Medical Assistant Schools
Medical Assisting is the fastest growing career in the field of health care. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects continued employment growth through 2016. With the looming recession amongst us, this is an excellent time to attend a medical assistant school and gain the formal education needed to pursue a medical assistant career.
Become a Medical Assistant
- Career Plan: How to Become a Medical Assistant
- Find Schools by State
- Online Medical Assistant Degrees
Medical Assistant Resources
Presently the trend in medical assisting is to attend accredited medical assistant schools where a formal education is provided. In the past, on the job training was an acceptable way to become a medical assistant. Though on the job training provides valuable hands on experience and has produced many well qualified medical assistants, employers have moved in the direction of hiring formally trained medical assistants (MAs). Many of these MA's have also passed national certification exams such as the Certified Medical Assistant exam, given by the American Association of Medical Assistants or the Registered Medical Assistant exam, offered by the American Medical Technologists. Such medical assistant certification is recognized in all states. Formal medical assistant training programs include certificate, diploma and associate degree programs. A formal education in medical assisting often translates into higher wages and greater career advancement opportunities. Generally, medical assistant schools offer certificate or diploma programs, which can take 2-12 months to complete. Many schools also offer medical assistant associate degree programs that can usually be completed in 18 to 24 months.
Typical Medical Assistant Courses
Students will take courses that prepare them for physician, staff and patient interaction, typical office practices as well as clinical duties expected of a medical assistant on a daily basis. Medical assistant courses often cover patient interaction topics such as, taking vital signs, patient assessment, patient history, patient education, bedside manner and HIPPA privacy laws. Pharmacology courses will cover branded and generic drug nomenclature, drug/drug interactions, indications, drug reference resources, calling in prescriptions, authorizing refills, prior authorizations and related topics. Laboratory courses will cover instrument and equipment use/safety, specimen collection, phlebotomy (drawing blood), urinalysis and related lab procedures. First aid is also taught in most programs and is often a job requirement.
What to Consider When Choosing a Medical Assistant School
Medical assisting education training programs are offered as online programs or as campus based programs, so whether you need the flexibility of taking classes at your own pace or you learn better in a structured classroom environment, our medical assistant schools will meet your needs and formally prepare you for certification exams and beginning or advancing you career in medical assisting. Learn more about becoming a Medical Assistant.
One of the most important considerations when choosing a medical assistant program is accreditation. The two primary accrediting institutions of medical assisting schools and programs are the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). This site features a number of accredited medical assistant schools offering certificate, diploma and associate degrees programs including online/distance learning options. Online medical assistant training programs are a great option for full or part time employees or those looking for a flexible medical assistant education.
Online Medical Assistant Schools
Programs:
- Associate of Science in Medical Assisting Services (Online)
- Diploma in Medical Assisting Services (Online)
Programs:
- Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting - Associate's (Online)
- Clinical Medical Assisting - Associate's (Online)
- Clinical Medical Assisting - Certificate (Online)
Campus Based Medical Assistant Programs
Alabama
Arizona
Arizona College of Allied Health
Campus: Glendale
Programs:
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
For more information about graduation and placement rates, the median debt of students who complete the program, and other important information, please click here.
Campus: Phoenix
Programs:
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
- Diploma - Medical Assistant Bilingual (Spanish/English)
Brown Mackie College
Program:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
Arkansas
Campus: Little Rock
Programs:
- Medical Assisting
- Medical Assisting with X-Ray Tech (Limited Scope) and EKG
California
Carrington College California
Campuses: San Leandro | Pleasant Hill | Antioch | Citrus Heights | Sacramento | San Jose | Emeryville | Pomona | Stockton
Programs:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Assisting - Certificate
Everest College
Campuses: Hayward | Anaheim | Gardena | Reseda | West Los Angeles | San Jose North | Torrance | Alhambra | San Bernardino | San Francisco | Santa Ana | City of Industry | Ontario
Program:
- Medical Assistant
Heald College
Campuses: Modesto | Rancho Cordova - Sacramento | Fresno | Salinas | Stockton | Concord | Roseville - Sacramento | Hayward | San Jose
Programs:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Assisting - Diploma
San Joaquin Valley College
Campuses: Fresno | Bakersfield | Visalia | Modesto | Hesperia | Temecula
Programs:
- Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Clinical Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Clinical Medical Assisting - Certificate
Milan Institute
Campuses: Visalia | Clovis | Indio
Programs:
- Administrative Medical Assistant
- Medical Assisting
Kaplan College
Campuses: Stockton | Bakersfield | Riverside | Sacramento | Fresno | San Diego | Palm Springs
Program:
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
Concorde Career College
Campuses: San Bernardino | San Diego | Garden Grove | North Hollywood
Program:
- Medical Assistant
Colorado
Everest College
Campuses: Denver South (Aurora) | Colorado Springs | Denver North (Thornton)
Program:
- Medical Assistant
Connecticut
Branford Hall Career Institute
Campuses: Southington | Branford | Windsor
Programs:
- Medical Assistant
- Professional Medical Assistant
Delaware
Harris School of Business
Campuses: Dover | Wilmington
Programs:
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Professional Medical Assistant - Diploma
Florida
Everest University
Campuses: Melbourne | Largo | North Orlando | Pompano Beach | Brandon | South Orlando | Tampa | Orange Park | Jacksonville | Lakeland
Programs:
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant (AS)
Keiser Career College
Campuses: New Port Richey | Jacksonville | Saint Petersburg | Greenacres | Miami Lakes
Programs:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Assisting - Diploma
Keiser University
Campuses: Pembroke Pines | Tallahassee | Jacksonville | Melbourne | Fort Lauderdale | West Palm Beach | Sarasota | Lakeland | Port St. Lucie | Daytona Beach | Fort Myers | Miami | Tampa | Orlando
Program:
- Associate of Science in Medical Assisting
City College
Campuses: Fort Lauderdale | Miami | Altamonte Springs | Gainesville | Hollywood
Program:
- Medical Assisting - Associate of Science in Allied Health
Southwest Florida College
Campuses: Port Charlotte | Tampa
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assistant
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Concorde Career Institute
Campuses: Jacksonville | Miramar | Orlando | Tampa
Program:
- Medical Assistant
Everest Institute
Campuses: Fort Lauderdale | Hialeah | Kendall | North Miami
Program:
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
ATA Career Education
Campuses: Largo | Spring Hill
Programs:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Office Assistant - Diploma
Georgia
Everest Institute
Campuses: Decatur | Jonesboro | Marietta | Norcross
Program:
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Miller-Motte Technical Colleges
Programs:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Office Assistant - Certificate
Hawaii
Idaho
Milan Institute
Programs:
- Administrative Medical Assistant
- Medical Assisting
Illinois
Sanford-Brown College
Campuses: Hillside | Tinley Park | Skokie | Collinsville
Programs:
- Certificate - Medical Assistant (Day)
- Certificate - Medical Assistant (Evening)
- Certificate - Medical Assistant Bilingual (Spanish/English)
- Certificate - Medical Assisting
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Everest College
Campuses: Skokie | Melrose Park | Bedford Park | North Aurora | Merrionette Park | Burr Ridge
Program:
- Medical Assistant
Indiana
Campus: Merrillville
Programs:
- Diploma - Administrative Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
Brown Mackie College
Campuses: Indianapolis | Merrillville | Michigan City | South Bend | Ft. Wayne
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
- Certificate - Medical Assistant
Kaplan College
Campuses: Indianapolis SE | Indianapolis NW | Hammond
Programs:
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
Iowa
Kaplan University
Campuses: Davenport | Mason City | Cedar Falls | Cedar Rapids | Council Bluffs | Des Moines
Program:
- AAS - Medical Assisting
Kansas
Wright Career College
Campuses: Overland Park | Wichita
Programs:
- Administrative Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
Brown Mackie College
Campuses: Salina | Kansas City
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Kentucky
Brown Mackie College
Campuses: Northern Kentucky | Hopkinsville | Louisville
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Louisiana
Remington College
Campuses: Lafayette | Baton Rouge | Shreveport
Programs:
- Diploma - Medical Assisting
- Medical Assisting
Maine
Maryland
TESST College of Technology
Campuses: Towson | Beltsville
Programs:
- Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant - Certificate
Massachusetts
Branford Hall Career Institute
Campus: Springfield
Program:
- Professional Medical Assistant - Diploma
Salter College
Campuses: West Boylston | Chicopee
Programs:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Assisting - Certificate
Salter School
Campuses: New Bedford | Malden | Tewksbury | Fall River
Program:
- Professional Medical Assistant
Michigan
Sanford-Brown College
Campuses: Grand Rapids | Dearborn
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Everest Institute
Campuses: Dearborn | Detroit | Grand Rapids | Kalamazoo | Southfield
Program:
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Minnesota
Globe University/Minnesota School of Business
Campuses: Woodbury | Blaine | Brooklyn Center | Elk River | Lakeville | Moorhead | Plymouth | Richfield / Bloomington | Rochester | Shakopee | St. Cloud
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assistant
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Mississippi
Missouri
Everest College
Campuses: Springfield | Saint Louis | Kansas
Programs:
- Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
Nebraska
Nevada
Milan Institute
Programs:
- Administrative Medical Assistant
- Administrative Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Medical Assisting
Campus: Las Vegas
Programs:
- Medical Assistant
- X-Ray Technician/Back Office Medical Assistant - Diploma
New Hampshire
Hesser College
Campuses: Salem | Concord | Manchester | Nashua | Portsmouth
Programs:
- Medical Assistant - Associate's
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
New Jersey
HoHoKus
Campuses: Hackensack | Nutley
Programs:
- Medical Assistant - Certificate (Day)
- Medical Assistant - Certificate (Evening)
- Medical Assistant/Patient Care Technician - Diploma (Day)
- Medical Assistant/Patient Care Technician - Diploma (Evening)
- Medical Assistant/Pharmacy Technician - Diploma (Day)
- Medical Assistant/Pharmacy Technician - Diploma (Evening)
- Medical Assisting with Vascular Sonography - Diploma (Day)
- Medical Assisting with Vascular Sonography - Diploma (Evening)
Harris School of Business
Campuses: Voorhees | Cherry Hill | Linwood
Programs:
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Professional Medical Assistant - Diploma
New Mexico
New York
Sanford-Brown Institute
Campuses: Garden City | New York | Melville
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
- Certificate - Medical Assistant
Elmira Business Institute
Programs:
- Certificate - Medical Office Assistant
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Assisting - Certificate
Hunter Business School
Program:
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
North Carolina
Miller-Motte College
Campuses: Greenville | Jacksonville | Wilmington | Raleigh | Fayetteville | Cary
Programs:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Office Assistant - Diploma
Ohio
Brown Mackie College
Campuses: Findlay | North Canton | Akron | Cincinnati
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Kaplan College
Campuses: Cincinnati | Columbus
Programs:
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
Remington College
Campuses: Cleveland | Cleveland West (North Olmstead)
Programs:
- Medical Assisting
- Medical Assisting with X-Ray Tech (Limited Scope) and EKG
Miami-Jacobs Career College
Campuses: Columbus | Springboro | Troy | Sharonville
Program:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
Oklahoma
Wright Career College
Campuses: Oklahoma City | Tulsa
Programs:
- Administrative Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
Brown Mackie College
Campuses: Tulsa | Oklahoma City
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assisting
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Oregon
Campus: Portland
Programs:
- Administrative Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Diploma - Administrative Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant
Pioneer Pacific College
Campuses: Health Career Institute | Clackamas | Springfield
Programs:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
- Medical Assisting - Diploma
- Medical Assisting with Limited X-Ray - Associate's
- Medical Assisting with Limited X-Ray - Diploma
Pennsylvania
Sanford-Brown Institute
Campuses: Pittsburgh | Wilkins Township | Trevose
Programs:
- Associate's - Medical Assistant
- Associate's - Medical Assistant Specialist
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Laurel Technical Institute
Program:
- Medical Assistant - Associate's
YTI Career Institute
Campuses: Altoona Campus | Capital Region Campus | Lancaster Campus | York Campus
Program:
- Medical Assistant - (AST)
McCann School of Business & Technology
Campuses: Pottsville | Dickson City | Hazleton | Sunbury | Carlisle | Allentown | Wilkes-Barre
Programs:
- Clinical Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Medical Assisting - Associate in Specialized Business
- Medical Office Assistant - Diploma
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Miller-Motte Technical Colleges
Campuses: Charleston | Myrtle Beach
Program:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
South Dakota
Globe University/Minnesota School of Business
Campus: Sioux Falls
Program:
- Associate's - Medical Assistant
Tennessee
Miller-Motte Technical Colleges
Campuses: Clarksville | Nashville | Chattanooga
Program:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
Texas
Everest College
Campuses: Ft. Worth | Mid-Cities | Ft. Worth South | Dallas
Programs:
- Diploma - Administrative Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant - Associate's
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
Kaplan College
Campuses: San Antonio - Ingram | El Paso | Beaumont | Fort Worth | Corpus Christi | Brownsville | Midland | Arlington | San Antonio - San Pedro
Programs:
- Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant (Clinical/Clerical) - Diploma
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
Texas School of Business
Campuses: Southwest Houston | East Houston | Friendswood
Program:
- Medical Assistant
Campus: Austin
Programs:
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
- Diploma - Medical Assistant (Weekend Spanish Version)
- Diploma - Medical Assistant Bilingual (Spanish/English)
Remington College
Campuses: Houston (Westchase) | Dallas (Garland) | Fort Worth | Houston North (Greenspoint) | Houston Southeast (Webster)
Programs:
- Diploma - Medical Assisting
- Medical Assisting
- Medical Assisting with X-Ray Tech (Limited Scope) and EKG
Everest Institute
Campuses: Austin | Bissonnet | Houston-Greenspoint | Houston-Hobby | San Antonio
Program:
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Utah
Campus: Salt Lake City
Programs:
- Diploma - Administrative Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant - Diploma
Broadview University
Campuses: Orem | Layton | West Jordan
Programs:
- AAS - Medical Assistant
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
Virginia
Stratford University
Campuses: Tysons Corner | Richmond (Short Pump) | Woodbridge
Program:
- Medical Assisting - Associate's
Washington
Everest College
Campuses: Vancouver | Tacoma | Everett | Bremerton | Renton | Seattle
Programs:
- Administrative Medical Assistant - Diploma
- Diploma - Administrative Medical Assistant
- Medical Assistant
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Globe University/Minnesota School of Business
Campuses: Appleton | Eau Claire | Green Bay | La Crosse | Madison-East | Madison-West | Wausau
Program:
- Associate's - Medical Assistant