Prospective medical assistants should carefully evaluate medical assistant colleges and the medical assistant courses they offer when deciding where to receive medical assistant education. It is true in all fields but especially true in healthcare fields where employers carefully weight your training when deciding whether or not to hire you. Not all medical assistant colleges are equal when it comes to quality medical assisting courses.
Most states across the U.S. offer accredited medical assistant programs through junior colleges, community colleges or vocational schools. The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is a good place to start when evaluating medical assistant colleges and the courses they offer. When searching the ABHES directory of accredited colleges you will find an ABHES ID# for the college, contact information, the year the college was accredited and the date that the college is currently accredited through. The website of the college will appear under the college listing as well as the School director or other contact person and a list of all accredited programs offered by the college. Some of the medical assistant colleges listed in the directory include Fortis College, Virginia College, Eastern College of Health Vocations, Heritage College, Arizona College of Allied Health, Brown Mackie College, Phoenix College, Penn Foster College, and Sanford-Brown College.
Individuals should ask lots of questions while evaluating both colleges and the courses they offer such as:
Are classes online or in a physical classroom?
Have the professionals worked in the fields that they are teaching?
How long has the college been accredited?
How long does it take to complete the classes in the program?
What will I receive when I graduate?
Does the college offer help with job placement?
How much does the program cost?
Does the credential received upon graduation allow you to seek employment in other states?
When evaluating a college it is important to understand not only about the courses offered but also how the education you receive will allow you to advance in the chosen field and your ability to secure meaningful employment.
Typical medical assistant courses include medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, health care law and ethics, introduction to clinical skills, patient care sciences, clinical specialties, medical transcription, pharmacology, introduction to laboratory sciences, medical office procedures, microbiology and urinalysis, clinical hematology and microbiology, hematology and immunology, radiography, medical office procedures, and clinical training.
Completing a two-year college program may lead to receiving a medical assistant diploma. A medical assistant degree can also be earned online by many colleges including these three top colleges:
San Joaquin Valley College with a program in clinical Medical Assisting
Keiser University with a program in AS Medical Assisting
Kaplan University with a program for AAS in Medical Assisting
When evaluating medical assistant colleges and the medical assistant courses, make full use of your academic advisor as this person can answer many of your questions about the college, navigating your classes and when to take each course.
