30 Best Accelerated FAST-TRACK Medical Assistant Programs (Online & Campus-Based)


Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

As a medical assistant, you’ll be in great demand, fielding employment offers from hospitals, doctors’ offices, urgent care clinics, and home health agencies. You’ll make a comfortable salary and have a great foundation if you decide to advance your healthcare career. Courses exist that will allow you to complete your medical assistant training in just a few weeks so that you can sit for your MA certification exam. Trying to figure out what are the best accelerated fast-track medical assistant programs? We’ve simplified that process for you by preparing this list of the 30 best accelerated fast-track (campus-based and online) medical assistant programs.




What are the Best Accelerated Fast-Track (Campus-Based and Online) Medical Assistant Programs in the Nation?

(Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 30 best accelerated (fast-track) medical assistant programs in the nation. The following list includes both campus-based and online accelerated (fast-track) medical assistant programs. You can complete these programs in 6 months or less.)


1. University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, AR


Program Length: 6 Months


Program Details: University of Arkansas’s 780-hour accelerated medical assistant program teaches students basic clinical skills such as administering medications, collecting laboratory specimens, and performing and interpreting electrocardiograms. The course uses a curriculum created by Condensed Curriculum International, a leading healthcare workforce educational materials developer. Though graduates are amply prepared to work in many different healthcare settings, the course’s specific focus is to prepare graduates to work in a physician’s private practice.

This fast medical assistant program is offered entirely online, and e-textbooks are included in the course fee. You can begin the program just as soon as you enroll. Once you’ve completed the program, you can participate in an unpaid externship in your local area; however, this practicum is not mandatory. You’ll also be fully prepared to take certification tests such as the American Association of Medical Assistants’ Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam, the National Healthcare Association’s Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam, or the American Medical Technologists’ Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) exam.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: University of Arkansas has designed this program to take six months, but it is self-paced, which means you can complete it sooner if you’re sufficiently motivated.


Admission Requirements: There are no eligibility requirements for this program, but in order to sit for one of the medical assistant certification exams, you’ll need a high school diploma or a GED.


2. California State University-San Marcos - San Marcos, CA


Program Length: 6 Months


Program Details: California State University-San Marcos Extended Learning has collaborated with Southern California’s Vista Community Clinic system on the design of this 360-hour fast-track medical assistant program. The curriculum focuses on administrative responsibilities and clinical skills. You’ll learn how to schedule appointments, bill and code for insurance purposes, and deal with patient paperwork, as well as how to take vital signs, prepare and collect lab specimens, and draw blood.

Classes meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Oceanside Vista Community Clinic, but you can access educational materials online. You’ll complete 80 hours of internship while the course is ongoing and 80 hours of externship once the classroom portion of the course is complete. This is one of the best shortest medical assistant programs that can be funded through a federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grant.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program is offered twice a year in January and July. It will take you six months to complete.


Admission Requirements: To apply, you must be 18 or over, possess a high school diploma or equivalent, and be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. You’ll also need to carry healthcare insurance. Bilingual students are given admission preference. Note that you must have CPR/BLS certification before beginning classes.


3. Pennco Tech - Blackwood, NJ


Program Length: 18 Weeks


Program Details: Pennco Tech offers accelerated medical assistant programs at its campuses in Blackwood, New Jersey, and Bristol, Pennsylvania. Though the curricula at both campuses cross-train students in administrative office and clinical functions, the Blackwood curriculum prepares students to take the AAMA’s CMA exam, while the Bristol curriculum prepares students to take the NHA’s CCMA exam.

You’ll receive hands-on, personalized instruction from seasoned professionals as you learn how to record medical histories, schedule appointments, take vital signs and electrocardiograms, administer medications (including injections), and draw blood. Real-time classes are reinforced with interactive online content. Flexible daytime and evening classes make it easy to keep up with your workplace and family obligations while pursuing your educational goals.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You can complete this accelerated medical assistant program in a little more than four months (18 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program is only open to students with a high school diploma or GED.


4. The University of Texas at San Antonio - San Antonio, TX


Program Length: 15 Weeks


Program Details: The University of Texas-San Antonio offers a 90-hour accelerated medical assistant program that focuses on administrative skills training and preparation for the NHA’s CMAA certification exam. An NHA exam voucher is included with e-textbooks and other course materials.

You’ll attend a three-hour online class twice a week, utilizing synchronous technology. Among the tasks you’ll be taught to perform will be billing and coding, patient records maintenance, and patient appointment scheduling. You’ll also learn how to help ensure that the medical facility you work for complies with pertinent healthcare regulatory requirements.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You can finish this course in slightly less than four months (15 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: The program itself has no admission requirements, but you must have a high school diploma or its GED equivalent to sit for the certification exam.


5. University of the Incarnate Word - San Antonio, TX


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: University of the Incarnate Word offers a fast-track medical assistant program in partnership with Career Educational Services (CES.) This 16-week program includes 96 hours of classroom and homework study and an 80-hour externship in a local doctor’s office or hospital. Once you’ve completed the program, you’ll be eligible to sit for the NHA’s Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) and EKG Technician (CET) exams, as well as for the organization’s CCMA exam.

This quick medical assistant program focuses on the clinical responsibilities you’ll be carrying out as a medical assistant. Among other things, you’ll learn how to measure and record vital signs, administer injections and other medications, and perform venipuncture. Instruction is carried out in classrooms at the university’s Rolling Oaks campus, but you can access many of your educational resources online.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You’ll be able to complete this course in four months (16 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program is only available to applicants with a high school diploma or a General Education Diploma (GED.) Your vaccinations must be up to date.


6. U.S. Career Institute - Fort Collins, CO


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: U.S. Career Institute’s accelerated medical assistant online program is designed to be accessed via your computer or smartphone. The curriculum has been developed to prepare you for the NHA’s CCMA exam and covers both clinical and administrative skills. You’ll learn how to handle standard medical front-office procedures such as appointment scheduling and filling out insurance reimbursement claims, in addition to patient care skills such as measuring vital signs, administering medications, and assisting during minor surgical procedures.

Following the instruction segment of the coursework, you’ll participate in a practicum working as a medical assistant in a healthcare facility close to where you live.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: The program is designed to be completed in four to seven months (16 to 28 weeks.) However, since it’s self-paced and offered entirely online, if you’re really motivated, you may be able to complete the program in less time.


Admission Requirements: The program itself has no eligibility requirements. However, you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent to sit for the NHA’s CCMA exam.


7. The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences - Cincinnati, OH


Program Length: 15 Weeks


Program Details: The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences (TCC) offers an accelerated medical assistant program that focuses on the clinical side of medical assisting. This is one of the best fast-track medical assistant programs for students who are using medical assisting as a springboard into other positions in the healthcare field because TCC is one of the few institutions that offers educational credits along with its MA training programs. When you complete the five-course sequence, you’ll receive 16 units of transferable credit.

This program meets four times a week at TCC’s campus in Cincinnati, Ohio. Classes meet in the evenings to accommodate the schedules of working students. Your coursework will include classes like “Foundations for Clinical Medical Assistant Professional,” “Diagnostic Procedures for Medical Assisting Professionals,” and “Clinical Reviews and Medical Emergency Procedures for the Medical Assistant.” If you complete the program successfully, you’ll qualify for job placement within the Christ Hospital Health Network.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program is designed to be completed in just under four months (15 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program is only open to high school graduates or applicants who’ve earned a GED. Your high school grade point average must be 2.0 or higher. Transfer students may be considered as long as they have 12 units of college credit with at least a 2.0 GPA. All applicants must be U.S. citizens.


8. The University of West Florida - Pensacola, FL


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: University of Florida’s 176-hour fast-track medical assistant program includes online instruction, live labs, and an externship. The program focuses on the vital role of the medical assistant as they provide patient care within a physician practice setting. This program will teach you to take vital signs, administer injections and other medications, and perform electrocardiograms and blood draws. Additionally, you’ll receive instruction in basic administrative procedures such as scheduling appointments and maintaining electronic medical records.

This is one of the accelerated medical assistant programs designed to help you pass the NHA’s CMA certification exam. You’ll spend 96 hours on instruction and homework study and 80 hours pursuing your externship. The University of West Florida’s Class Coordinator will set up your externship in a family practice within the Greater Pensacola Metropolitan Area.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program takes four months (16 weeks) to complete. Although you may be able to expedite the online instructional parts of the curriculum, you will have to adhere to its real-time laboratory and externship schedule.


Admission Requirements: This program is only open to applicants with a high school diploma or a GED. All vaccinations must be up to date.


9. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, TN


Program Length: 18 Weeks


Program Details: University of Tennessee’s accelerated medical assistant program focuses on the clinical end of delivering patient care. You’ll learn how to obtain and chart vital signs, do blood draws, assist with minor surgeries, and perform all the other tasks a medical assistant is responsible for in a busy physician’s practice. Class size is deliberately restricted to 20 students to allow you to receive personalized attention from your instructors.

The program consists of 140 hours of online and face-to-face instruction, and you’ll have the option of participating in an optional clinical externship at the end of the program. Your externship will take place at a medical facility within the Greater Metropolitan Chattanooga area. This is another of the fast-track medical assistant programs that aims to prepare you for the NHA’s CMA certification exam, and the cost of the certification exam is included in the course cost.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: Plan on spending four and a half months (18 weeks) completing this class.


Admission Requirements: There are no prerequisite requirements for the course itself. However, if you want to pursue the externship, you’ll need to submit to a background check, and your CPR/First Aid/BCLS certifications must be up to date.


10. Cuesta College - San Luis Obispo, CA


Program Length: 18 Weeks


Program Details: Cuesta College’s short medical assistant program awards 14 college credits to students who complete the course, which places it among the best accelerated medical assistant programs for anyone who may be interested in continuing in the healthcare field at a later date.

This program combines basic and advanced clinical skills instruction with an orientation to medical office management. You’ll complete three courses that include lectures, skills, labs, and a clinical externship. You’ll attend classes at Cuesta College’s campus in San Luis Obispo. Cuesta College’s medical assisting curriculum is one of the programs that prepares students to sit for the CMMA’s CCBMA exam.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This course is offered in the spring and fall semesters and can be completed in one semester (18 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: Applicants must be 18 or over by the time coursework begins and possess either a high school diploma or a GED. They must also be CPR-certified.


11. Rhode Island College - Providence, RI


Program Length: 24 Weeks


Program Details: Rhode Island College’s 720-hour fast medical assistant program concentrates mainly on office and administrative skills, although some clinical procedures are also taught. Classes meet 30 hours a week from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Rhode Island College’s campus in Providence. Once the instructional portion of the course is complete, you’ll participate in a 120-hour internship.

All study materials are included in the cost of tuition. You’ll graduate with CPR certification and a certificate of continuing study from Rhode Island College.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: The program takes six months (24 weeks) to complete. Courses are offered twice a year.


Admission Requirements: All applicants must have a high school diploma or its equivalent and be 18 years old or older at the start of classroom instruction.


12. Texarkana College - Texarkana, TX


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: Texarkana College’s fast-track medical assistant program emphasizes the hands-on clinical aspects of medical assisting. You’ll learn how to draw blood, perform and interpret electrocardiograms, administer medications, and measure and record vital signs. This is another one of the accelerated medical assistant courses that provides essential information and strategies that will position you well to pass the NHA’s CCMA exam.

To accommodate the needs of working students, this program offers nighttime classes at Texarkana’s campus in Texarkana, Texas. Upon completion of your coursework, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in a clinical externship at a local medical provider’s office. While this externship is optional, it’s highly recommended.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You’ll graduate from this program in four months (16 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: While there are no specific admission requirements for applicants to this program, you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent to take the NHA’s CCMA exam.


13. Penn State Erie, The Behrend College - Erie, PA


Program Length: 18 Weeks


Program Details: The Behrend College at Penn State Erie collaborated with the NHA on the development of this short medical assistant program, which aims to prepare students to pass the NHA’s CCMA exam. This course explores the clinical side of medical assisting in detail, teaching students how to take and record vital signs, collect laboratory specimens, place leads for a 12-lead EKG, and other procedures that will be part of your clinical responsibilities as a medical assistant.

You won’t have to give up your day job because classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Some Saturdays will be devoted to skills labs. Students should anticipate spending 10 hours a week outside of classes and skills labs on homework and studying. Classes and skills labs are taught at Behrend College’s campus in Erie, Pennsylvania, but many of your educational materials will be accessible online.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You should be able to complete this program in four and a half months (18 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: While there are no specific admission requirements for this program, you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent to sit for the NHA’s CCMA exam.


14. Bell Brown Medical Institute - Arnold, MO


Program Length: 20 Weeks


Program Details: Bell Brown Medical Institute’s 240-hour fast-track medical assistant program teaches students a blend of clinical and administrative skills. In addition to learning how to schedule patient appointments and manage medical supply inventories, you’ll learn how to take and chart vital signs, obtain laboratory specimens, draw blood, and clean and dress wounds.

If you’re interested in bolstering your professional resume with certifications, this course may be one of the best fastest medical assistant programs because, in addition to equipping you with the clinical knowledge and skills needed to take the NHA’s CCMA exam, this program will also enable you to earn the Bloodborne Pathogen Training Certification and the Basic Life Support CPR for the Healthcare Provider Certification through the American Red Cross.

The curriculum consists of four courses: Introduction to Medical Assisting, Clinical Medical Assisting I & II, and Leadership and Professional Development, a clinical externship. Classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. at Bell Brown Medical Institute’s campus in Arnold, Missouri.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program has start dates in February, March, May, June, July, and September. You’ll complete instruction in 18 weeks and then spend another two weeks participating in your clinical externship.


Admission Requirements: This program is only open to applicants who are 18 or older and who have a high school diploma or its equivalent.


15. Dallas College - Dallas, TX


Program Length: 6 Months


Program Details: You can enroll in Dallas College’s 516-hour fast-track medical assistant program for credit, or you can take the sequence as part of Dallas College’s continuing education options. The coursework consists of five classes in medical terminology, medical insurance, administrative procedures, pharmacology for health professionals, and medical assisting laboratory procedures. All classes are held at the Downtown Health Sciences Center one block northwest of Dallas College’s El Centro campus.

The program concludes with a 180-hour clinical externship. All students have the option of taking this coursework for 20 units of college credit, making this program one of the best accelerated medical assistant programs for any student who thinks they might want to get a higher healthcare degree at some point. Dallas College has an articulation agreement with Dallas Baptist University that allows college credits earned through its medical assisting program to be applied toward a bachelor’s degree in Health Services Management.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: If you’re interested in entering the workforce directly upon completion of this program, enroll in the continuing education option, which only takes six months to complete. If you may be interested in continuing on to earn a degree at a future date and elect to take the coursework for college credit, the program will take 12 months to complete because you’ll be augmenting your medical assisting classes with general education classes.


Admission Requirements: This program is only open to applicants with a high school diploma or its equivalent.


16. Penn Foster Career School - Scranton, PA


Program Length: 5 Months


Program Details: Penn Foster Career School’s fast-track medical assistant online program prepares students for four distinct medical assisting credential exams, including the CCMA and the RMA. It also prepares students for the NHA’s Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) certification exam. You’ll also receive 60 college credits if you complete the entire sequence of courses. Multiple certification options put Penn Foster Career School’s program at the forefront of the best accelerated medical assistant programs.

Through 22 courses, you’ll learn the clinical and laboratory procedures and administrative tasks that apply to your role as a medical assistant in today’s fast-paced healthcare industry. The entire course sequence can be accessed online, which means you can move through it at the pace that’s most comfortable for you. Once you’ve completed your coursework, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in a 160-hour clinical externship in a physician’s practice or some other suitable medical facility close to you.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program was designed to be completed in four semesters (nine months), but if you’re determined, you may be able to complete it in five months (20 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program is only open to applicants who are 17 or older and have either a high school diploma or a GED.


17. Ozarks Technical Community College - Springfield, MO


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: At 16 weeks, Ozarks Technical Community College’s MA sequence is one of the best shortest medical assistant programs. While lectures are delivered online, skills are taught during real-time laboratory sessions that meet once a week at OTC’s campus in Springfield, Missouri. Lab sessions are scheduled for either Tuesday or Thursday evenings. This curriculum is specifically designed to prepare you to pass NHA’s CCMA examination.

During the second half of the program, you’ll also participate in a clinical externship for approximately 20 hours each week. You will get to devise your own clinical externship schedule, but once it’s set up, you’ll be expected to adhere to it.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: The program is designed to be completed in four months (16 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program has no specific application requirements, but individuals can only take the NHA’s CCMA examination if they have a high school diploma or equivalent.


18. Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College - Moorefield, WV


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College offers an accelerated medical assistant program that focuses on phlebotomy and electrocardiogram skills, as well as administrative functions. In addition to qualifying students for NHA’s CMA and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) exams, graduates will be eligible to sit for the Certified EKG Technician (CET) examination. If you are eager to collect as many certifications as possible, this is one of the best accelerated medical assistant programs.

The course meets two evenings a week and two Saturdays each month. EWVCTC also offers a related online course that focuses solely on the office duties that medical assistants are expected to be proficient in.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This is another one of the fast-track medical assistant programs you should be able to graduate from in four months (16 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program is available to high school students who are pursuing a diploma or a GED, as well as to applicants who already have a diploma or GED.


19. Tidewater Community College - Norfolk, VA


Program Length: 6 Months


Program Details: Tidewater Community College offers separate training for its clinical accelerated medical assistant program and administrative accelerated medical assistant program. Students training to be clinical medical assistants will be prepared to sit for the NHA’s CCMA examination, while students who enroll in the administrative MA course will qualify to take the NHA’s CMAA exam. These programs are offered in conjunction with the State of Virginia’s Workforce Credential Grant Program.

The administrative course is delivered online utilizing synchronous technology; you’ll meet four evenings a week for approximately 45 sessions. The administrative course has three start dates throughout the year.

The clinical course is taught at Tidewater Community College’s campus in Norfolk, Virginia. It, too, features evening classes taught three days a week for a total of 51 classes. The clinical course has multiple start dates throughout the year.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: Each program lasts approximately three months. If you decide to take both courses, you will spend six months on your schooling.


Admission Requirements: For acceptance into these programs, you must have a high school diploma or GED and be 18 years old or older.


20. Lamar State College Port Arthur - Port Arthur, TX


Program Length: 20 Weeks


Program Details: What will you learn in Lamar State College Port Arthur’s 550-hour fast-track medical assistant program? Clinical skills such as measuring and recording vital signs, taking EKGs, and collecting blood and other laboratory specimens as well as administrative skills such as scheduling patient appointments and verifying insurance coverage.

The course consists of two 10-week sessions that meet at the Lamar State College Port Arthur campus in Port Arthur, Texas, five days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Upon completing the course sequence, you’ll have the information you need to tackle the NHA’s CCMA examination.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program extends over 20 weeks.


Admission Requirements: This program only accepts students who are 18 or older and who possess either a high school diploma or its equivalent.


21. Community College of Rhode Island - Warwick, RI


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: Community College of Rhode Island’s 480-hour fast medical assistant program focuses on teaching the clinical skills necessary for a successful career as a medical assistant. These skills include laboratory specimen collection, injection administration, and performing electrocardiograms. Classes are taught at Community College of Rhode Island’s Flanagan campus in Lincoln.

You’ll spend approximately 30 hours a week in class, Mondays through Fridays, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Many of your educational materials will be available online. The lecture portion of the coursework is followed immediately by a clinical externship within the Integrated Healthcare Partners system. This is one of the few fastest medical assistant courses to be offered free of charge.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: The program consists of three months (12 weeks) of training and one month (four weeks) in a clinical externship for a total of four months (16 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program is only open to Rhode Island residents with a high school diploma or its equivalent. All COVID-19 vaccinations must be up to date.


22. Great Bay Community College - Portsmouth NH


Program Length: 12 Weeks


Program Details: The curriculum of Great Bay Community College’s accelerated medical assistant program is specifically designed to conform with the standards set by the Affordable Care Act. After completing this quick medical assistant program, you’ll be eligible to take the NHA’s CCMA national examination.

At just three months, this is one of the shortest medical assistant programs, which makes it one of the best programs for students looking for the quickest way to earn their MA certification. You’ll be taught clinical and administrative skills such as accessing and coding information correctly in electronic medical records, obtaining and recording vital signs, administering medications (including by injection), and drawing blood. The course concludes with an externship during which you’ll be placed in a local medical office.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This class is given four times a year. The program lasts for three months (12 weeks) and includes eight weeks of instructional time at Great Bay Community College’s campus in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and four weeks at a clinical externship. During your clinical externship, you’ll be working 40 hours a week.


Admission Requirements: Applicants must be 18 or older. A high school diploma (or its equivalent) is preferred but not mandatory.


23. St. Louis Community College - Bridgeton, MO


Program Length: 23 Weeks


Program Details: When you graduate from St. Louis Community College’s fast-track medical assistant program, you’ll be thoroughly familiar with the clinical and administrative skills that MAs perform to help keep their workplaces running smoothly. This accelerated medical assistant program focuses on both administrative and clinical tasks like appointment scheduling, insurance verification, drawing blood, obtaining and recording vital signs, and sterilizing laboratory equipment.

Instruction takes place in classrooms at St. Louis Community College’s campus in Bridgeton, Missouri, Mondays through Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to practice your newly learned skills through hands-on exercises. Once the instructional portion of the coursework is complete, you’ll participate in a clinical externship with one of SLCC’s clinical partners at a family medicine, internal medicine, OB/GYN, orthopedics, pediatrics, or surgical physician’s practice in the local area.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program is given twice a year in the fall and spring. It takes anywhere between six months (23 weeks) and seven and a half months (30 weeks) to complete.


Admission Requirements: All applicants must be 18 years of age or older.


24. Grand Rapids Community College - Grand Rapids, MI


Program Length: 22 Weeks


Program Details: Grand Rapids Community College’s 772-hour fast-track medical assistant program combines classroom lectures, group activities, simulation learning, and externship experiences to teach you the administrative and clinical skills you’ll need to function effectively as a medical assistant. The cost of the AMT’s RMA exam is included as part of the tuition fees, but this course will also prepare you to take the AAMA’s CMA exam and the NHA’s CCMA exams.

In this accelerated medical assistant program, you’ll learn how to administer injections, draw blood, and set up for an electrocardiograph as well as billing and coding, and telephone triage skills. Half of your instruction will take place at the Grand Rapids Community College’s campus in Grand Rapids, while the other half will be delivered online using synchronous technology. You’ll be expected to attend class on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Following the instructional portion of the course, you’ll participate in a clinical externship one to four times a week.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You can complete this program in five and a half months (22 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program is only open to candidates who are 18 years of age or older.


25. Harrisburg Area Community College - Harrisburg, PA


Program Length: 6 Months


Program Details: Harrisburg Area Community College’s fast-track medical assistant program is one of the fast-track medical assistant courses that’s offered for college credit, making it an excellent choice if you envision medical assisting as merely the first stop in a healthcare sciences career. You’ll take 13 courses in all for a total of 30 college credits. Classes include paired lecture and lab sequences such as “Intro to Med Lab Techniques” and its accompanying lab and “Ambulatory Care Clinical procedures” and its accompanying lab. At the conclusion of your instructional coursework, you’ll participate in a 160-hour clinical externship.

The program is available at the community college’s campuses in Harrisburg and Gettysburg. Your clinical externship will be scheduled at a local physician’s office, where you’ll be expected to work 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday. This program prepares you to take the American Medical Technologists’ RMA examination.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program is taught over two semesters (six months or 24 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This fast-track medical assistant program only considers applicants who have a GED or a high school diploma and whose high school grade point average was 2.0 or higher.


26. Fletcher Technical Community College - Schriever, LA


Program Length: 20 Weeks


Program Details: Fletcher Technical Community College’s accelerated medical assistant program delivers instructional lectures online, but you’ll also have the opportunity to participate in real-time skills labs that meet on Fridays between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at the community college’s campus in Schriever, Louisiana, as well as a clinical externship. This is one of the fast-track medical assistant programs that teaches administrative as well as clinical MA skills.

You’ll learn how to document and review patient histories, assist nurses and physicians with examinations, and perform simple diagnostic procedures. You’ll need to have a computer with a webcam that can function with the Respondus LockDown Browser for taking exams. Your externship will take place at a physician’s office, clinic, or hospital within the local area.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This fast-track medical assistant program offers spring and summer classes. You can complete this program in five months (20 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: The spring class is only open to residents of Grand Isle, Galliano, Golden Meadow, Larose, and Cut Off. All applicants must be 18 years of age or older and have a high school diploma or a GED.


27. Lakewood University - Cleveland Heights, OH


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: Lakewood University’s accredited 600-hour accelerated medical assistant program focuses exclusively on the administrative functions you’ll perform as an MA in a busy physician’s practice. You’ll learn basic bookkeeping procedures, CPT Coding changes and updates, how to process and prepare medical insurance claims, and perform all the other tasks vital to managing an efficient healthcare office environment. Should you wish to continue your education with a Healthcare Associate’s degree from Lakewood University, you’ll be able to transfer your credits seamlessly.

Lakewood University’s curriculum is one of the accelerated medical assistant courses that’s offered entirely online. It consists of 16 self-paced lessons and does not include a clinical externship.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This fast-track medical assistant program is designed to extend over four months (16 weeks), but since you can proceed through the course materials at your own pace, it is possible to complete it more quickly.


Admission Requirements: Though this program lists no specific admission requirements, you’ll need a high school diploma or GED to sit for a certification exam.


28. NIU College - Woodland Hills, CA


Program Length: 12 Weeks


Program Details: The 244-hour accelerated medical assistant program from NIU College concentrates on the clinical aspects of medical assisting. In this fast-track medical assistant program, you’ll learn how to measure vital signs, obtain blood samples, run electrocardiograms, do urinalyses, perform ear lavages, give saline injections, and assist physicians with other medical procedures. When you graduate, you’ll receive a Clinical Medical Assisting Diploma, a Certificate of Electrocardiography, and a Certificate of Venipuncture. At the end of the program, you’ll be eligible to take either the NHA’s CCMA exam or the National Center for Competency Testing’s Medical Assistant exam.

The curriculum consists of four classes: “Clinical Assisting 1, II, & III” and “Career Development.” NIU College offers flexible class scheduling that includes morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend classes. Class size is typically limited to 15 students to allow you the opportunity to get one-on-one mentoring from your instructors.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: At just three months (12 weeks), NIU College’s curriculum is one of the fastest medical assistant courses.


Admission Requirements: This program lists no specific admission requirements, but you can’t take the NHA’s CCMA exam or the National Center for Competency Testing’s Medical Assistant exam without a high school diploma or its equivalent.


29. San Juan Unified School District - Citrus Heights, CA


Program Length: 16 Weeks


Program Details: Citrus Heights, California’s San Juan Unified School District, offers a two-part fast-track medical assistant program that serves as an introduction to medical terminology and work skills as well as an orientation to the clinical side of medical assisting. This accelerated medical assistant program is one of the district’s adult education workforce training offerings.

You’ll attend classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday classes are offered online using synchronous technology. At the conclusion of the program, qualified students will be able to participate in a clinical externship. This program prepares you to take the NHA’s CCMA exam.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You’ll spend four months (16 weeks) completing this program.


Admission Requirements: This accelerated medical assistant program only accepts applicants who hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.


30. Alamo Colleges District - San Antonio, TX


Program Length: 5 Months


Program Details: Alamo Colleges District’s 352-hour Medical Assistant Program is another one of the fast-track medical assistant programs that focuses on the clinical aspects of medical assisting. This curriculum will teach you to take medical histories, record vital signs, explain treatments to patients, collect and prepare laboratory specimens, and assist physicians and nurses during diagnostic procedures. Alamo Colleges District’s MA program prepares you to sit for the NHA’s CCMA examination.

The curriculum consists of eight courses, including “Health & Wellness,” “Pharmacology & Lab Procedures”, and “Procedures in a Clinical Setting.” Classes don’t need to be bundled; you can sign up and be accepted into each separately. The coursework is offered in a hybrid modality that combines online and face-to-face teaching. Real-time classes are taught at the Eastside, Westside, and Southside Education & Training Centers.

How Fast Can You Complete This Program: If you take these classes in sequence, you can complete the coursework in five months (20 weeks.)


Admission Requirements: This program is only available to applicants who are 18 or older and have a high school diploma or a GED.


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Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Pattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. After 10 years of providing direct care, she went back to school and earned concurrent Master’s degrees in both public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she worked for various public health agencies in California at both the community and state levels providing economic and legislative analysis.