In order to take the medical assistant certification test, a medical assistant must complete a training course at an accredited college or training program. Some accredited medical assistant schools offer a blended program of on campus and online classes while others offer only on campus training. Since students are required to have clinical training, accredited programs cannot offer all classes online. A variety of sources have named these schools the best for medical assistant training.
Kaplan University
Kaplan University has campuses in Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. They offer a blended program with both online and on campus classes. Completion of the two year medical assistant program leads to an associate’s degree and they offer bachelors and masters degree programs in the related fields of nursing and healthcare administration. Medical assistants seeking higher degrees will find Kaplan University a good choice.
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix has 140 campus locations in more than twenty states, Puerto Rico and Canada. They also offer a blended program of online and on campus classes for an associate’s degree with advanced degrees in the healthcare field available. Although they offer a masters degree in nursing, their healthcare administration degree is only available at the bachelor’s level. Financial assistance is available to qualified students.
Keiser University
Keiser University has 14 campus locations in the state of Florida. The school was founded in 1977 and offers a unique program for medical assistant training. After completing a 2 year program, graduates are awarded an associate’s degree. Keiser University also offers bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees in the related fields of health sciences, healthcare administration and healthcare management.
Pima Medical Institute
Pima Medical Institute has 13 campuses in seven western states including Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Washington. They also offered a blended program with great clinical exposure. Most of their programs including the medical assistant program are 2 year programs for associates degrees, but they do offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing, radiologic sciences and respiratory therapy.
Everest College
Everest College has more than 34 campuses in 24 states across the United States. They offer an associate’s degree program in medical assisting. Although they offer a bachelors degree in nursing, there are no advanced degree programs in healthcare administration. As with many of the other medical assistant training programs, Everest offers a blended program of online classes with clinical experience.
Other Schools and Training Programs
Medical assistant training is offered at many community colleges and vocational schools. Not all of the schools listed here have campuses in every area. To find the best medical assistant schools in a convenient area, students should contact their state department of education. Some states may provide educational rankings for schools in their jurisdiction while others may simply provide the names of schools and programs or degrees offered by the schools.
Many students will be able to locate campuses of the top medical assistant schools in their area, but if none of the top schools listed has a campus near a student, other programs offered by community colleges and vocational schools can provide excellent training. Students should check with the school to insure the school’s accreditation will qualify the student for certification by the AAMA or registry with AMT.