Medical assistants are known for their versatility and they assist physicians and other medical experts with several responsibilities. Some of these include taking and recording patients’ history, administering injections, assisting experts in performing specific procedures, and more.
To get more details about the medical assistant programs in Pennsylvania, enter your zip code and request enrollment information.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks Pennsylvania as one of the highest employment providing states for medical assistants. MAs are the front line of many health professional offices, hospitals, and outpatient care centers. They are multi-skilled healthcare providers who work closely with patients, nurses, and doctors and perform various clinical and administrative tasks.
The duration and amount of a program will vary depending on its type. A certificate or a diploma program can be completed within 8 to 18 months and can cost you between $1,550 and $30,000. An associate’s degree, on the other hand, takes up to 2 years and can cost you between $5,710 and $48,460.
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Selecting an MA school in PA can prove to be a bit difficult. It is crucial to choose a program that is known for providing the best knowledge and training that prepares you for a medical career. Medical assistants play a vital role in physician offices and perform duties like taking patients’ vitals, help physicians with physical examinations, recording patients’ medical history, and preparing specimens in the laboratory.
Following is the list of 11 best medical assistant schools and their programs that Pennsylvania has to offer. Choose the one that you think is appropriate and fits your criteria and needs.
Lebanon County Career and Technology Center offers a certificate of LCCTC program completion for medical assistants. An MA is a skilled professional who’s trained to work in medical office settings performing different administrative duties. The course includes topics like anatomy, medical terminology, pathophysiology, X-ray, and assisting experts with medical procedures. a total of 910 program hours are required for a Certificate.
Number of Courses | Certificate |
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Campus | Lebanon, PA |
Bucks County Community College offers an Associate of Arts Degree and a Certificate program for medical assistants. BCCC promotes a disciplined environment where the students are encouraged to perform well by providing them with hands-on training experience. Graduates are able to perform basic administrative functions, including taking vital signs, coding, scheduling appointments, and more.
Number of Courses | Certificate, Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Newtown, PA |
Community College of Allegheny County offers a Certificate and an Associate’s Degree in medical assisting. An individual must maintain a 2.0 (grade C) college-level cumulative GPA to enter and remain in the program. A minimum of 62 to 64 credits is required by an individual to graduate. Students must graduate from the certification in order to enter the Associate’s Degree. An externship is also provided by the college for better practical knowledge.
Number of Courses | Certificate, Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Pittsburgh, PA / West Mifflin, PA |
Delaware County Community College offers a Certificate and an Associate in Applied Science degree. The courses prepare students to perform duties like taking and recording a patient’s medical history along with performing minor surgeries under experts. Students need to earn a grade C or better to graduate. A total of 62 credits are required for an AAS degree, and 43 credits are required for the certification.
Number of Courses | Certificate, Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Media, PA |
Community College of Philadelphia offers a Medical Assistant Proficiency Certificate. The motive of CCP is to prepare medical assistants for the healthcare field by educating them about effective communication skills, how to display professional and ethical behavior, and quantitative reasoning and critical thinking skills. Students need a grade C or better to graduate.
Number of Courses | Certificate |
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Campus | Philadelphia, PA |
Founded in 1966, Lehigh Carbon Community College offers a Medical Assistant Certificate (MEDC) program. Graduates will be able to perform both administrative and clinical duties in different healthcare settings, along with office computer operations, record keeping, and insurance billing.
Number of Courses | Certificate |
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Campus | Schnecksville, PA |
A 7-month Professional MA training is offered by Bidwell Training Center. The program focuses on educating students about utilizing the electronic health record, document health services, and more. The course features topics like anatomy, coding, clinical procedures, communication skills, and pharmacology. At BTC, all the programs are offered at no cost for the residents of Pennsylvania, and those who own a high school diploma or equivalent. A 4-week externship is also provided by the college for a real-world training experience.
Number of Courses | |
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Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), Pennsylvania Highlands Community College offers an Associate’s degree for medical assistants. The program focuses on providing the best training so that the students can learn to assist doctors or physicians with clinical tasks. Graduates will be eligible to apply for the National Certified Medical Assistant examination.
Number of Courses | Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Blair, PA / Central Park, PA / Ebensburg, PA / Huntingdon, PA / Richland, PA / Somerset, PA |
South Hills School of Business & Technology offers a two-year Associate in Business program for MAs. The college believes in providing the students with knowledge and training regarding their responsibilities like communicating with all kinds of people, taking blood samples, and handling lab specimens.
Number of Courses | Diploma Program, Associate |
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Campus | State College, PA |
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is a not for profit college that offers an Allied Health Clinical Medical Assistant Degree. The program can be completed within 18 months. The program provides access to students for academic advising, job-placement services, transfer services, and others. It provides education related to health, math, science, humanities, and English.
Number of Courses | Certificate, Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Media, PA |
With state of the art classrooms, advanced equipment, and adequate facilities, Fortis Institute offers a diploma program for medical assistants. The students can complete the training during the day or evening in less than a year. The program is accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
Number of Courses | Certificate |
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Campus | Forty Fort, PA / Scranton, PA |
MAs provide support in various facilities and industries across Pennsylvania. They should be able to work long hours on their feet, have communication skills, and understand the risk of disease due to working in ambulatory settings. Below given degree finder makes your search much more manageable. Try it to take a step forward on your medical career.
There are no formal education or license requirements for working as an MA in Pennsylvania. But most employers hire medical assistants who have attained a certificate, diploma, and associate’s degree. The quality of training is paramount as it has a direct impact on the quality of patient care and outcomes.
Medical assistants enjoy many duties like administering injections, help in taking X-rays, helping patients, and assisting doctors with minor surgical procedures. A Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) requires training through the CAAHEP or ABHES. The CMA is the only medical assistant certification program that requires applicants to demonstrate CPR ability. Graduates are able to continue the practice for recertification eligibility.
Pennsylvania Society of Medical Assistants is an affiliate of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). It helps in offering several resources for current and aspiring medical assistants.
Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) is an organization that represents all the medical students and physicians throughout the state. They believe in advocating for physicians and their patients, along with educating them for continuing their medical career by providing important resources.
Compass is an initiative run by the Department of Human Services, PA that provides all information on the possible benefits programs available for Pennsylvania health care professionals, such as medical assistants. They also have a mobile application called myCOMPASS PA, which is available for both Android and iOS users.
This page by DHS is dedicated to providing all the intricate details about becoming a medical assistant in Pennsylvania.
Written by : Casey Gardner
Casey Gardner is both a healthcare support professional and an accomplished content creator. She has been working as a certified health care professional with marketable skills as a physician assistant, and a qualified medical assistant for last two decades. She has dedicated her nursing career to produce over hundreds of content pieces since 2001, and her work has been published both online as well as offline.
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