facility, which will generally be within the radius of 50 miles from their home.
Number of Courses | Certificate |
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Campus | Bennington, VT / Brattleboro, VT / Middlebury, VT / Montpelier, VT / Morrisville, VT / Newport, VT / Rutland, VT / Springfield, VT / St. Albans, VT / St. Johnsbury, VT / Upper Valley, VT / Winooski, VT |
Other than paying attention to the college or university you’re applying to, your chief point of consideration should be the medical assistant degree you’re applying for. The right degree can increase and advance your chances of employability, and ensure your career graph takes a positive splurge. Search for the top medical assistant courses in Vermont.
Though the state of Vermont does not officiate the need for medical assistants to have certification to practice, it is an unsaid rule that the ones with formal training are preferred and have a higher rate of employability. To maximize your chances of placement, it is only prudent to invest in a medical assistant degree that trains you well for the services you shall undertake.
You can procure a CMA license from the American Medical Association (AMA). To be eligible to take the CMA test, your university should have an ABHES or CAAHEP accreditation. Under this test, you should answer 200 MCQ questions within 160 minutes. CMA examinations usually occur in Prometric centers across the state.
An RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) certification can also be procured by medical assistants in the field. To become an RMA, you’ve to be enrolled in a MA course that is 720 hours of total credit with an externship completed for 160 credit hours. Otherwise, 5 years of relevant experience in medical assistance or graduating with medical training under the US Army also qualifies you for the position.
Other certifications that you can consider include the National Center for Competency Training (NCCT)’s NCMA certification, National Association of Health Professionals (NAHP)’s NRCMA certification, and National Health Career Association’s CCMA certification.
You can read about the delegable duties that a Vermont MA is supposed to carry on a daily basis under legal bindings on this page.
Responsible for ensuring the well-being and sustenance of citizens in the state, the Vermont Department of Health can also be beneficial for providing the latest health-related news.
This society, as the name suggests, houses all medical practitioners in the state. You can not only keep yourself abreast of all health-related news but also stay in close touch with other medical practitioners. It is useful for seeking new jobs, as well as ensuring you’re taking all opportunities that fall within your scope.
Written by : Casey Gardner
Casey Gardner is both a healthcare support professional and an accomplished content creator. She has been working as a certified health care professional with marketable skills as a physician assistant, and a qualified medical assistant for last two decades. She has dedicated her nursing career to produce over hundreds of content pieces since 2001, and her work has been published both online as well as offline.
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