Medical Assistant Schools and Programs in The United States

Medical Assistant Studies in The United States

Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in physicians' offices, clinics and hospitals: they record medical histories, measure vital signs, help with examinations, prepare laboratory samples and schedule appointments. In the United States medical assisting is a short vocational qualification, usually a certificate, diploma or associate degree taken at a community or technical college. It is not a medical degree: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stresses that medical assistants should not be confused with physician assistants, who practise medicine under a physician's supervision. SpainExchange lists 26 schools in the United States under medical assistant.

How the qualification is organised

According to BLS, medical assistants typically complete a postsecondary programme leading to a certificate or an associate degree. Programmes are available in community colleges, vocational schools, technical schools and universities and take about one or two years. They include courses such as medical terminology, anatomy and pharmacology, and typically a period of supervised experience, called a practicum, externship or internship.

Three examples from the directory show the range:

• Century College, in Minnesota, awards a Medical Assistant Diploma. Its clinical practicum is a 300-hour unpaid placement in a clinic, and admission requires a special application in addition to general admission
• The College of Southern Idaho awards an Intermediate Technical Certificate. Its programme prepares graduates to assist health care providers in outpatient settings with administrative and clinical tasks
• Bismarck State College, in North Dakota, offers a Program Certificate with limited enrolment that starts each fall

Community colleges offer technical and vocational programmes of this kind alongside their two-year transfer degrees.

Admission, language and visa

Entry is after secondary school. Century College, for example, asks for an official high school transcript or GED certificate, and BLS recommends science classes such as biology and chemistry at school. Many programmes have limited places and their own application, and accepted students may need a background check and proof of immunisations before clinical placements, as at Bismarck State College.

Classes and clinical work are in English. Bismarck State College requires an English proficiency test from students whose native language is not English, noting that a certain level is necessary for patient safety. International students need a student visa. The United States has an F visa for study at an accredited college or university and an M visa for non-academic or vocational study, and in both cases the school must be certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and issue the Form I-20. Ask the college which visa category its medical assistant programme falls under before applying.

Accreditation and certification

Medical assisting programmes are accredited by two bodies: the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), on the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB), and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). Accreditation matters because it opens the main route to a widely used credential, the Certified Medical Assistant, CMA (AAMA), of the American Association of Medical Assistants. To sit that exam, a candidate must in general be a student or graduate of a programme accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES; an alternative pathway exists for graduates of other postsecondary programmes that meet set criteria. Century College and the College of Southern Idaho both state that their graduates are eligible for the CMA (AAMA) exam.

A second credential is the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) of American Medical Technologists. Its education route asks for graduation within the past four years from an accredited programme with 720 hours of instruction, including at least 160 hours of externship.

There is no national licence. BLS notes that some states require medical assistants to graduate from an accredited programme or to be licensed or certified, and that, although most states do not require certification, employers may prefer or require it. The tasks medical assistants may perform also vary by state.

Where to study

The 26 schools are spread across the country, mostly in small and mid-sized cities, and most are public community or technical colleges. Besides the three named above, the list includes Alexandria Technical & Community College, Kirkwood Community College, Linn-Benton Community College, Central Community College, Piedmont Technical College, Alamance Community College, Bucks County Community College and Delaware Technical & Community College, as well as Pima Medical Institute, a healthcare career college.

Careers

Medical assistants held about 833,900 jobs in 2025, 56% of them in physicians' offices and 17% in hospitals, according to BLS. Employment is projected to grow 13 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 109,700 openings a year. The qualification is tied to the U.S. health system and its credentials are American, so students who plan to return home should check whether an equivalent occupation exists there.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become a medical assistant?

Programmes take about one or two years, depending on whether they lead to a certificate, a diploma or an associate degree.

Is a medical assistant the same as a physician assistant?

No. Medical assistants carry out administrative and clinical support tasks. Physician assistants practise medicine and can prescribe medication under a physician's supervision, and they follow a different, longer education.

Do medical assistants need a licence or certification?

Most states do not require it, but some do, and employers may prefer or require certification such as the CMA (AAMA) or the RMA.