Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Medical Assistants
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Community College of Philadelphia, Montgomery County Community College-Central Campus, Delaware County Community College, and Bucks County Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Harcum, Erie Business Center, Yorktowne Business Institute, and Clarion University.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Harcum, PJA School, Laurel Business Institute, and Yorktowne Business Institute.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider PJA School, Community College of Philadelphia, Harcum, and Erie Business Center.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology, Westmoreland County Community College, Community College of Philadelphia, and Community College of Allegheny County.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Douglas Education Center, Saint Francis University, Seton Hill University, and Pennsylvania Institute of Technology.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Saint Francis University, Seton Hill University, Mount Aloysius College, and Harcum.
Excellence
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Harcum.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Du Bois Business College, Saint Francis University, Harcum, and Mount Aloysius College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Penn State Shenango Valley Campus • Sharon, PA
Studying Medical Assistant (completion in 2007)
• 12/28/2011
"I am very satisfied with my schooling. I love my job and make good money."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend my school to others looking to become a medical assistant. This school helped me to get where I am today. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | My school's reputation is very good. I sent out 3 resumes and got callbacks on all 3. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I was very satisfied with my entire schooling experience. I had wonderful professors who really cared about helping us succeed. |
| Instruction | 10 | I feel that I was prepped for my field, because we had many rotations. There were a total of 8 rotations and they were all in different offices. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The bookwork was hard. I studied all night on many nights. The actual work environment was much easier than the studying. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school was great about hands-on learning. We learned a lot from the books, but we visited many hospitals and other medical facilities. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | My school's options were very flexible. I was able to work around my husband's schedule, in order to make sure one of us was always home with our son while I was going to school. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The facilities at my school were wonderful! We had a separate lab building and got to practice drawing blood, and there was also a very large library. |
| Social Life | I didn't attend many social events. I am married with a child, so I was attending college only for the education. | |
| Placement Services | 10 | My school helped all the students with resumes the last semester. Out of 17 students, 15 had jobs shortly after graduating. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The alumni support was pretty good. Everyone seemed pretty helpful for the most part, except one man who wasn't friendly. |
Median School Of Allied Health • Pittsburgh, PA
Studying Medical Assistant Certificate Program (completion in 2001)
• 1/5/2012
"I loved the teachers. They were medical assistants and RNs. I do not think I would have liked the school as much if it were not for my teachers. Even the receptionist was willing to help with any questions you may have had. The school got me a job in my field, so what more could I ask for?"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would not recommend becoming a medical assistant. I would recommend going straight to a nursing program through a community college or hospital. They get paid much more than medical assistants. The technical schools are also very expensive, compared to what you will be making as an MA. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | The school does not have medical assisting any longer. They changed to offer only vet tech training and placement. |
| Program Quality | 8 | They were very clear in their instruction and their experiences with the medical field. However, before we started the medical assistant program, I wish they had told us the pay rate for an MA. |
| Instruction | 9 | The teachers were very friendly and willing to share their experiences with the medical field. They were also willing to help us in any way, whether it was personal or professional. |
| How Difficult | 2 | The classes were similar to high school. They were not hard at all, as long as you were paying attention and studied. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This school offered both book learning and hands-on learning. I loved the hands-on learning. We practiced venipuncture, injections, urinalysis, ear irrigations and EKGs, to name a few. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The flexibility was that of high school classes. You had to show up when they were teaching it. They also had a night class, I believe. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | I do not remember them having a library or any other kinds of resources. The teachers were willing to help if they could. |
| Social Life | 1 | This was a technical school, so there were no after-school activities. Since the class was so small, I did make really good friends with my classmates. |
| Placement Services | 8 | We did an externship to get experience in our field. They helped us all get jobs in our field after this was over. I got a job through UPMC temp services. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I have not heard anything after graduating from the school. The school actually changed the area of study to vet tech. |
Philadelphia University • Philadelphia, PA
Studying Physician Assistant Studies (completion in 2009)
• 1/17/2012
"I really enjoyed my time at P.U. The years I spent there were the best years of my life."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I felt very prepared going to look for a job. I really loved going to school there. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | It is one of the first things you see if you go to their website. It is the 18th ranked school for this major in the country. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Plenty of hands-on training, as well as knowledgeable professors. Also, the living conditions were safe and clean. |
| Instruction | 8 | I had very experienced professors. I felt ready to start working the day that I graduated. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It is basically medical school watered down and condensed into 2 years. It can be a lot of studying to manage. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The professors liked to show students in real life how to do things. There was still a lot of bookwork, but the professors really related better with the hands-on training. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Summer classes are available. I'm not sure about online classes, but I think there were weekend classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Beautiful library, and internet access in the dorms. Several tutors and learning support groups. |
| Social Life | 9 | Located close to the city, but not too close where someone would feel uncomfortable. Lots of clubs and social groups. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They had career counselors, who guide you every step of the way. Professors knew a lot about jobs too. |
| Alumni Network | I haven't had much time as an alum yet. However, I imagine that it will be pretty good in the future. |
Mount Aloysius College • Cresson, PA
Studying Medical Assistant (completion in 2007)
• 1/21/2012
"I am very satisfied with my school. I learned a great deal from all of the instructors. If you needed anything, somebody was always there to help."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend my school to others. I say this because it's a great school and I learned so much there. It was a great experience. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I believe an 8 is their current reputation. Some students have done externships here and they seemed very well trained. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Mt. Aloysius college helped me a lot. It offered book work as well as hands on work. |
| Instruction | 9 | The curriculum was good, as were the instructors they had. I learned a great deal from the instructors and they prepared me well for my job. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I gave it an 8 because some of the work was easy, but the majority of it was very challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | At my school we had a mix of both hands on and book training. The first semester was mostly books and some hands on. The second semester was mostly hands on and included an externship. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | They were flexible. I attended when my daughter was just an infant and they were very understanding when she was sick and I had to miss class. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | I believe they provide the best that they can. The library was up to date with new books. Computers could be accessed anytime. Laboratories were current. |
| Social Life | 7 | They always had something for students do to. The medical assistant students always held a blood drive every semester and turn out was great. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I believe they are average. I never got any job placement help. I went and found a job on my own before graduation. |
| Alumni Network | I really don't have much to do with the alumni network. |
American Center For Technical Arts And Sciences • Philadelphia, PA
Studying Surgical Tech And Phlebotomy (completion in 2002)
• 2/4/2012
"There was not enough support for career placement. Once you were done with classes you were kind of on your own."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | It was unorganized when it was open, and I wouldn't have recommended it. Now it is closed. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | They were shut down for financial fraud. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I would like a career that has a bit more prestige, such as nursing. |
| Instruction | 9 | They gave us a good amount of hands on training that allowed us to practice what we would be doing in the field. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I was an 11 month program, so lots of thing were quick and intense. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We did both book and hands on work. There was a lot of lab work and demonstrations, which were great. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There was a day/ night program. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | We had a nice lab with lots of excellent equipment. |
| Social Life | 4 | There were activities outside of the program. |
| Placement Services | 1 | You had to find your own site for an internship and there was no job assistance. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | The school was shut down. |
Pennsylvania School Of Business - Shenango Valley • Titusville, PA
Studying Business And Diploma Program For Medical Assisting (completion in 1994)
• 3/2/2012
"They did not make you take classes that were not relevant to the course. Any time you needed extra help it was there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | They taught relevant material. They were a small school and this gave you the feeling of being included. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | I currently hear nothing about the school. I am not even sure if they are still holding classes. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school is very small in size, so the classes are not large. The had an excellent lab and a lot of hands on experience when learning. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors had previous experience in the fields they were teaching. They cared about the student and if you understood the material they were teaching. |
| How Difficult | 1 | I love the field, so it is easier to learn if you are interested in what you are studying. The instructors were very knowledgeable. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The classes were book oriented with some hands on work. The lab was 90% hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Classes were during the week. They were held daily from 9am until 3pm. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | They had all of the necessary equipment. The lab was excellent for hands on training. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did not have a lot of free time. I was the mother of a new born, so there was not a lot of time to socialize. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The school required students to do an externship program. Most of the students were offered jobs from this program. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I graduated in 1994. I never hear anything from the school. |
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