Medical Assisting
Online Diploma Program

Medical assistants can hold a variety of titles, roles and responsibilities based on the employer. There are two broad types of medical assistants:

• Clinical medical assistants. These medical assistants focus on patient care, including taking vital signs, drawing blood, visual/hearing tests, preparing exam rooms for procedures, communicating with physicians, and much more. Our medical assisting program is designed for students seeking these kinds of roles working directly in patient care.
• Administrative medical assistants. Sometimes referred to as “front office medical assistants,” administrative assistants handle scheduling, patient records, insurance claims and additional accounting/billing tasks to help the delivery of healthcare run smoothly. These types of medical assistants can specialize their education in a medical office administration program.

Experienced medical assistants, particularly on the clinical side, may specialize in a certain type of care or age group, such as pediatrics, obstetrics, cardiology, orthopedics, or many others.

Beginning your career as a medical assistant is a great way to build a strong foundational education in healthcare, gain meaningful real-world experience and prepare yourself to continue growing professionally.

What is the next level after medical assistant? It depends on your strengths, preferences and overall career goals in healthcare.

Many fields in healthcare are potential landing spots for medical assistants looking to specialize or branch into a new career path, including healthcare management, health information management, nursing (you may consider going from medical assistant to RN), and more.

Herzing University offers many degree and diploma programs for practicing medical assistants to take a leap and embark on a new career path. Our health sciences degree program is designed to help you complete your bachelor's degree and advance your career to the next level.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical assistants earn an average salary of $43,350 per year ($20.84 per hour).* As you earn more experience and gain more skills, your earning opportunity will improve.

The BLS also projects growing demand for medical assistants in coming years, predicting an 14% increase in employment from 2022-2032. It’s a good time to get your foot in the door and work towards your new career.

Discover how much a medical assistant makes by state.

Both certificate and diploma programs are field-specific credentials that do not include general education courses required in a degree program. Each can typically be completed faster than an associate degree program.

Certificates are typically the least comprehensive programs, providing the minimum career-focused training necessary to perform a certain type of job.

Diploma programs tend to be more in-depth than certificates, and can include hands-on experience to best prepare you for a wider variety of jobs in the field you’re pursuing.

Herzing University’s diploma programs exist to help you build the foundation for a long career beyond your very first job. Our diploma programs are designed to help you begin and grow your new career.

How long it takes to become a medical assistant depends on what level of education you pursue. Partner with Herzing University and you can expect a range of 10 months–20 months to get your education, get certified and start looking for a medical assistant position, depending on whether you choose a diploma or degree program.

The following timelines are based on full-time status:

• Associate degree: 20 months
• Diploma: 10 months

After earning your degree or diploma, we recommend becoming certified as a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) even if it isn’t required in your state. With a diploma/degree and a certification, you’ll be positioned well for your first job.

Considering your career options in healthcare? Here are a few other types of jobs where you can potentially get off to a fast start:

• Medical Records Technician. Medical records technicians are responsible for the recordkeeping of confidential patient information. These types of jobs have no responsibilities in clinical care.
• Medical Billing and Coding. Billers and coders focus on healthcare revenue cycle management, concerned primarily with how patients and insurance companies are billed for healthcare services. These professionals do communicate with patients (most often medical billers) but again, play no role in clinical care.
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). CNAs, on the other hand, do not play a role on the administrative side. They work exclusively in patient care, helping patients get dressed, bathe/shower, move from beds to wheelchairs, or eat meals. CNAs more often perform tasks needed around the clock, so hours/shifts in these positions can be less predictable.
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). LPNs have a different scope of practice than medical assistants, focusing more directly on patient care under the supervision of an RN or physician. This represents a more direct career path into nursing. Learn more about the difference between medical assistants vs. LPNs.
• Dental Assistant. Dental assistants also perform one or a mix of clinical and administrative tasks, but only in regard to dental care.

A career in medical assisting involves a diverse array of roles and responsibilities. Depending on the practice you work for and department you are in, your normal everyday tasks can vary widely.

Potential tasks include (but not limited to):

• Answering the phone and greeting patients
• Informing physicians about patient concerns
• Scheduling appointments
• Gather patient information: contact info, insurance info, etc.
• Measuring patient vital signs
• Taking blood pressure, pulse and respirations
• Setting up exam rooms for procedures
• Visual and hearing tests
• Drawing blood
• Pregnancy tests
• Making patients comfortable during an appointment

No matter what’s required in your day-to-day experience on the job, what ties everything together is your professionalism, care for patients and attention to detail. Your resourcefulness will make you a valuable resource in a fast-paced healthcare environment.

Read more about a typical day in the life of a medical assistant and what you can expect after getting a job in the field.

With Herzing University, an affordable, career-focused education is within your reach. We are always striving to make college more affordable for everyone.

• Student loans & secured loans. Loans offer a way to pay for all or part of your tuition.
• Scholarships. We offer a variety of scholarships based on academic achievement, financial need or community affiliations. Contact an admissions advisor about current scholarship opportunities by calling 1-800-596-0724 or request for information online.

You can find an estimate for grant and scholarship aid using the net price calculator, and find an estimate for tuition for the online medical assisting program using Herzing University’s tuition wizard.

Your choice depends on the career path you’d like to pursue.

If your number one priority is finding a job as a medical assistant as quickly as possible, a diploma program may be a better choice. You can earn a diploma in a year or less when attending full-time and be ready to enter the workforce as a certified medical assistant.

If you envision medical assisting as step one on a long career path in healthcare, you may prefer to choose the associate degree program. In addition to core medical assisting courses, you will take general education classes you can transfer into a bachelor’s degree program in the future. Baccalaureate options for medical assistants include healthcare administration, health sciences and health information management. Earning an associate degree will likely only take a few months longer and position you very well for the next step in your education.

Because medical assistants can wear so many different hats there are many important skills needed to thrive in different healthcare environments:

• Professionalism. In many positions you will need to handle customer service tasks, basic patient care and clearly communicate physician information to patients. Medical assistants must demonstrate professionalism and tact when interacting with patients.
• Attention to detail. Medical assistants may gather patient contact or insurance information and keep medical records organized. You must be meticulous and highly detail oriented to succeed.
• Compassion. Making patients comfortable and empathizing with their concerns is crucial ensuring patients are calm and collected for medical procedures.
• Multi-tasking. Staying organized and measured in the face of quickly changing circumstances and a lengthy “to-do” list will make you indispensable to a healthcare team.

These are just a few key medical assistant skills that will help you excel in medical assisting and beyond to many other career opportunities in healthcare.