Programs or courses across Connecticut in the MA stream of study often have distinctive features. What may be the perfect pick for someone might not be the same for the other. Thus, evaluate programs based on your individual goals and zero in on the most suitable one.
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The program length would depend on the type of degree you decide to pursue. In CT, both certificate and associate courses are available. The certificate programs are completed between 8 to 12 months, whereas associate degrees last for around two years.
The cost of the program also varies depending on the school, the number of credits, and class hours. In-state vs out-state fees also differ. While a select few community colleges such as the Norwalk and Northwestern offer exceedingly affordable in-state fees ($3,432), the other schools have considerably costlier programs (ranging from $16,500-$19,000). The more expensive courses are more than often for associate degrees, which train for around 60 credits.
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Picking the right school for your MA specific education is crucial. Consider carefully all deciding factors, like school ratings, accessibility of the campus location, faculty employed, connections with prospective industry employers, lab facilities and infrastructure, and school program fees and accreditations available.
Here is a comprehensive list of the 11 top medical assistant schools in Connecticut. Read on to discover critical pointers on each. For more specific information, contact the program facilitator before enrolling:
The medical assistant program at Northwestern Connecticccut furnishes you with all skills across clinical and administrative domains that you would need for entry-level placement in the industry. The total credits to earn successfully are 60. Statistics highlight the exceptionally high standards of this MA program. A 100% graduate satisfaction rate on an average was recorded across the past 5 years. The most recent Annual Report Form (ARF) shows that the program’s retention rate is 93%. The National Certification Exam Pass Rate was found to be 96%.
The ED* 281 Medical Assisting Practicum Externship shall ready you for the future ahead. It involves 4 credits and takes place during spring. The classes are held across 4 semesters. The school helps you land your first job supporting at every step even after you pass out.
Number of Courses | Certificate, Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Winsted, CT |
The Capital Community offers an Associates of Science program in medical assisting. The total credits to complete are 60. Classes are spread over 4 semesters with an externship opportunity at the end. Before you can start your practical work experience as part of the externship, you need to submit CPR and First Aid course certifications. You will also have to pass certain subjects with a grade C or better. In addition to the tuition fee set out by Capital Community, students have to arrange for other costs involving transportation, uniforms, CPR/First Aid fees, and study material by themselves.
Statistics from graduate surveys are excellent for this particular training course. Over the past 5 years, the MA program at Capital has enjoyed a 100% graduate satisfaction rate. Even employers hiring pass outs from the school vouched for a 100% employer satisfaction rate over the same period. From 2016 to 2018, the retention rate of students in the MA program has been a perfect 100%. Graduates from the program are eligible to take the CMA and RMA exams as the CAAHEP accredits the course until Spring 2024.
Number of Courses | Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Hartford, CT |
This school primarily houses an associate program in medical assisting. The total credits to earn are 60. Students finish the program in around 2.5 years. Once enrolled, students will need to furnish proof of specific health requirements. To be eligible for the clinical medical assistant externship, one has to have passed all MED courses with a grade B or better. The course itself spreads over 5 semesters.
For some aspirants, remedial math and/or additional English courses may have to be taken. Graduates from QVCC’s MA associate program have been employed across 25 distinct medical service providers in North East CT, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Others have also pursued higher studies with valuable nursing degrees or transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University for degrees in social work. Some are also pursuing the physician assistant program route.
The school also has options for part-time programs for those with prior commitments. Each student has an academic advisor assigned who they need to essentially consult before registering for any of the core MED courses. While some modules are schooled in an online format, some follow a hybrid version. Students come to the campus once a week and train online for the rest of the time.
Number of Courses | Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Danielson, CT / Willimantic, CT |
According to the community college graduation rate, Asnuntuck has ranked number 1 in Connecticut and Massachusetts. In terms of the degree, the school offers both a Registered Medical Assisting (RMA) program that rewards an Associate of Science (AS) at course completion and a registered medical assisting certificate option.
For the AS degree, the student has to complete a total of 60 credits. A key distinguishing factor of the associate’s program is that you get to study a variety of interesting subjects that may be out of the realm of medical assisting but yet fun and enriching. Expect class options in music, sign language, theatre, graphic art, computer-aided drafting, criminal justice, oceanography, massage therapy, Spanish, and even astronomy. For the certificate program, students will graduate successfully on earning 38 credits.
Across the four semesters of fall, spring, summer, and winter, specific courses of the associate and certificate programs are held. To graduate successfully, the students necessarily have to achieve a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
Number of Courses | Certificate, Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Enfield, CT |
Norwalk schools a medical assistant certification across 3 semesters. Students complete 13/14 credits in the fall, 14 credits in the spring semester, and 3 credits in the summer session. The coursework conducted here can be used by students for their associate’s degree in Medical Office Management if they wish to study further. An essential prerequisite for all students is a grade C or better in all MED, CSA, and BBG courses to graduate.
To be admitted into the program, the student has to score the minimum required scores on Accuplacer for MAT 094 and ENG 101. College or high school GPA must be at least 2.3. In the ATI-TEAS test, they would need to have achieved a minimum of 39% in total. They would also need to have achieved a C or better in HS Keyboarding or equivalent.
The externship experience at the end lasts for around 175 hours of unpaid clinical supervised service. Students aspiring to take their learning even further can opt for Norwalk’s Medical Office Management Program AS – Administrative or the Medical Office Management Program AS – Clinical.
Number of Courses | Certificate, Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Norwalk, CT |
The Medical Assisting program here awards an Associate in Science degree. It prepares students across the three key learning outcomes, cognitive, psychomotor, and affective, so that they can function as ideal entry-level MAs. The focus is on enabling the batch to function with an interdisciplinary team as medical assisting is indeed so cross-functional. The third-semester students mostly have the American Red Cross CPR and First Aid certification. In the fourth semester, students are put to the test in a non-classroom supervised 160-200 hour externship.
Across the freshman year, value-adding courses such as quantitative reasoning and software applications are covered. In contrast, in the sophomore year, unique elective modules are introduced, such as aesthetic dimensions and social phenomena. Apart from these, the other MA relevant topics are taught in great detail and amount to a total of 60 credits across 2 years.
Number of Courses | Associate's Degree |
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Campus | Bridgeport, CT |
The school’s medical assistant career training diploma program (10 months long) focuses on enriching the aspirant with patient care and healthcare administration skills. In addition to the classroom lessons, a lot of significance is given to hands-on training. The USP of the program is, however, its super flexible learning setup. Expect to distance learn some courses while others in classroom sessions. Porter and Chester call this their ‘blended learning’ format, which renders much convenience to the students while not compromising on practical knowledge via lab sessions.
Blended learning format is not currently available at the New London campus. Evening courses are also an option for those who can’t commit full time (takes 15 months to graduate in this case). Statistics show that an impressive 70% of PCI graduates are employed in the MA field post the completion of this program.
Number of Courses | Diploma |
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Campus | Hamden, CT / New London, CT / Rocky Hill, CT / Stratford, CT / Waterbury, CT |
In Lincoln Tech, a diploma course in medical assisting is offered. Total credits to complete are 33.5, with a total of 880 hours of the instructional period. The USP is the ‘Doctor’s Office Classrooms’ (DOCs). These sessions fully simulate an actual, real to life medical office. All departments and functions are duplicated, right from the reception to the examination cabins, so that the student knows precisely what to expect and how to behave in actual hospital and ambulatory settings.
You also get to test the skills you imbibe during textual lessons on simulation manikins. ‘Treat’ these ‘patients’ for diseases and a variety of ailments. Thus, hands-down, training just doesn’t get better than the one offered across this particular course. The school has both a full-time day program (40 weeks including breaks) and an evening program (71 weeks including breaks).
The students enrolled in the program need to finish out-of-class assignments in each module, aside from the externship. The clinical externship lasts for 180 hours (30 hours/week for 6 weeks). Student-centric modules such as ‘Success Strategies’ and ‘the Virtual Medical Office’ are integral to the ethos here.
Number of Courses | Diploma |
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Campus | New Britain, CT / Shelton, CT |
The MA program here is taught at their main campus, West Hartford. The school is also handicap suitable with Wi-Fi available throughout. The courses cover an essential foundation in Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Terminology. The format of teaching a hybrid one, i.e., both online sessions and on-campus training are amalgamated. Thus, the program is quite flexible for all prospective students.
Apart from classroom lessons, students have to submit coursework in clinical procedures and administrative modules. From recording patient histories to taking vital signs, a comprehensive course is what you can vouch for at the American Institute.
Number of Courses | Diploma |
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Campus | West Hartford, CT |
At Goodwin, both certificate and associate programs are in place for medical assistants. The key USP is the relatively shorter time required at the school to earn the associate credential (as few as 12-16 months). Goodwin is a non-profit University. While pursuing your medical assistant degree here, you gain valuable credits that can be applied later to your Associate’s or Bachelors’s degree. For the associate program, students need to earn a total of 60 credits over the freshman and sophomore years.
For the certificate program, a total of 36 credits need to be successfully earned to graduate, and classes are spread over 3 semesters. The prerequisite courses have to be passed with a grade C or better. Another key USP of Goodwin is the highly flexible nature of the MA program. Online/hybrid and daytime/evening classes are available to pick from.
If you’re in a hurry to finish, accelerated classes are also arranged. There are 6 start dates for the program annually so that you can pick the most suitable time to begin at your convenience. Moreover, the enrolment process has been tailored to be as hassle-free as possible. All transcripts provided by the applicant are reviewed in less than one business day.
Number of Courses | Certificate, Associate's Degree |
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Campus | East Hartford, CT |
Different kinds of job opportunities call for distinct degree requirements – a certificate, diploma, or associate. The focus should not only be at the school and program but also on the degree being awarded at the end of the course.
Use this quick widget to check medical assistant degrees across the state.
In Connecticut, medical assistants are unlicensed. Hence, no formal MA education is essential, neither is a certification required by law in the state. In theory, one only needs a high school diploma or GED or equivalent. However, the reality is far from this. Most employers in Connecticut seek relevant certifications from prospective assistants.
Since medical assistants discharge many essential duties that are central to the health of patients, doctors and physicians hire them only after being convinced of their abilities and credentials. Thus, a reputed school’s name on the resume and a nationally recognized medical assistant certification boosts your employability to a drastic extent. Whereas, in the absence of such MA specific qualifications, most employers are hesitant to trust a novice.
To pursue a certification, you need to graduate from an accredited school first, complete post-graduation or have considerable work experience in the field. A great medical assistant program renders you with all required skills across both administrative and clinical domains and is highly encouraged to pursue.
The best certification to aim for is the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)’s Certified Medical Assistant certificate (CMA). This one’s the most respected credential in CT and also across the United States. One can appear for it by graduating from a CAAHEP or ABHES accredited medical assistant program. To take the exam, register at any of the Prometric testing centers in the state (Norwalk, Glastonbury, and Hamden).
Other certifications available in the state for medical assistants include:
This link will take you the LinkedIn handle of the MA society in CT. It is affiliated with the American Association of Medical Assistants. Network and find opportunities here.
This social media page is quite active with the latest updates on MA news in the state posted at regular intervals. Follow to stay in line with what’s new. Great for all novice aspirants as you can learn how to become a certified medical assistant in Connecticut here.
It’s the official website of the Connecticut Society of MAs. Browse through public policies, state news, job postings, the CTSMA e-magazine, and resources on this important platform.
Learn about the medical examining board of the state and licensures available. It’s vital for all from the health services industry to stay updated with the postings of this platform from time to time.
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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