Class Calendar | Call admissions on 415-943-2028
Find Phlebotomy Technician and EKG Technician training at BAMA Institute
Are You Eligible For Our Free Medical Assisting With Phlebotomy & EKG Program For SF Residents? CLICK HERE.
Class Calendar | Call admissions on 415-943-2028
Working in a healthcare setting can be an enriching and satisfying career with the potential for professional and financial growth. Some people spend years in school to train and become doctors or nurses, while others don’t want to spend so much time in the classroom and are ready to jump straight into their careers as soon as possible. If that describes you, a career as a medical assistant is the perfect choice! If so, you might wonder, “Do you need a degree to be a medical assistant?” and the short answer is “No, but…”
Medical assistants in California are not required to hold any specific degree or credentials; however, many of the best employers with the highest-paying jobs prefer to hire medical assistants who have graduated from accredited medical assisting programs and hold a medical assisting credential and other supplemental certifications.
Certifications that make you more hireable include:
There are many educational paths to becoming a professional medical assistant and having a career you will love.
Medical assistants typically fall into one of three categories: those with a high school diploma and on-the-job training, those who have completed a certification program and potentially have medical assisting certification, and those who have completed an associate degree from a community college or university. None of these paths make you a better or worse medical assistant, but more training gives you additional skills and expertise and can make you more marketable. Differences in education and job prospects can be found in the chart below.
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Medical assistant salaries depend on several factors, including what your work duties are, your experience, the setting where you work, what state you live in, and what your education and training include. Full-time medical assistants may also be eligible for work benefits like 401(k) contributions, paid vacations and sick days, or health insurance.
While you don’t need a degree to become a medical assistant in California, there are educational pathways that will give you more career opportunities and chances for professional advancement. To become accredited in California, medical assistant training programs must provide students with education and hands-on training, including:
Programs meeting these requirements will produce students prepared to test for their Certified Medical Assistant credentials through the National Center for Competency Testing or other national credentialing bodies.
If you are ready to begin your career in medical assisting and see where the profession can take you, BAMA is prepared to help. Do you need a degree to be a medical assistant in California? No. But you do need an excellent education and training.
BAMA is well-known, fully accredited, and is the premier training academy for medical assistants in the Bay Area.
If you want to learn more about our medical assistant training programs and explore whether Bay Area Medical Academy is right for you,fill out our form or call 415-217-0077 (San Francisco campus) or 408-896-9440 (San Jose campus).
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Our career-oriented program gives you hands-on, real-world training and ongoing support for your long-term goals.
For more information on BAMA's medical assisting and phlebotomy degree programs, contact us today!
BAMA: The Bay Area's best career-oriented healthcare traning
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