Program Matcher
Medical Assistant Programs
Find Your Medical Assistant Program in About a Minute
Our medical assistant program finder asks six quick questions about the training you want and the work you want to do, then compares all 68 programs in our data and shows you the ones that fit.
Takes about two minutes. No sign-up.
Question 1 of 6
Which Kind of Training Do You Want?
Question 2 of 6
How Do You Want to Take Classes?
Labs and the externship happen in person either way.
Question 3 of 6
Where Do You Live?
Your training ends in an externship near the school, so we start with programs in your state.
Question 4 of 6
What Kind of Medical Assistant Work Do You Want?
Pick any that sound like you.
Question 5 of 6
What Matters Most in a Program?
Choose up to three.
Question 6 of 6
Anything Else We Should Know?
Your job, your schedule, the credits you already have. Skip it if nothing comes to mind.
Please leave out your name and contact details.
Finding Your Matches
- Checking 68 programs against your answers
- Reading what each program offers
- Ranking your best fits
Your Results
Your Top Medical Assistant Program Matches
Close Matches
How the Medical Assistant Program Finder Works
You don't need a school in mind yet. Tell the medical assistant program finder what kind of training you want, how you want to take classes and where you live, and it does the comparing for you.
You Answer Six Questions
The training you want, how you take classes, your state, the work you want to do, what matters most and anything else you'd like us to weigh.
We Read 68 Programs
The program finder keeps the programs that meet your answers, then reads each one's published details and our review against what you told us.
You Get Your Matches
Up to five programs, each with a match percentage, the facts behind it and a link to its full review on our ranking pages.
What Our Medical Assistant Program Finder Compares
The Award You Earn
48 programs offer a certificate, diploma or other short award, 34 offer an associate degree, and 19 offer both, so you can stop after the certificate or keep going. 5 are paid apprenticeships run by employers.
How You Take Classes
15 programs put part of the coursework online. Every one still has in-person labs, an externship or both, because you can't learn to draw blood or take vitals through a screen.
Where You Live
Our programs sit in 50 states and Washington, D.C.. Only 3 offer online coursework open beyond their own state, so the finder starts with programs near you.
A Route to the CMA Exam
30 programs name CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation (28 CAAHEP, 2 ABHES). Those are the ones the finder labels as a CMA exam route.
What It Costs
11 schools publish a price we can compare, from $3,039 to $14,730. Pick "Low tuition" and the published price counts for more in your matches.
Hands-On Hours
16 programs publish their externship or practicum hours, from 80 to 280. 14 of them require 160 hours or more.
Rather browse on your own? Every program in the finder has a full review in our rankings. Start with the best medical assistant programs, the certificate programs, the associate degrees or the medical assistant programs in your state.
Which Medical Assistant Program Fits the Work You Want?
Clinical Work and Specialty Clinics
Every program in our data teaches clinical skills: vital signs, patient intake, injections and helping with exams. That's the core of the job in family practice, urgent care and specialty clinics like dermatology or pediatrics. The difference is how much practice you get. 14 programs publish an externship of 160 hours or more, and the externship questions to ask help you check the rest.
Front Office Work and Office Management
If you'd rather run the front desk, scheduling and billing, look for courses in medical office procedures, insurance and records. 57 programs in our finder give that side real weight. Office manager jobs come after time on the job, and an associate degree gives you college credit to build on. Compare the medical assistant associate degrees if that's your long game.
Phlebotomy and Lab Work
45 programs in our finder teach phlebotomy or lab skills such as drawing blood, collecting specimens and running EKGs. If blood draws are the part of the job you want most, pick "Phlebotomy and lab work" in question four and the finder favors those programs. Then check the course list on each program's card before you apply.
Medical Assisting Now, Nursing Later
Lots of people start as a medical assistant to earn money and patient experience before nursing school. 40 programs in our finder show a clear path to more school, often an associate degree that builds on the certificate. Our medical assistant vs. LPN guide and certificate vs. associate degree guide help you plan the next step.
Which Programs Lead to the CMA Exam?
To sit for the CMA exam as a new graduate, you need to finish a CAAHEP or ABHES accredited medical assisting program. 30 of the 68 programs in our finder name one of those accreditors, and only those get the "CMA exam route" label on a match card. Pick "CMA exam eligibility" in question five to move them to the top.
5 of those accredited programs put part of the coursework online. You can see all 30, state by state, in our CMA exam eligible medical assistant programs report. Other programs prepare you for different exams, and 5 name CCMA exam preparation outright. Our CMA, CCMA and RMA comparison explains which one employers near you ask for.
Why the Program Finder Sometimes Shows Close Matches
Medical assistant training is local. 34 states have just one program in our data, and none has more than 3, so three firm answers can leave very few.
When fewer than five programs fit every answer, the finder lists those first, then fills the rest with close matches. Each one misses exactly one of your answers, and its card names it. Close matches in your own state come before any that would mean moving.
Medical Assistant Program Finder FAQ
How Does the Medical Assistant Program Finder Work?
You answer six questions: the kind of training you want, how you want to take classes, where you live, the work you want to do, what matters most and anything else we should know. The finder keeps the programs among our 68 that meet your answers, reads each one's published details and our review against what you told us, and shows you up to five.
Will the Program Finder Tell Me Which Programs Lead to the CMA Exam?
Yes, when the school says so. A match card says "CMA exam route" only when the program names CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation, the route the CMA exam is built on. That's 30 of our 68 programs. Pick "CMA exam eligibility" in question five to move them up, or browse them all in our CMA-eligible programs report.
Why Did I Get Programs Outside My State?
Because most states have only one or two programs in our data. 34 states have exactly one, and none has more than 3. When fewer than five programs fit every answer, the finder adds close matches. Programs in your state come first, and any program that would mean moving says so on its card.
How Is My Match Percentage Worked Out?
Your match percentage shows how closely a program fits what you told us, from its description (courses, schedule, externship and the review on our ranking pages) and its published facts (award, accreditation, cost and outcomes). It compares programs for you. It is not a grade of the school.
Do Schools Pay to Appear in My Results?
Not in your matches. The listing at the top of your results is marked AD and comes from schools that pay to appear there. Your matches below it come from our own data, and no school can pay to change them.
Do I Need an Account or to Share My Contact Details?
No. The program finder never asks for your name, email or phone number, and you don't need to sign up. Please leave contact details out of the optional text boxes.
Can I Run the Program Finder Again?
Yes. Tap "Start Over" on your results and change any answer. Switching between a certificate and an associate degree, or between campus and partly online classes, is the quickest way to see how much your options shift.