About Medical Assisting Education

Education is an important consideration if your goal is to become a medical assistant. Although some medical assistants are trained on the job, this option is becoming more and more rare. Most employers prefer that their assistants be certified and, to be certified, you must have graduated from an accredited medical assisting program. But there are so many of these programs around the country that finding the right one can be more difficult than actually attending the school. Fortunately, we have done some of the research for you and have selected five of the top medical assistant schools in the country.

Does the School Meet Your Needs?

Before enrolling in a medical assisting program, you must be sure that the school meets your individual needs. Does it offer a sufficient mixture of medical and administrative courses that you’ll need to make you a well-rounded medical assistant? Does it offer financing options? Does it provide job placement assistance to graduates? Does its program fit in with your work schedule, or will you be able to attend school fulltime? All of these questions are important considerations in finding your top medical assistant school.

What Do You Need to Apply?

You will either need a high school diploma or a GED to attend a medical assisting school. In addition, there are a few personal characteristics that you should possess in order to be a good medical assistant. Medical assistants work with the public and should be well groomed and courteous. They must continuously walk a tightrope between soothing a patient’s fears and efficiently completing the patient’s visit. They must be equally adept at administrative functions—such as notating patient’s files and scheduling appointments—and performing clinical duties. They must be discrete and not reveal any patient medical information to non-authorized persons.

How Long Does it Take?

Certificate and diploma programs in medical assisting can be completed in nine months to one year. Associate degree programs take two years to complete.

Certificate, Diploma, or Associate’s Program?

Certificate and diploma programs offer direct and practical training in medical assisting. Because they are totally focused on the job of medical assisting—without liberal arts courses—their programs can be completed within one year. If you think that you want to be a medical assistant for your entire career, certificate or diploma programs may be your best choice as they focus specifically on all aspects of medical assisting. By contrast, associate degrees offer a broader education—with liberal arts courses—that could make you more marketable to employers. Another advantage of having an associate’s degree is that it can provide career and educational flexibility. If you should decide to pursue another career path in the future, you can apply the credits earned from your associate’s degree toward a bachelor’s or a master’s degree.

Top Medical Assisting Schools

The best medical assistant schools are well established, accredited, and combine a good mix of hands on clinical and administrative training in their curriculums. These five schools perfectly meet these criteria.

Sanford-Brown Institute – Founded in 1977, the Sanford-Brown Institute’s medical assisting program combines such diverse subjects as medical law, patient preparation, medical communications, and laboratory work. They train students in seven states—Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, New York—how to be skilled medical assistants.

National College – National College’s associate program not only offers extensive training in clinical procedures, serology, and pharmacology, but they also thoroughly train their students in office administration procedures. Their medical assisting program is available on campuses in Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky.

Brown Mackie College – Brown Mackie College intensively combines clinical training with office administration in their classrooms. They offer certificate, diploma, and associate degree programs to students in twelve states—Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Missouri, Michigan, Idaho, and Ohio.

Remington College – Remington College offers diplomas in medical assisting at their campuses in Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, and Colorado. In addition, they offer an associate degree program in clinical medical assisting at their Honolulu campus. Their diploma programs in medical assisting combine clinical training with administrative training to produce exceptional medical assistants.

Kaplan College – At Kaplan College, students can earn a certificate, a diploma, or an associate’s degree in medical assisting. In all of these programs, students are given intensive training in both clinical and administrative tasks. Upon graduation, Kaplan’s placement office helps them to find jobs. They offer medical assisting programs in Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Colorado.