7 Medical Assistant Programs in Chicago
1. Midwestern Career College
Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
---|---|---|---|---|
Certificate | Full time | Both | 10 Months | 120 hours |
The Midwestern Career College accepts a diverse group of young adults from Chicago and surrounding areas. The medical assistant program at MCC, Chicago, focuses explicitly on phlebotomy training and prepares the students for certification. The course is completed in two terms and takes about 40 weeks of instructional activity. The curriculum follows a hybrid mode of education, which enables the aspirants of CMA to learn a few particular subjects online.
The MA course provides hands-on training in EKG, phlebotomy, and other relevant areas. After completing the externship of 120 hours, the students become eligible for NCCT certifications that include RMA, NCMA, or phlebotomy certification through AMT. The MCC has partnered with more than 150 private clinical divisions, such as diagnostic centers, hospitals, and doctors, to provide real-time professional experience during externships.
Students can apply for federal loans, Pell Grants, FSEOG, and WIOA. Multiple scholarship plans and Military Family-Friendly Scholarship are also available for military personnel, spouses, or dependents, who can claim their eligible VA benefits.
2. Chicago Community Learning Center
Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
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Certificate | Full-time | Both | 15 Months | 165 hours |
The Chicago Community Learning Center cultivates its students with regular training schedules to achieve certification in the medical assistant program successfully. The students learn clinical and administrative skills that suit them in entry-level jobs to assist doctors and patients in their respective manner. The course prepares integrity, professionalism, and understanding of patients’ secrecy.
The duration of MA classes at CCLC, Chicago is 1200 hours, which can be completed in a minimum of 60 weeks. The pre-requisites of admission in the MA program are applicants aging 18 years or more, with GED or high school diploma. They are tested for physical fitness, specifically CPR certification and TB skin test, and have no criminal background.
The MCC institute supports Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act or WIOA grants to help economically left-out masses engage in medical assisting certification and other courses. There is a long list of scholarships available to assist students in getting financial help and studying ahead.
3. City Colleges of Chicago
Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
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Certificate | Both | On-Campus | 9 – 12 Months |
The City Colleges of Chicago is a group of seven colleges in the Chicago region that provide various courses in healthcare and other industries. They offer both online and on-campus modes of classes, while the system is also available part-time to those who are working or engaged in other activities. The medical assistant program is prominently included in the curriculum of Malcolm X institute of this group.
The Malcolm X institute aims to balance the general and technical subjects in the MA course. Apart from the regular course, these students are also taught the spirit of volunteerism in community work by making them participate in non-professional activities relating to the health & well-being of society.
The full-time or regular MA classes are three semesters and begin in the Fall, while the part-time classes are four semesters and begin during Spring. They both carry 31 credit hours with 3 hours dedicated to practicum.
For admission to the MA program, the applicant has to sit for an interview with the program director and produce valid documents of all other colleges of the past with proof of proficiency in English & Maths.
4. Oakton Community College
Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
---|---|---|---|---|
Certificate | Full time | Both | 9 Months | 160 hours |
There is limited seat enrolment in the medical assistant program at Oakton Community College, Chicago. The students are prepared for clinical and administrative duties under an experienced physician. They learn to manage schedules, records, billing, insurance, and take vital signs specimens, check medicines, or prepare patients for examinations.
It is a three semester course at OCC, Chicago. It contains 17 credit hours for completion, including three credit hours of 160 hours of unpaid externship, where supervisors keep the focus on achieving expertise in entry-level positions. There are majorly two practicum sessions included in the program.
The MA Classes at OCC, Chicago, begin in the Fall and conclude in the summers. The classes are available in hybrid mode; thus, students who cannot visit the campus can attend the virtual classes. Before registering for the second semester, the students must produce current health status, immunization records, health insurance, and criminal background check with drug screening.
To get admitted to the MA program at OCC, Chicago students need to score 250+ marks (merit-based) in a reading test taken at Oakton center. Other requirements include a GED or equivalent with a GPA of 2.0 or higher and proficiency in English & Maths.
5. State Career College
Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
---|---|---|---|---|
Diploma | Full time | On-Campus | 11 Months | 160 hours |
The State Career College provides on-site training sessions with well-experienced faculties who care to deliver out-of-the-box lessons in an enhanced learning environment. The medical assistant program at SCC, Chicago, prepares the students for efficiently performing basic skills necessary in hospitals, physician’s offices, and other medical settings. The students also receive a Basic Life Support certification from the American Heart Association.
The SCC provides a diploma in medical assisting after successfully completing the program in a minimum of 45 weeks covering 900 clock hours. The course is divided into seven sections of 100 hours, excluding 160 hours of externship and 40 hours of the introductory part.
The first three sections of the MA course in SCC, Chicago, educate about the basic computer, office skills, communication, finances, and overall personality development & clinical behavior. Later sections deliver knowledge about pharmacology, nutrition, pathology, ECG, body systems, emergency handling, and other medical necessities.
The students should complete the FAFSA form to clarify eligibility for multiple loan options and Pell Grants offered by the SCC.
6. South Suburban College
Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
---|---|---|---|---|
Certificate | Full time | On-Campus | 12 Months |
The medical assistant certificate program at SSC, Chicago, is based on the Standards and Guidelines of MAERB. The MA aspirants at South Suburban College learn about patient care, medical ethics, effective communication, quality control, safety measures, and policies. There are no online classes available; thus, the MA course is a full-time course, scheduled in double shifts of day & evening classes.
It is essential to pass 100% of the psychomotor and the affective competencies. After failing once in a practical or competency, the students have a single attempt to sit for a re-exam. The college advises taking re-admission in the program if a student fails to achieve a minimum of “C” grade in re-attempt otherwise are given an “F” grade in the final result.
To achieve a pass certificate in the medical assistance course, the student must attain a minimum of 37 credit points, including three credit points of externship. It is a three-semester course that begins in the Fall and ends in Summer. But as a pre-requisite for admission, the students need to attain a minimum of 11 credits in computers, human structure, medical office, and terminology.
7. Lincoln College Of Technology
Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
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Diploma | Full time | On-Campus | 10 Months | 180 hours |
The Lincoln College Of Technology has completed 75 years as successful skill development and training center in Chicago. In the medical assistant course, the students work directly with patients and learn to take vital signs, care for wounds, maintain charts, and collect specimens. The prospective students can join either morning or evening batch for MA classes.
The LCT, Chicago offers a diploma in the medical assistant program, which takes about 40 weeks, covering 720 instructional hours. It carries 34 semester credit hours. The students must complete 180 hours of clinical externship sessions in eight weeks, completing 25 hours per week. These live sessions are held during the day shift for every batch, and the absentees have to cover up in due time. The LCT institute does not provide transportation or meals during the externship.
They support trade school scholarships and grants for eligible students. Federal & State grants, student loans, and other funding options are also available.