10 Best Medical Assistant Programs in New Jersey – 2024
Written By: Editorial Staff @ NursingProcess.org
Want to take full advantage of the 24 percent growth rate the medical assisting industry is poised to see in New Jersey over the next decade? Enroll in an MA training program so that you can become certified. Many medical assistant programs in New Jersey are offered online, which means you’ll be able to integrate your studies with your existing work and family responsibilities. Healthcare employers throughout the Garden State show a marked preference for certified MAs, and certified MAs make significantly higher salaries than the average medical assistant salary of $42,030 a year. Get started actualizing your full professional potential today by reading about the 10 best medical assistant programs in New Jersey for 2024.
WHAT ARE THE BEST MEDICAL ASSISTANT PROGRAMS IN NEW JERSEY?
(Based on our Ranking Methodology, below are the 10 best Medical Assistant programs in New Jersey. The list includes both campus-based and online programs.)
1) Berkeley College - Newark, Woodbridge & Woodland Park
The medical assisting education at Berkeley College trains you in both theory and the application of theory in real-world situations. The college currently offers two programs in this field – certificate and associate. Both programs are offered at the Newark, Woodbridge, Woodland Park campuses.
Certificate: This program can be completed in a short time frame of 30 weeks when pursued on a full-time basis. The flexible, part-time, or the evening program can be completed in 45 weeks. The curriculum is designed to teach you both the clinical and clerical functions required to work as an entry-level medical assistant.
Associate Degree: This is a two-year program that includes courses in medical office administration, clinical and laboratory procedures. It further prepares you to master communication and critical thinking skills by including courses in liberal arts and sciences, thereby enabling you to take better professional decisions. Apart from this, you will be trained in EKG, venipuncture, taking vital signs, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The six-credit practicum is a crucial part of both the programs. It allows you to demonstrate what you have gained throughout the course in 165 hours of practical experiences in real-time settings.
Additionally, to graduate you are required to sit for any one of the three national credential examinations. These include the certified medical assistant (CMA), registered medical assistant (RMA), or certified clinical medical assistant (CCMA). It is also necessary for you to pass the certified electrocardiography CET(NHA), certified phlebotomy CPT (NHA), and basic life support for healthcare providers BLS (AHA) examinations.
2) Lincoln Technical Institute - Iselin, Moorestown & Paramus
Lincoln Technical Institute helps you become a multi-faceted medical assisting professional by providing a conducive training environment equipped with systematic EKG machines, injection simulators, auto claves, and real-time training in digital technology.
The college offers a hybrid certificate program in medical assisting, making it feasible for you to complete part of your learning from the comfort of your home. This 31.5 credit course requires a time frame of 39 weeks when taken up in the full-time format and 72 weeks when you pursue it in the evenings or on a part-time basis.
The total coursework of 720 hours is split up among courses such as human biology, phlebotomy, administrative and clinical procedures, pharmacology, ethics and laws relevant to a medical assistant, computer literacy, and a career success course to help students successfully reach their career goals. The program ends with a clinical internship of 4 credits.
3) Eastwick College - Hackensack, Nutley & Ramsey
Medical assistants have become an indispensable part of a physician’s office by not only performing the conventional office duties of greeting patients, handling the front desk and scheduling appointments but they also manage crucial medical and laboratory tasks like taking medical histories, preparing patients for examinations, assisting physicians with various procedures and much more. This medical assistant school in New Jersey prepares you to perform all such duties, making you a multi-skilled professional.
The Eastwick college offers a diploma program that can be wrapped up in 9 months when taken up on a full-time basis and in 12 months when pursued on a part-time basis (evening program). After completion of the course, you stand eligible to take certification exams such as RMA, CPT, NCICS, and CET.
This program aims to prepare you for careers in the medical field as a medical assistant, medical office manager, or a medical secretary in various settings such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, and other healthcare facilities.
4) American Institute - Clifton, Somerset & Toms River
The American institute offers you a certificate program with the required theoretical and practical knowledge to help you become an entry-level medical assistant. This hybrid program provides you the flexibility to complete a part of it online and a part of it in a classroom setting. The program earns you a total of 40 credits and can be completed in a total of 40 weeks, when pursued full-time and 64 weeks when taken part-time.
The course includes training in phlebotomy, EKG, understanding of human biology, usage of computers and office operations at a medical office. The course also includes a 2.5 credit clinical externship, which is conducted under the guidance of experienced supervisors.
Out of the total 990 clock hours that you will complete, 300 hours are dedicated to theory classes, 450 hours for lab classes and 240 clinical externship hours to gain real-world experience.
5) American Institute of Medical Sciences & Education - Piscataway
The American Institute of Medical Sciences & Education’s medical assisting program provides you a strong grip over core subjects like medical billing, anatomy and physiology, EKG, first aid, office practices, and patient relations. What makes this program distinctive in comparison to other certificate programs is the fact that you will also be given the training to learn additional skill sets that can be applied in OB/GYN and pediatrics. You will also be given special guidance and training in wound care.
The entire curriculum is 835 clock hours long, out of which 635 hours are dedicated to classroom instruction and laboratory work. The rest 200 hours are held exclusively for a clinical internship after completion of the first 635 hours, so that you can apply your classroom learning practically, under the supervision of your mentor.
The program is available in the form of a day (full-time) schedule of 10 months and an evening (part-time) schedule of 12 months. On completion of this program, you stand eligible for the national certification exams and are also will be ready to work under doctors and registered nurses.
6) Bergen Community College - Paramus
Bergen Community College offers medical office assisting education through its certificate and associate degree. The difference between both programs is that the certificate trains you for administrative and management functions, whereas the associate, which is a longer program, apart from these two functions also trains you to seamlessly execute clinical duties.
Certificate: This curriculum trains you for positions such as medical records technician, medical office administrative assistant and medical executive assistant/secretary. The coursework can be completed in as little as one year and earns you a total of 30 credits divided equally between two semesters. This program covers topics such as medical terminology, medical office assistant administrative procedures and medical economics in the first semester and then advances to pharmacology, diagnostic and procedural coding, cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] and emergency first aid in the second semester.
Associate: The associate degree program extends up to two years. In addition to all the subjects covered in the certificate program, the associate also includes courses such as clinical office practice and clinical laboratory technology that will specifically train you in clinical functions. You will also take up two externships of one credit each, at the end of the 3rd and 4th semesters. You are also required to take electives in each semester to gain communication and critical thinking skills which are vital to successfully handle patients. Post completion, you can take up employment in the education sector, physician offices, ambulatory care, nursing homes, or other healthcare establishments.
7) Fortis Institute - Lawrenceville & Wayne
The medical assisting certificate program at Fortis institute was introduced in 1977. Since then, the college has been shaping the careers of students like you into becoming successful healthcare professionals. This medical assisting program in NJ is made up of courses in administrative and clinical areas like medical typing, computerized medical billing, electronic health records, accounting procedures, insurance microbiology, hematology, pharmacology, and urinalysis. This coursework gives you experience and expertise in recording vital signs, sterilizing medical instruments, removing sutures and drawing blood as well as coordinating appointments, greeting patients, handling prescriptions so that you can work alongside doctors and physicians in a hassle-free manner.
This program is available at the Lawrenceville and Wayne campus.
Lawrenceville: This is a 780-clock hour on-campus program that can be completed in as little as 36 weeks. It holds a total of 46 credits and enables you to get work opportunities in rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, health agencies, hospitals, etc. Additionally, you will also be gaining 180 hours of hands-on experience towards the end of the program.
Wayne: The Wayne campus offers a 995-hour on-campus program that requires completion of 47 credits. This program gives you the flexibility of completing the course either full-time in just 37 weeks or part-time, in 52 weeks. It includes an externship of 160 clock hours (3.5 credits), allowing you to practice professional skills.
8) ASI Career Institute - Turnersville
The ASI career institute offers a 200 hours certificate program in medical assisting. The program throws light on various topics like EKG, patient care, anatomy and physiology laws, and ethics. You will also get hands-on experience in drawing blood, performing EKG, and recording vital signs. The curriculum includes courses in medical terminology, HIPAA compliance, cardiac arrhythmias, and training in venipuncture, giving you a well-rounded training in clinical as well as clerical areas.
Having a high school diploma or a GED is a prerequisite to obtaining eligibility for this program. Upon graduation, you can take the national certification exams to earn the credential of a certified medical assistant or even a certified phlebotomy technician or EKG technician.
9) Raritan Valley Community College - Branchburg
A medical assistant not only performs mundane office and laboratory duties but also requires positivity, reliability, and a friendly demeanor in order to prosper in this career. Therefore, Raritan Valley College has designed a short, yet comprehensive course so that you can acquire the required professional knowledge and skills. This dynamic certificate program of 36 credits is divided into two semesters. The first semester covers courses in medical assisting administrative functions, human anatomy, and medical terminology.
The second semester emphasizes the clinical aspect by including the study of various drug categories, their side effects, uses and dosage, phlebotomy, and pathophysiology. Apart from this, there is also a summer semester where you will complete an unpaid practicum. The practicum gives you an excellent learning experience in terms of safe use of equipment, performing minor medical procedures, and execution of office tasks in a professional manner.
10) Warren County Community College - Phillipsburg
Warren County Community College takes necessary steps that enable you to master both office and clinical tasks smoothly while working with physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health care professionals. To become a medical assistant in NJ, the college provides you with a certificate program of 760 clock hours out of which 160 hours are devoted to a clinical externship. This unpaid practical practicum is undertaken at a doctor’s office or any other healthcare organization.
The rest of the hours are divided equally among core subjects like anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, insurance, coding, psychology, giving you the required training to perform entry-level medical assisting tasks.
Additionally, upon completion of this program, you also have the opportunity to enroll in the associate degree program and continue your education in this field.
Both the programs prepare you for the national certification exams.
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