2023 Most Affordable Online Medical Assistant Programs

Yes, there are many medical assistant educational programs available through distance learning. All of the schools on our list of most affordable online associate programs, for example, enable students to take their general education and major-specific courses through online learning management systems. You'll find both administrative and clinical courses in these programs.

The administrative courses will teach you how to keep records, use the medical billing and coding system, transcribe patient records, and perform other clerical tasks in a medical setting. In the clinical courses, you'll learn how to work with patients by checking their vital signs, administering medications, and drawing blood. Programs may also include coursework in psychology, communications, and basic computer technology.

Some online programs may require you to complete an internship or practicum, which will give you valuable hands-on experience working with patients and other medical professionals. An advisor or coordinator at your school should be able to help you set up an appropriate learning situation at a health care facility near you.

In some cases, you may also be able to take your certification exam online. For example, an exam proctoring service called Prometric administers the 200-question Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) Certification Exam in four 40-minute sessions.

There are many legitimate, accredited online medical assistant programs available. Accreditation means that the program or the school offering it have been evaluated by an independent agency and found to meet or exceed nationally accepted standards for quality. Legitimate online medical assistant programs are those that have been accredited by any of the six regional accrediting bodies approved by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation for specific medical assistant programs may also come from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

Another way to determine whether a program is legitimate is to check with the association that will be administering the certification exam you intend to take in order to advance your career. For example, if the health care employers in your state prefer candidates who have been certified as National Certified Medical Assistants through the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT), you can contact the NCCT to check for approved programs.

There are two ways you can obtain the training needed to become a medical assistant, and each comes at a different cost.

Cost of Earning an Associate Degree
One way is to earn an associate degree from an accredited college or university. The programs on our list of affordable online medical assistant degrees have annual tuition rates ranging from $4,800 to $19,808. To get these annual tuition rates, we've multiplied the per-credit cost by the number of credits full-time students typically take, which is 30 each year. You can double this number to see the total tuition for a two-year program. At Barton County Community College, our #1 ranked school, the per-credit cost is $150 and the program requires the completion of 64 credits, resulting in a 2-year tuition cost of $9,600. The full cost of an associate degree will also include books, supplies, and fees charged by the college.

Cost of Earning a Certificate or Diploma
The alternative is to earn a certificate or diploma by taking a course that will cover essential medical assisting skills and concepts. Some of these courses are accelerated, taking six weeks to three months and costing roughly $1,000 to $3,500. Other certificate programs take anywhere from six to 12 months, and tuition fees can vary widely. These programs may entail some additional expenses for items such as course materials and program fees.

However, cost is only one of many factors that should be considered when deciding what type of medical assistant program is best for you. You might also think about what learning pace feels right, how quickly you want or need to get into the workforce, how much structure you prefer in a learning environment, and what type of certification exam you plan to prepare for. Above all, you'll want to examine your long-term career goals and determine which program is most likely to take you where you want to go.

Whether you can take the test to become a medical assistant without going to school depends on which test you intend to take. The following are just four of the more common medical assistant certification exams you can choose from, and each have slightly different eligibility requirements:

To help determine which, if any, certification exam you need to take, you may want to check with your state's Department of Health website. Although the states themselves usually do not require certification, health care providers often do. These employers may have a specific exam that they prefer or require. The fees for these exams can vary anywhere from $90 to $250, and the cost may depend on whether you are a paid member of the sponsoring organization.

It is also possible to find work as an uncertified medical assistant. However, certification achieved by earning a certificate or degree and passing one of these standardized exams assures hiring managers that you have mastered the appropriate knowledge and skills to do the job. Education and certification can lead to more job opportunities, a higher income, and more chances for promotion.