Top 7 Medical Assisting Colleges

Overviews of the top 7 medical assisting colleges. These top name schools will propel you into a MA career...

Many schools out there are offering programs for medical assisting, and you may be wondering which are the best ones.

Some are offered online, and some require you to actually attend the school for at least part of the time. Don't discount schools in your area, either, as potential places to further your education.

Often when you are attempting to get financial aid, more money is granted to students who are going to school within the state.

However, you may want to go to one of these colleges if you are looking for a top name school, are interested in getting the degree online, are looking for flexibility in how long the degree will take, or are just too far from any schools around you.

There are a great many reasons to choose a medical assisting college from this list. Many of them are national colleges with satellite schools in differing states. It definitely pays to check them out and see if one of these top colleges is near you!

Rasmussen College

Rasmussen College offers medical assisting diplomas and associate's degrees for students who are ready to take the plunge and pursue their dreams of working in a doctor's office.

The college has locations in Minnesota, Florida, Illinois, and Wisconsin, but they have online programs as well.

They offer teaching in venipuncture, anatomy and physiology, EKG administration, injections, and require a 240 hour clinical externship in a doctor's office.

The associate's degree requires a few extra classes, such as English composition, film appreciation, art appreciation, and ethics, among others. These additional classes are usually transferable to a four-year college if you are interested in pursuing an advanced degree.

That is one of the perks of pursuing an associate's degree over a diploma: you can easily upgrade your education at a later time, if you so choose.

Everest College

Everest College will prepare you to take histories from patients, obtain vital signs, give injections, and take blood.

Medical assistants that graduate from this program have gone on to work in doctor's offices, clinics, labs, pharmaceutical companies, and health insurance companies.

You can get your medical assisting diploma from Everest College in as little as 8 to 10 months, if you work with the flexible scheduling that the college has to offer. Some locations have different types of scheduling. Everest College is located in many states throughout the country, so look up your state to see if there is one around you.

Sanford-Brown

Sanford-Brown is another large college that has locations all across the country in major cities. They offer diplomas, certificates, and associate's degrees in medical assisting depending on the location that you attend.

Sanford-Brown provides accredited programs in medical assisting and offers a variety of scheduling options to help you get your degree as quickly or as flexibly as you want. They are also able to provide financial aid to those who qualify, but you must qualify in your state before any financial aid can be applied to your account.

Each program teaches the state-allowed skills for medical assistants. Any medical assistant who is looking to travel with their degree would need to ask their state board for advice.

Concorde Career Colleges

Medical assisting is available at the Concorde Career Colleges in Florida, Texas, California, and a few other states.

The program for a diploma is 8 months long, and 14 months for an associate's degree. However, the length of time it takes you to complete your program varies by your location and the amount of time you have to devote to your studies.

You'll learn various clinical skills, such as CPR, taking histories, vital signs, EKGs, injections, drawing blood, and assisting in minor surgery. You will also learn clerical skills, such as:

• patient charting
• appointment scheduling
• billing
• insurance coding
• payroll
• and completing computer insurance forms.

Students who have graduated from this program have gone on to work at hospitals, home health agencies, and insurance companies.

Heald College

Heald College is not spread out through the county, but it is still an excellent school to pursue your medical assisting degree. It is located in many cities in California, one city in Oregon, and one city in Hawaii.

They also offer a diploma or an associate's degree in medical assisting, but what makes their program different is that they offer a certification in phlebotomy as well. This will make you more valuable to employers and open up your job opportunities - you'll be able to work for more employers with this certificate.

Heald College recommends a few traits for the ideal medical assistant: compassionate personality, multi-tasker, excellent communicator, analytical, team player, and someone who loves a challenge.

Pima Medical Institute

Pima Medical Institute has many schools across the western states. This college offers a diploma program in medical assisting that takes approximately 8 months.

This course will instruct you how to educate patients regarding their care, how to take x-rays, how to give injections, how to call in prescriptions to the pharmacy, and how to remove sutures.

Of course, different states have different rules for what medical assistants can do, so you will only be taught what you can perform in your state.

Pima Medical Institute is an accredited college for medical assisting, and they recommend that you pursue national certification upon completion of your degree to make yourself more attractive to employers.

Westwood College

Westwood College offers diploma and associate's degrees in medical assisting, depending on what campus you attend. Diplomas are offered in California, Illinois, and Virginia, while the associate's degree is offered in Colorado and Georgia.

You will take primarily core classes when you enroll in this program, but there will also be classes in general education and other required courses that do not impact your degree.

You will learn how to assist in minor surgical procedures, deal with patients, apply the principles of patient care, and use medical terminology.

The college also has a fast-track associate's degree program in medical assisting that can get you to your degree in as little as 20 months if you have the time and flexibility to complete the degree that quickly.

Going to study online? See what traits make a good online student.

Before you decide on a medical assisting school, think about whether these types of courses are right for you.

After you graduate, we recommend that you take the certification test.

If you found this page useful, please click "Like"! Thanks.