Search Medical Assistant Programs in ME

Finding a program that fits your competency and capability is no easy task. It can be quite daunting, with the number of options available. If you do not have the right evaluation pointers in mind, it can be confusing even to determine what fits your bill, and what does not.

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Cost and Duration

Maine usually offers its medical assistant aspirants a choice between a diploma, certificate, and a degree course. The duration depends upon the course the student undertakes. Generally, diplomas range between a year and 14 months, certificate courses are typically a year-long, and degree programs are essentially ones that run for 2 years. The diploma is similar to a certificate coursebut different in scope and instruction, whereas an associate degree is a detailed program. As the number of MA schools is quite high in the state, there is affordability in MA programs.

Most MA certificate and diploma programs cost around $2,000-$4,000, and degree programs can be averaged between $14,000 and $18,000 in the state, with tuition fees and other additional fees in private schools providing MA programs. However, if you’re a non-resident, the tuition fees would be slightly higher, and you would have to avail housing facilities on campus with the meal options, which would add another $3,000 to $5,000 to your expenses.

There are numerous financial aid programs and grants provided by the federal authorities that can be availed in most of the institutions.

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10 Best Medical Assistant Schools in Maine for 2023

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With the opulence of MA programs across Maine, it is almost impossible to zero in on the right course. It is a decision that needs research, patience, and effort. Hasty decisions can prove costly later, to your career and chances of employability. Choosing the right school is essential, as it later decides the path your career would undertake. If you select a proper school that has CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation, you’re eligible to take the national licensing examinations for medical assistants.

For choosing your ideal college, you must base your evaluation upon elements like financial aid, scholarships, housing facilities, faculty experience, student-teacher ratio, and state of the art lab facilities. Not a lot of colleges you would come across would make for the best ratings, so choosing carefully is crucial. Here’s a list of the top 10 medical assistant schools in Maine for the year 2023.

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Cost $4,874
Type Public
Student-faculty Ratio 15:1
Recent Retention Rate 84%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body caahep.org
RANKING SCORE

92.80

Known for providing specialized skills and vocational training courses, Eastern Maine Community College offers an advanced medical assistant certificate program and an associate in applied science degree program. The certificate program is a short term course that lasts for a year and takes 37 credit hours to complete. On the other hand, 61-62 total credits are required for getting the AAS Degree.

The MA programs at EMCC allow you to take online classes, or a mix of online and offline courses, known popularly as a hybrid setting. To be eligible for the program, one must have a high school diploma or equivalent. The candidate must also have acquaintance and fluency in high school level algebra and biology with lab work. Admissions begin in fall every year, around August and September. Criminal background screening must be done for every aspirant and is a necessary prerequisite for taking admission.

Both courses have day and evening shifts. However, a practicum is offered only in the daytime, from Monday through Friday every week. Students must achieve Grade C or higher and complete all MA modules with a GPA of 2.0 or better. Upon completing these courses, the graduates are eligible to sit for the AAMA certification (CMA) exam.

Number of Courses Certificate, Associate's Degree
Campus Bangor, ME
Cost $5,217
Type Public
Student-faculty Ratio 15:1
Recent Retention Rate 65%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body caahep.org
RANKING SCORE

89.85

This college offers a certificate and an associate’s degree program in medical assisting, which are funded partially by a grant from the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Students can take offline or online classes, or hybrid classes, which is a mix of both. A total of 36 credit hours must be achieved in this certificate course, which goes on for a year.

If you want a 2-year course, and complete the Associate in General Studies, you’ll have to complete 2 years and acquire a total of 64 credits. The students have to procure a C grade or a GPA of a minimum of 2.0 to get the degree. The additional program requirement mandates that students arrange for transportation to clinics and sites, as and when required, for externship opportunities.

Their professional partners include Maine General, Inland Hospital, Sebasticook Valley Health, Redington Fairview General Hospital, and HealthReach. In the year 2018, 92.86% of students passed the CMA certification examination, and employers reported a 100% satisfaction rate for the last 5 cumulative years. Besides, the graduation satisfaction rate was 100% for the years 2012 to 2016.

Number of Courses Certificate, Associate's Degree
Campus Fairfield, ME
Cost $4,698
Type Public
Student-faculty Ratio 17:1
Recent Retention Rate 57%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body abhes.org
RANKING SCORE

87.75

Southern Maine Community College offers an associate degree and a certificate program in medical assisting for all its medical assistant aspirants. These programs come with a practicum of 160 hours, where externship is done in a medical site or clinic, to demonstrate and practice the theory you’ve been taught in classrooms and lectures. The Associate in Applied Sciences degree needs one to complete 66 total credit hours, and attend classes for 4.5 full-time semesters, whereas the certificate course is a 33-hour credits program and is a short term route.

Each student takes around 15 credits per semester, and preparatory or development courses do not count. However, to attain credit hours, the candidates must achieve Grade C or higher in all MA courses. Upon graduation, the students are eligible to sit for the AMT’s RMA and AAMA’s CMA exams. The placement rate for SMCC graduates is 92% within 9 months of graduation.

Number of Courses Certificate, Associate's Degree
Campus South Portland, ME / Brunswick, ME
Cost $7,000
Type Public
Student-faculty Ratio 14:1
Recent Retention Rate 66%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body neche.org
RANKING SCORE

87.40

An AAS degree program in medical assistance is provided by York County Community College, which runs for 2 years. Classes usually begin in fall, but students can take later admissions in spring or summer, but that means they’d take longer to complete the course than their fall counterparts. A total of 60 credit hours have to be earned in 4 semesters to complete this degree. For in-state students, the course tuition fee is $94 per credit, and for out-station students, it is $188.

For out-station, non-resident aspirants, a Tuition Break Program by New England Board of Higher Education is provided to increase affordability and ease of education. YCCC also recommends you to take financial aid, and numerous scholarships, which are available on their website. Their career & transfers office also aids you in transferring the credits earned at YCCC to other colleges, by hosting annual transfer fairs and workshops where you learn about the transferring process.

Number of Courses Associate's Degree
Campus Wells, ME / Sanford, ME
Cost $7,416
Type Public
Student-faculty Ratio 8:1
Recent Retention Rate 60%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body caahep.org
RANKING SCORE

87.40

This school offers an associate program to its MA aspirants, which is certified and licensed by the Medical Assisting Review Education Board. The AAS program lasts for a total of 64 credit hours and trains you in affective, psychomotor, and cognitive skills. A minimum of 2 GPA must be maintained across all majors as well as the cumulative score, to earn the degree. The students, after completing the program successfully, are qualified to take CMA and RMA exams.

Besides, WCCC requires all students to pass all the competencies and MA courses with a minimum grade of 80. A 165 hour of practicum must also be completed. It is unpaid, and usually arranged by the coordinator, and is overlooked and done under the supervision of a Clinical Preceptor. Their tuition costs are the lowest in New England; hence, in terms of affordability of education, the college is a top preference among medical assistant aspirants in Maine.

Number of Courses Associate's Degree
Campus Calais, ME
Cost $7,510
Type Public
Student-faculty Ratio 12:1
Recent Retention Rate 55%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body caahep.org
RANKING SCORE

85.66

This school offers an associate degree in medical assisting, which has morning and evening options according to the convenience of students. The Associate in Applied Sciences is a 2-year course that is divided into 4 semesters. If you’re taking evening classes, coursework is divided for 5 semesters. But for both courses, the practical externship is provided only during the day. The total credits required to complete the program are 65.

The fourth semester is essentially the 160+ hours of externship, which falls within the program completion. The prerequisite for enrolling in this course is a high school diploma or an equivalent GED where classes of Algebra I and Biology with the lab are required. The successful completion of the program makes you eligible to apply for Certified Medical Assistants (CMA) and Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) certification credentials.

As per the data from 2018’s graduating batch, a total of 19 MAs graduated. Out of which, 14 have procured jobs as MAs or in a related field of expertise. The rate of placement is 74%, and the employer satisfaction with NMCC college graduates has been 100% over the years.

Number of Courses Associate's Degree
Campus Presque Isle, ME
Cost $14,320
Type Private
Student-faculty Ratio 8:1
Recent Retention Rate 82%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body council.org
RANKING SCORE

85.00

Northeast Technical Institute offers a Clinical Medical Assistant program with full-time and part-time options, keeping in mind the convenience and comfort of students. They have a special program called Flex-Train, which allows you to plan your course around your schedule so that you can finish it at your own pace. The medical assistant program gives you the proper mixture of lab work and lectures to be adept allied health professional.

Taking the program provided by NTI would equip you to be eligible for the NHA and AMT national certification examinations. They also have a system where you can take the MA career readiness quiz and evaluate your position to get suggested for the right program as per your interests.

NTI graduates have been employed by Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, Bangor Area Visiting Nurses, Acadia Hospital, Colonial Healthcare, Cornerstone Behavioral Health, Ellsworth Internal Medicine, Franklin County Health Network, Inland Hospital, Health Access Network, Home Depot and numerous other esteemed contenders in the past.

Number of Courses Certificate
Campus Scarborough, ME / Bangor, ME / Auburn, ME
Cost $21,518
Type Private
Student-faculty Ratio 45:1
Recent Retention Rate 100%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body caahep.org
RANKING SCORE

85.00

Purdue University Global provides a certificate course in medical assisting, which is essentially online, and usually offers offline coursework with it. It requires a student to complete 58 credits, and the cost per credit is $378. You’ve to devote 15 hours minimum every week, and the term is around 10 weeks.  The program length is less than 1.5 years, which is divided into 14 course modules. The program takes admission throughout the year. The usual months, however, are August, September, October, and November.

A total of 160-hour externship is a mandatory accompaniment of this course, which happens at a local physician’s office, and must be completed to attain the degree. The college has a unique trial period of 3 weeks, where students can try the classes for free and can pay only when they are satisfied with the program. A minimum of C or a GPA of 2 is required to obtain the certification from the university.

If you graduate from this university, you are eligible to take the following national certification exams: CMA, RMA, NCMA, CCMA, and CMAC by AAMA, AMT, NCCT, NHA, and AMCA respectively. Besides, there’s a 25% tuition fee reduction policy in place for international students. You get credits for military training as well, if you’ve served a certain number of years. Accordingly, you can calculate your credit score and see which online degrees can be procured.

Besides, if you’ve served in the military or have a spouse who has served, you get reductions on tuition fees, too. Purdue has expert faculty members who have degrees of advanced level and experience in the same field.

Number of Courses Certificate
Campus Augusta, ME / Lewiston, ME
Cost $7,544
Type Public
Student-faculty Ratio 16:1
Recent Retention Rate 57%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body neche.org
RANKING SCORE

84.95

This community college offers an associate degree for medical assistants to its MA aspirants in Maine. The course is divided into 4 semesters. The last semester includes a 240-hour externship, which must be completed to procure the degree. Also, you must achieve a GPA 2.0 or higher in all courses of first and second semesters along with an endorsement from the Department of Chair, before you can take the externship. Admissions happen in summer as well as fall semesters.

A total of 62-64 credits must be obtained for completion of this course. The prerequisites of the admission include a Grade C or higher, as well as biology with a lab at high school. The students must produce a CPR certification to the college before the fourth semester commencement. If you decide to transfer to a 4-year university program, you can do so. The college has facilities for you to accomplish and go through that transfer of credits, hassle-free.

This program also prepares you for qualifying to Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) certification, provided by American Medical Technologists (AMT).

Number of Courses Associate's Degree
Campus Auburn, ME
Cost $18,500
Type Private
Student-faculty Ratio 15:1
Recent Retention Rate 53%
Financial Aid Yes
Placement Services Yes
Counseling Services Yes
Accreditation Body caahep.org
RANKING SCORE

81.75

This school offers two programs to MA aspirants in the state. The first is a diploma, and the second is an associate’s degree. The diploma program is 14 months long and needs you to complete 39 credits. If you take an additional 6-month course, where you take general education, you’ll receive an associate degree at the end of 2 years. The curriculum makes you eligible and prepares you for the CMA examination by AAMA.

Beal College features in one of the top colleges because they have smaller class sizes, better teacher-student ratio, and their programs can be accelerated if the need arises. Moreover, their courses have flexible offline and online schedules to match your convenience. They have 4 labs with state of the art facilities for medical assisting, which give you proper training and adequate lab experience. Moreover, Medical Career Training Readiness Quiz is provided by the school, which allows you to check your competency and evaluate yourself before taking up your course.

Number of Courses Diploma, Associate's Degree
Campus Bangor, ME
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Medical Assistant Degree Finder in Maine

Choosing a university that fits your bill is the first step. The second and most determining step is selecting the right degree. Search the top medical assistant degrees in Maine using our degree finder widget.

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Training and Certification Requirements for Maine Medical Assistants

Though the state of Maine does not outline any scope of practice or make it necessary for medical assistants to have formal training or a certificate of sorts, you can procure a national certificate in ME. National certifications for medical assistants are of many kinds.

The one that’s most popular and remains significantly in prominence is Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). For being eligible to take this examination, you’ve to do your medical assistant training from a university or school that has CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation. A total of 200 multiple choice questions have to be answered in 160 minutes. This examination can be taken in Prometric centers across the state.

The other certification that is of considerable significance is Registered Medical Assistant (RMA), which can be procured if you fulfill certain criteria. If you have relevant work experience as a medical assistant for 5 years, if you’ve received medical training from the US Army, or if you were enrolled in an MA program that had 720 total credit hours with 160 hours of externship, you are eligible for the RMA certification.

Other certification options include:

  • The NRCMA certification by the National Association of Health Professionals (NAHP)
  • The CCMA certification by the National Health Career Association and the NCMA credential by the National Center for Competency Training (NCCT)
  • CMAC (Clinical Medical Assistant Certification) by the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA)

Having any of these national certifications would make you desirable and preferable to employers who always look for professionals with experience, specialized skills, and coveted credentials. With a national certificate, your employability chances and opportunities to advance your career increase manifold.

medical assistant

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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