We all want to make our lives better, but who has time?
For many, making a major life change means getting into a new career, the rest kind of falls into place from there. But with a full-time job, family commitments and other scheduling conflicts it’s all to easy to get stuck in a rut with no way out.
Meanwhile, the medical profession is experiencing unprecedented growth and opportunities for great career advancement and job stability are at an all-time high. You don’t want to miss the boat.
Medical assistant programs offer the opportunity to break into the medical field and its one of the only allied health professions offering the kind of educational flexibility people like you need.
Medical Assistant Programs: the Best Options
Online Medical Assistant Programs: Unlike other areas of the medical field, there are schools out there offering training 100 percent online, meaning you attend classes when you have time. Take a course before bed, during dinner, or whenever you find a spare second during the day.
Certificate Programs: Maybe you learn better in a classroom, but don’t want to take a full two-year associate degree program, or you already have a degree but want to switch careers. You can take a certificate medical assistant program at your local vocational school or junior college. These certificates can often be completed in just a few months and you’ll be ready to embark on a new career.
Accelerated Programs: Get it over with quickly by opting for an accelerated program. This basically means you’ll be crazy busy, instead of super busy, but for a shorter period of time. By putting yourself through the gauntlet you can finish up a program in about half the time, take a couple weeks off and go find a great new job.
Choosing a Medical Assistant Program
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re searching for good medical assistant programs. First and foremost is the quality of the schools you have in mind. A program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is the best bet. These schools are required to pass a series of strict benchmarks to ensure they are adequately preparing students for a career in medical assisting.
You’ll also want to look for a school with the flexibility in scheduling and cost to suit your needs. If finances are an issue, try to find a school that offers grants, scholarships and other financial aid options.
See what other people are saying about the medical assistant programs you are considering. Reviews from past and former students can hold a lot of weight and are usually pretty easy to find online.
If you will be attending classes in person, be sure to tour the campus and its medical facilities. Make sure the equipment looks new and up-to-date and the atmosphere is one you will be comfortable studying in.
If your medical assistant programs will be conducted online, learn more about the curriculum and how classes are administered. Plenty of video-based coursework is ideal due to the high level of visual learning. Seeing an instructor in action will improve your retention of coursework.
It would also help to find out what kind of online learning community is available. If you are able to share notes and organize online study groups with your fellow students, class will go much easier for you.
Opportunities abound, even for people with too much on their plate as it is. But hard work can pay off and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to get into a great career in a recession-proof field.