11 Best Medical Assistant Schools in San Diego, CA
1. Concorde Career College
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diploma/ Associate Degree | Full time | On-Campus | 8 Months | Variable Length (Usually 220+ Hours) |
The Concorde Career College is an old institute delivering health care education continuously for more than 65 years. It boasts of one of the most sought-after medical assistant courses in San Diego, which can be completed as a diploma in 8 months.
The MA course at CCC gives detailed knowledge about the medical assistants’ typical roles. With overall clinical and administrative skills development, they can handle any job assigned, including patient scheduling, office management, tests, or EKG technicians.
The admissions here can be taken anytime in the year, followed by course scheduling in a month. Minimum educational eligibility for admission in the MA program is GED or High School Diploma and Wonderlic/ ORA assessment.
Financial aid & scholarships are available to all those who qualify the eligibility, while the college staff assists the students dealing with issues in student loan repayment.
2. Center for Employment Training
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Full-time | On-Campus | 6 – 9 Months | 160 Hours |
The Center for Employment Training is a 50 years old institute that provides medical assistant training in 5 cities in California, including San Diego. The college is accredited by the Council of Occupational Education, which helps students apply for federal financial assistance programs.
The medical assistant certification at CET introduces various modules in the course. The students get expertise in subjects like nutrition, pharmacology, medical emergencies, and physiology. The San Diego center also provides evening classes to its students.
There are no strict criteria for admission in the San Diego MA classes, and you can still apply even if you are not a GED or graduate or lack basic English & Mathematics. They have a system to provide additional training sessions on these subjects or guide you through eligibility.
The average class strength is below 25, which keeps it intriguing and inter-communicative for both teachers and students, as they get individual attention. The candidates may apply for admission throughout the year, and qualifying ones may immediately benefit from financial help, grants, scholarships, or student loans.
3. Glendale Career College
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Full time | On-Campus | 9 Months | 160 hours |
The Glendale Career College has 70 years of experience delivering medical assistant training to aspiring students and is currently running MA classes at two campuses, including San Diego.
The medical assistant program at GCC San Diego has divided the class into eight modules, apart from externship sessions, to let the students develop expertise in skills learned theoretically. There are orientation classes for beginners where they can sharpen the basics of maths, English communication & writing skills, and other necessary career ethics. The students regularly need to cover up assignments & projects.
After commencing the course, you can get along with the Career Service Team at GCC. They keep launching placement programs to help students receive bright career prospects while also assisting them in resume making and interviews.
The North-West College San Diego is an annex to the Glendale Career College and has accreditations & approvals from many agencies. They promote students volunteering in social events like Greater Avenues for Independence programs and are recognized by many health societies like American Red Cross, American Heart Association, etc.
4. US Colleges – San Diego
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Part-time | On-Campus | 4 Months | 80 Hours |
The US Colleges is a chain of the institute with six campuses across California. The medical assistant program at USC, San Diego runs several batches on weekdays & weekends from morning till evening, which is beneficial for students with complexities of time schedules.
The clinical medical assistant certification covers a wide area of subjects. It provides a basic to advanced level of knowledge in a wide range of topics in medical sciences. They have sub-divided the course material into fixed hours of required study to gain a theoretical base, making the complete course 220 hours, excluding externship.
To encourage students’ participation in-class studies, the US Colleges launch small strength batches. Their motive is to impart quality education in less time to more aspirants. With hands-on training in dynamically advanced laboratories, the students get a mindset to perform up to the industry standards. The college provides financial assistance for most of the programs to the eligible students, while they have also partnered with employment agencies that provide employee training programs.
5. International Health Group
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diploma | Part-time | Both | 2.5 Months | 160 Hours |
The International Health Group institute is listed among the top schools for providing standard medical assistant programs in San Diego, apart from top-notch CNA and HHA training. The IHG college has partnered with numerous employers in the network that creates industrial training sessions for medical assistant students.
This MA school provides a short-term course curriculum to let the students get early into the profession. It comprises administrative and clinical studies, as the students learn the basics of patient preparations, office management, and lab works like instruments handling, lab tests, or specimen collection.
The instructors at IHG institute have more than ten years of experience in their respective fields and are certified by DSD, LVN & RNs. The students are asked to take regular written tests before the final exam, which keeps up the revision work.
They are also assisted by career advisors during the course to help prepare for interviews or make resumes & cover letters. Scholarships are provided to the qualifying students through IHG Education Foundation.
6. PIMA Medical Institute – Chula Vista
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Full time | On-Campus | 9 Months | 200 Hours |
The students joining the CMA classes at PIMA Medical Institute at Chula Vista, San Diego, need to complete 800 hours of campus studies and obtain 32 credit points.
The MA program prepares the students for complete healthcare activities from patient care in all respects to test regulations, hospital administration, and much more. The faculty members are professionally and academically qualified to teach the students while taking inspiration from their years of experience. They have online settings for a few other programs, but the MA course aspirants do not get this option.
The students joining PIMA college get numerous options for financial assistance. Along with the on-campus curriculum, students need to finish the clinical externship, in which the college provides the necessary support.
Those who couldn’t qualify for grants or campus funding may apply for federal direct student loan programs, while multiple scholarships are also available.
7. Northwest College – San Diego
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Full time | On-Campus | 11 Months | 232.5 Hours |
The North-West College provides medical assistant program in 9 prominent cities of CA, including San Diego. The MA program is accredited by ACCSC and approved by BPPE. The MA aspirants can get admitted to the college any time of the year as they regularly announce new batches.
The NWC has compiled the MA course with 34.5 total semester credits. It contains modules that deliver fundamentals, Anatomy, physiology, and administration of the medical assistant profession. The whole program educates the students to perform a combination of duties in a healthcare institution.
While graduates from this San Diego medical assistant school can join entry-level jobs in hospitals and other centers, they can sit in many national certification exams conducted by the American Medical Technologists.
There is an option of financial assistance to eligible candidates, and hard-working students can also obtain scholarship funds through the NWC’s Success Education Program. A career assistance team handles placement assistance programs to provide career guidance to fresh graduates of medical assistant courses.
8. ATA College
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diploma and Associate Degree | Full-time | On-Campus | 8 Months and 14 Months | 160 hours |
The medical assistant program at ATA College, San Diego, is categorically divided into diploma and associate degree courses. This allows the diploma students to invest six more months to gain a complete associate degree in the medical assistant program.
The diploma course carries 33 credit points, and the curriculum holds subjective studies in clinical studies, lab procedures, patient care, administration, medical terms, and anatomy. The students also have to commence a 160-hour externship in an approved medical department.
After completing the program, the students can directly apply for jobs or may choose to pursue the associate degree, for which they need to get 64 credit points. They mainly cover general subjects like maths, psychology, business, phlebotomy, and electrocardiography.
You require a high school diploma or GED for admission to the medical assistant program. The diploma course will get you entry-level jobs, but with an associate degree in your hand, you will fetch advance level jobs in hospitals and clinical labs. If you are facing financial trouble, you may contact the college staff regarding appropriate grants and loans.
9. Summit College – EI Cajon Campus
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Full time | On-Campus | 4 Months | 160 Hours |
One of the benefits of opting for Summit College – EI Cajon Campus, San Diego’s medical assistant program, is for those who do not possess a high school diploma, which is generally the minimum qualification for this course. They help such students to obtain a high school diploma while getting them enrolled in the MA course.
The trainers and instructors who take the medical assistant classes in Summit College, San Diego, are talented and experienced. Hence, they not just finish with textual studies but also share real-time situations and the latest developments in the field. The complete course comprises 43 credit points against 640 hours of campus studies and 160 hours of externship.
The Summit College participates in several federally sponsored grants and loans like Federal Peli Grant or Federal Direct Plus Loans to avail the students who qualify for their specific requirements.
10. Southwestern College
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate & Associate Degree | Full time | Both | 3 Semesters and 4 Semesters | 162 Hours (for Certificate), 216 Hours (for Associate) |
The Southwestern College provides medical assistant classes at 2 of its campuses, including Chula Vista, San Diego. They offer both a certificate and an associate degree in medical assisting.
The MA aspirants may choose to get a specialization certificate in administrative medical assisting, Clinical Medical Assisting, or Medical Insurance Billing & Coding. Each of these is a three-semester program.
A four-semester course is designed to obtain the associate degree in medical assisting, including a detailed study about patient care, office management, and clinical procedures. You need additionally complete the general education and graduation requirements, which typically cover subjects like maths, and English (reading & writing), for those who do not have a high school diploma.
There is a Federal Emergency Relief Fund to help the students of the medical assistant school at Southwestern College if they cannot pay the fees. To obtain aid, the students should meet the conditions of FAFSA.
11. UEI College – Chula Vista (San Diego)
| Program: | Full time/ Part-time: | Online/ On-Campus: | Duration: | Externship: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Full time | Both | 10 Months | Hours Unknown |
To get admission to UEI College,you do not necessarily need to complete a high school diploma. You can complete both courses in parallel. This medical assistant school comprises both online and offline modes to help those who cannot visit the campus.
It gives an overview to the students about how to work with doctors, nurses, or deal with patients. Externships or training schedules are attached to the course to let the students learn situational skills on the site, and they become ready to join both front office and back office medical assistants.
This Chula Vista campus of UEI College employs well-trained instructors and only allows 30 students per class to provide enough interaction time for the medical assistant students. Along with Federal Peli Grant, few Federal loan options are available for students, while Veteran dependents may also apply for deserving benefits.
