Achieving a Health Career Diploma or Degree via Distance Education Online 

Good distance education programs should have explicit measurement standards, such as using

• pre- and post tests based on grades;
• providing frequent feedback to students and instructors;
• measuring success by application of skills in job performance (e.g. externship at a job site);
• and monitoring changes in work habits and attitudes as well as student reactions.

When an online program's advertises: "You can take the final exam as often as you need to pass!", then consumer beware. Training programs without certain standards and student expectations usually will NOT measure up.

Here are some of the better known and widely respected distance education training programs that offer effective career training online:

Before signing up for any vocational training/educational training program, whether on campus, or online, go through the following list...

1. Get in touch with the provider of the vocational training program or online course and ask questions.
   
2. Ask if the program is composed, managed, and taught by experienced (and certified) medical assistant professionals and instructors, who have actually worked in various disciplines of the medical assistant field.
   
3. Review the program syllabus. The training should be comprehensive and cover all aspects of the medical assisting occupation.
   
4. Find out the program's success and pass-rate: the percentage of students that graduate successfully from the program, sit for certification exams, and land jobs.
   
5. Ask to see the program's refund policy. If they don't have one, it's best to walk!
   
6. Choose only courses that meet your specific educational needs and goals, if a program is not flexible enough, or does not lead to the desired credentials, it's probably not for you.
   Contact leading professional associations and certification bodies and ask about their guidelines so you know whether you will be eligible to sit for their professional certification exam upon graduation.
   
7. Check the school's recognitions and accreditation status. Also, if it is an online course, remember to check their reputation. A reputable school will always post all necessary info to their website. A great place to double check is theBBB Onlinewebsite.
   
8. See if the website has a public forum where you can read the comments. Don't rely solely on a website's published customer feedback language, since bad customer comments can be sorted out, and good ones faked.
   
9. Examine the school's address. Is it a physical address, or does it exist only in cyberspace? With a physical address you will always know where to turn should you run into problems.
   Are you signing up for local services, or services provided from abroad? You might run into legal concerns but will have trouble enforcing them if the business is registered abroad, such as a BVI, a business registed in the British Virgin Islands.
   
10. Ask around; seek advice from professionals already in the field, read the newspaper to find out current trends.
    
11. Know what employers want and what the future outlook might be.
    Choose what's right for you, but be an informed consumer and choose wisely!

What to Expect with Online Career Training

Online Students:
Online students must be careful and know what to look for when they seek education or training. The best programs are those that are accredited by an organization that is approved by the United States Department of Education, or an accreditation body approved and recognized by the department, such as CAHEP or ABHES. But there also are institutions, which are not (yet!) accredited, but working on it, since accreditation does NOT happen over night.

Institutions:
Insitutions that want to be licensed have to go through a rigorous review process by a commission of state elected officials who verify that the school meets a standard set of criteria; and many of them are planning, or are in the process of completing the much desired accreditation status. The institution of your choice should at least be licensed by their local Department of Education.

Remember this: that online post-secondary training providers, non-traditional universities, and so called virtual colleges that offer distance learning programs have different licensing and accreditation standards than the traditional brick-and-mortar universities, colleges and vocational training institutions. They may be great courses but make sure they meet your specific goals.