Is it Possible to Get Medical Assistant Training in Just 4-6 Weeks?

Accelerated medical assistant programs help you receive the adequate training you require in as little as 4-6 weeks or more, depending on your career choices and needs.

If you need a quick job in the medical field, you can opt for these Accelerated short programs. It is recommended you procure the training so that you get first-hand exposure to medical assistant duties.

But, if your goal is a medical career, exhaustive training of 9 months-2 years for a certificate/degree is preferable. It is also possible to get a medical assistant degree online or through campus.

BLS Oct., 2022 estimates state that the medical assistant profession would bloom at 16% from 2021-2031, which is considerably higher than the average occupations in the country. It is projected that each year, there will be 123,000 new openings.

Who Should Opt for Accelerated Online MA Programs?

Accelerated online MA programs are best suited for ones who want to kick-start a career in medical assisting at the earliest. The ones eligible to pursue an accelerated program are college or high school graduates with a GPA of 2 or above. In case they do not have a high school diploma, they must have a GED equivalent.

Accelerated online MA programs are also suitable for MAs who are employed yet want to return to school to fetch a degree, for the increasing complexities in the healthcare system warrant more and more employers to prefer employees that have formal training and national certification

Schools that Provide Accelerated MA Training Online

The accelerated medical assistant training programs have been designed and divided into three broad types based on the duration of each one, prioritizing the requirements of MA aspirants. The shortest MA training program available is 4-6 weeks, whereas 4 months and more delves into more detail and intricacies of the allied healthcare profession. The 9 months accelerated MA online program aims to provide you with complete exposure to clinical and administrative medical assisting.

Here is a detailed insight into the schools and their accelerated MA programs that can help you fast-track your career as per your choice:

72-hour In-Person Patient Care Certification

1. Phlebotomy Career Training: The 72 hours patient care technician course from Phlebotomy Career Training adds up to a 9-week program. Students can take two four-hour in-person classes per week or create their own self-paced but time-constrained schedule. You can fast track all 8 hours in a day, or divide it and complete it anywhere between 1 to 5 hours per day for the week. Notably, you can not go over 8 hours per week. The complete program, along with the certification test, costs $919. The National Health career Association (NHA) and the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA) grant the certificate. To qualify for the online version of the course, students need to have six months of clinical experience in a medical assistant position. The program teaches MAs how to perform drug tests, set up feeding tubes, draw blood, and do ECGs.

5-Day Live-Online Certification

1. Metro Medical Training Center medical training offers a 5-day fast track course, and back-to-back workshop from Monday to Friday. You have to attend six hours of lectures per day, split into three hours every morning and evening. In total, you get 30 hours of training. The program is for working unlicensed healthcare professionals and those with expired certifications. The seminar fee is $700, coupled with handling fees. You can also sign up for live online classes with the same course material to take from home. Decide your own timing for online classes and register fast, as they offer limited slots for each session.

3-5 weeks Online MA Course

1. Medical Billing Course.com: Part of Medical Assistance, the Medical Billing Certification Course (CMBP) is a specialty of Medical Billing Course.com. The coursework takes 50 hours or 3 to 5 weeks for focused individuals to finish. You can pay $699.95 at once or $799.95 in installments. Graduates get the CMBP certification mailed to their homes at the end of the course and get referred to clinics according to their location. They will provide you with a personal instructor, study guides, explanation videos, and quizzes. Students also have support from the institution long past certification.

2. Phlebotomy Career Training Medical Billing and Coding Course: The Online Medical Billing and Coding course from Phlebotomy Career Training (PCT) can be a stepping stone for those interested in the medical field. While the short program curriculum requires 4 weeks at most, students get six months of module access. You will have 300 hours of content to memorize and understand in total. An assigned instructor will walk you through healthcare law, diagnostic coding, patient assessment, and medical tool management at $617.50. PCT has obtained NHA, AMCA, and NCCT accreditation for the course. You can sit for the certification exam for any of the mentioned institutional bodies with a complimentary voucher from PCT.

6 Weeks Online Medical Assistant Degree

1. St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants provides a Certificate in Medical Assisting that can be completed in 6 weeks. The accelerated MA program is entirely online and also self-paced. In other words, you can take a longer time to complete the program if you so wish. The total course cost is $1,415, and you can get discounted rates at different times. The certificate is accredited by The National Accreditation and Certification Board (NACB). The program gives MA aspirants sufficient insight into medical terminology, billing, preventive care, and infection control besides training the MA aspirants to process insurance claims, give CPRs and provide secondary care in emergency procedures under the supervision of licensed physicians.

2. Phlebotomy Career Training Medical Assistant Certification: Phlebotomy Career Training’s Online Medical Assistant course is for anyone over 18. Students need not have a high school degree, though it is encouraged. At $665, you pay for 996 hours of content and the CCMA certification test if you take it within 6 months. The short program course is structured to be completed in 6 weeks but can be self-paced to 6 months as you require. You must also find and put in 204 clinical hours internship points to achieve the certification. Students with previous experience may not have to go through with the internship. You apply what you learn during your internship, such as administering injections, infection control, administrative work, performing phlebotomies and ECG, helping with surgical procedures, etc.

3. Academy for Dental Assistants: The Orthodontic Assistant program from Academy for Dental Assistants runs for 6 weeks. The speciality course provides 4 hours of weekly full hands-on training for students with no experience. Students who want to expand their knowledge as working Dental Assistants can also join. The entire course fee is $850 if paid at once. You can also make a first deposit of $350 to grab a slot and pay the rest before the first class. You can also pay $100 for weekly sessions with your credit card, though you have to pay a 3% fee at checkout. Your training schedule will include taking pre-and post-treatment dental photographs, sizing orthodontic bands, learning the correct application of conditioning agents, and sizing and securing arch wires.

8 Weeks Medical Assistant Degree

1. New Career Medical Training Institute (NCMTI): The Medical Assistant program clocks 100 hours in 8 weeks. The hybrid module switches between pre-recorded and live online classes, self-paced assignment submissions, and 12 days of compulsory hands-on training. During the last two days of the course, students shall sit for the NHA and NHCWA National Certification Exam. You also gain NCMTI certification. The program covers three sections of medical assistance- general help, lab and phlebotomy, and EKG. The total program fee is $6500, but it is also available for absolutely free at certain times of the year.

11 weeks In-Person MA Course

1. Ohio School of Phlebotomy: Aspirants with a High school diploma or equivalent can register for the Ohio School of Phlebotomy’s Clinical  Medical Assisting (CMA) program. The total course time is 11 weeks; students must attend two 4-hour lectures and hands-on sessions per week. The program costs $2300 and $300 extra if students join the optional 3 months externship. The instructor has to recommend the trainee or get above grade B to qualify for the externship. You get familiar with front office work, providing first aid, laboratory work, patient chart taking, and maintaining medical safety standards. The program runs throughout the year, usually opening slots a week after the previous course end.

3 months/12 weeks MA Training Classes

1. Camelot College: The Online Administrative Medical Assistant course sheds light on the complexities of the duties of those performing front office tasks. A student with a high school diploma/equivalent or above has to pay $5995 pre-tax for the course. The course will teach you how to record medical data, the legal and ethical policies, communication in person and over the phone, and how to operate medical applications. You will also have to keep a note of medical tools and supplies, total bed numbers, etc.

2. Atlanta Career Institute: The Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) course is a 12-week NHA-affiliated program. As such, you can take the CCMA, Phlebotomy, and EKG examinations to achieve corresponding certificates. At $2999, they will provide you with books, a laboratory for performing blood draws and EKGs, and other medical supplies. ACI has access to over 100 externship sites, where you will be placed to train for 80 hours. 90% of students become full-time employees through the externship.

3. Breath Of Life Training students must be 17 years to register and 18 years to be eligible for the national examination. A high school diploma is required for the $2500 medical assistant program. Students also have to show up wearing a black scrub top and bottom for the 12-week in-person classes, of which 50 hours would be spent in clinics. A certificate is offered to the student upon completion of the course. No more than 14 students can register for the course. Students will learn how to assist with pregnancy examinations, perform injections, record patient data, and clean hands and medical tools.

4 months/ 18 weeks Online and In-Person Program

1. University of Utah: The Clinical Medical Assistant Program offers you 492 hours of content to sort. Another 26.5 hours have to be spent physically in the labs. Besides the University of Utah certificate, you will also have a voucher to sit for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) or the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) exam. The program fee is $3200 and can be completed in 4 months. However, the self-paced style and flexible classes allow you to extend it up to 12 months. Future medical assistants learn how to handle complicated machinery, support and communicate with anxious patients, and handle administrative laboratory work.

2. Cuesta College: The Medical Assisting (MAST) program takes place in the San Luis Obispo campus during fall and spring. Students earn 14 credits through the 18-week program. To take the course, you must register and apply with Cuesta College for the classes. Students have to look for externships individually and gain approval from the course instructor. As it is a community college, the course is free of charge if you complete it within the first two years of registration. Upon completing the program, you can gain entry-level employment at any clinic. Although you can take the California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants (CCBMA) exam, it is not required. However, the validity of the course is limited to California.

4 Month Online Medical Assistant Programs

1. CareerStep Online Education & Training Solutions: A Certificate in Medical Assisting is provided by CareerStep, and the total course duration is 4 months. Being a completely online MA program, the full program cost is $3,554. Though it has no accreditations, the online MA program is recognized by industry experts and top employers. Also known as the fast-track program, you will have access to the program for 6 months, which is the maximum duration to complete the program. Adequate exposure to clinical care, phlebotomy, and patient advocacy are provided in the course.

2. U.S. Career Institute: Notable for providing an accelerated MA program accredited by many sources like DEAC, NCCT, NHA, AMT, CACCS, it lets you choose between its 2 alternatives of the accelerated MA program. The first is the Standard Course, whereas the second is the Enhanced Course. In the enhanced course, you would be provided an insight into blood pressure cuff, medical watch and stethoscope, in addition to the areas covered in the standard course, including pharmacology, medical insurance information, first aid and front office procedures. The total cost of the standard course is $979, whereas it is $1,289 for the enhanced course.

4-6 Months In-Person Medical Assistant Course

1. Emergency Training Center offers an accredited Medical Assistant Training course at $2100. Primarily online, students do have to appear at the center for hands-on clinical training. They are generous with class schedules as well as the payment scheme. Emergency Training Center is also affiliated with American Heart Association. You can finish the course in 4 to 6 months, out of which classes are available daily for you to join. You may attend three classes per week or seven if you wish. Your earned skills will range from wound care, specimen handling, and blood collection to storage.

Self-Paced Online Program

1. Tyler Junior College: The online medical assistant program is the groundwork course for students who want to pursue a formal medical assistant degree in the future. Tyler Junior College allows students to register at $2190, after which they can access interactive videos and exercises. You are also directed to real-life labs and a student portal where you can look for externships. The course is self-paced and can be registered for any time of the year. You can finish the course as and when you wish. Tyler Junior College has approval from NHA, so you can sit for the CCMA examination as long as you log in clinical hours.

7-9 Months Online MA Training Course

1. Care One Health Training Institute: For MA aspirants who want to receive complete exposure to MA duties, they can opt for the course provided by Care One Health Training Institute. The Certificate Course in MA lasts for 7 to 9 months. It is self-paced, so you can take a shorter or longer duration to complete. The fastest you can complete it is in 28 weeks, whereas the longest time you will receive access to the course is in 39 weeks. It has no accreditation and requires compulsory attendance to take admission to the course. All classes are conducted online. However, you’d be required to maintain deadlines. The program teaches you how to assist physicians with minor surgeries, medical examinations, administering medications, drawing blood, and completing other lab procedures. You’d also receive an insight into special diets, medical billing, and front office duties.

Benefits of Opting for a Fast Track 6-week to 9-month MA School

The benefits of obtaining an accelerated medical assistant program that lasts 6 weeks – 9 months are many. We have shortlisted the top 3 an MA aspirant cannot do without.

1. It Lets you Fast-track your Career

   A career in medical assisting or allied healthcare is promising. However, most people get demotivated by the idea of having to procure exhaustive training. With an accelerated online MA program, you can pick up the pace and start your employment in no time while you pursue your certification/degree.

2. An Accelerated Online MA Program is Economical

   Not only does an online 6 week MA program gives you the fastest route to an entry-level career in healthcare, but it also ensures the process of procuring formal training is economical for you, and you don’t have to spend a fortune.

3. It Paves the Way for Future Career Advancement

   You can take an accelerated course and spend the remaining time gaining appropriate work experience and procuring other specialized courses that help you become an LPN/LVN or a registered nurse in the future.

Is a 6 Week medical assistant program right for you?

Whether or not you should go for a 6-week-long medical assistant program depends on what you hope to achieve.

Joining a 2-year program will earn you a bachelor’s degree in the field, but if you opt for a 1-year course, you will get a diploma. You will have a certificate to showcase at the end of any medical assistant course which runs for less than a year.

Generally, the gravity of your degree determines the initial salary. However, you may not have the time and resources to commit to an honor’s degree. So, instead, you can take short courses and back them up with experience from doing clinical hours. Many clinics take in uncertified medical assistants, and the individuals get hands-on training while taking online or physical classes. You can work up to a bachelor’s degree holder’s salary through externships and real clinic experience.

Pros

Accelerated training is for those working or studying who can not commit to full-time classes.

Cost-effective curriculum packing essential points.

Online and offline training is available depending on the school.

You can use the certification to get hands-on training at clinics.

Reputed institutions can get you placements even if you only take online classes.

Cons

No diploma, only certificates due to the short course time.

Self-paced courses may take longer to complete.

Heavy workload as short courses cram years’ worth of material.