Home Online Schools Medical Administrative Assistant Programs

Why Trust EduMed?

250+ expert nursing & allied health contributors

500+ college & university connections

2,000+ users matched to programs monthly

Meet Our Team Editorial Values

The following professionals lent their expertise to this article:

An orange stylized graduation cap with the letter "E" forms part of the design, set against a white circular background.
Author: Gabby Hyman
An orange stylized graduation cap with the letter "E" forms part of the design, set against a white circular background.
Gabby Hyman Arrow up right
Staff Writer
Gabby Hyman has written articles in higher education and healthcare for more than 20 years. His content has been featured on Yahoo! Education, MSN Careers, ElderCare Link, and more. Gabby's work for EduMed includes detailed analyses of degree programs in practical nursing, medical assisting, and six other allied health fields.
Areas of Expertise
Check Editorial
Editorial
Editor: Charmaine Robinson, RN, MSN
Black and white close-up photo of a woman smiling softly at the camera, with long dark hair and geometric earrings. Leafy patterned background partially visible on the right.
Charmaine Robinson, RN, MSN Arrow up right
Charmaine Robinson has been a nurse for over 10 years. She has a background in medical-surgical nursing and nursing instruction. She received a Master of Science in Nursing Education from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, San Bernardino. Her combined years of nursing experience, education, and writing skills guided her into the field of nurse writing. Charmaine has authored dozens of articles, career guides, courses, and clinical training material for nurses, nursing students, and allied health professionals.
Areas of Expertise
Check Nursing Nursing Ed.
NursingNursing Ed.

Keep Learning

Online Bachelor of Healthcare Administration (BHA) Degrees: Finding Top Programs

Learn what to expect from online bachelor’s in...

Online Health Information Management Degrees: Finding the Right Program

Learn the steps to pick an accredited online...

Online Medical Billing & Coding Classes (Programs for CPC, CCS, CCA)

Top online medical billing & coding programs help...

Online Medical Administration Assistant Programs: Top Schools

The following professionals lent their expertise to this article:

An orange stylized graduation cap with the letter "E" forms part of the design, set against a white circular background.
Author: Gabby Hyman
An orange stylized graduation cap with the letter "E" forms part of the design, set against a white circular background.
Gabby Hyman Arrow up right
Staff Writer
Gabby Hyman has written articles in higher education and healthcare for more than 20 years. His content has been featured on Yahoo! Education, MSN Careers, ElderCare Link, and more. Gabby's work for EduMed includes detailed analyses of degree programs in practical nursing, medical assisting, and six other allied health fields.
Areas of Expertise
Check Editorial
Editorial
Editor: Charmaine Robinson, RN, MSN
Black and white close-up photo of a woman smiling softly at the camera, with long dark hair and geometric earrings. Leafy patterned background partially visible on the right.
Charmaine Robinson, RN, MSN Arrow up right
Charmaine Robinson has been a nurse for over 10 years. She has a background in medical-surgical nursing and nursing instruction. She received a Master of Science in Nursing Education from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, San Bernardino. Her combined years of nursing experience, education, and writing skills guided her into the field of nurse writing. Charmaine has authored dozens of articles, career guides, courses, and clinical training material for nurses, nursing students, and allied health professionals.
Areas of Expertise
Check Nursing Nursing Ed.
NursingNursing Ed.

Launch your healthcare career with one of the top-rated and most affordable MAA programs that allow you to enter the industry with ease and speed. With EduMed’s guide, you’ll learn about financial aid options, the best school options, and other vital information to help you get going in your educational journey.

Jump To Section

Jump ToSection:

FIND THE PROGRAM FOR YOU

  1. Choose your degree
  2. Match with schools
  3. Connect with favorites

Use our 4-step matching tool to find top schools in your field. Review options and connect with your favorites.

I want my
In

FAQ About Online Medical Administrative Assistant Programs

Before leaping into an online medical administrative assistant program, understanding the best path to the physician’s office and the best price can help clarify the most ideal route for your education. Here, we detail information about potential coursework, school accreditations, and financial aid resources to pay for your education. We’ll also outline career prospects and salaries and the differences between a clerical or clinical assistant.

What does an online medical administrative assistant program cover?

Each online medical administrative assistant program sets its own requirements, affecting the number and type of classes needed for graduation. However, the core subjects are based on medical industry standards. Make sure the curriculum at your target schools aim toward securing your certification.

The following list identifies the core classes that most programs have in common:

Medical Terminology

All allied healthcare workers must learn the basic vocabulary of communications between staff, physicians and patients. Interactive online lessons will help you to apply your learning to related physiology or anatomy.

Understand the basic language of procedural terminology, abbreviations, and diagnostics. Students learn how use the language roots for analyzing and pronouncing medical terms.

The Profession of Medical Assisting

This course introduces students to the profession, its history, and options for career advancement in the allied health fields. Learn about administrative and clerical duties, certification requirements, and medical/surgical specialties. The course includes studies in subjects such as:

  • Law and ethics
  • Informed consent
  • HIPAA requirements
  • The Hippocratic oath
  • The Patient’s Bill of Rights

Medical Records

Students learn the fundamental procedures for charting with the SOAP charting methodology. Covers the range of cross-referenced systems in allied health and coding systems for numeric, alphabetic, and color-coded filing. Learn the required HIPAA compliance for electronic records and how to address procedural problems such as converting from paper to digital records.

Legal/Ethical Issues

As a key member of the office, you’ll help ensure that both medical staff and patients are protected by laws relative to patient privacy and medical malpractice. Learn the different types of malpractice and burden of proof of the patient’s reporting responsibilities. The course also covers HIPAA compliance.

Insurance and Claims

This course will navigate the different insurance and claims systems that may vary from provider to provider. Learn the distinctions between HMOs, PPOs, and traditional programs.

Explore the differences between individual, group, and government-sponsored benefits. The course will focus on health insurance and medical claim forms currently used by allied health professionals.

The organizational and clerical skills you’ll learn at school can also be beneficial in pursuing jobs outside of a physician’s office. The use of office equipment, providing friendly customer reception, using billing software, multitasking and the ability to handle phones are all basic assets to have in a non-medical business environment.

Here’s a list of core skills you’ll develop in a medical administrative assistant program:

  • Customer service
  • Medical terminology and transcription
  • Insurance processing
  • Billing and coding
  • Communications etiquette and empathy
  • Bookkeeping

How is a medical administrative assistant different than a medical assistant?

While the terms “medical administrative assistant” and medical assistant” are often considered to be the same, the key duties are not interchangeable. Medical administrative assistants keep the medical office or clinic functioning smoothly. Clinical medical assistants’ main responsibility lies in assisting the physician, though they may undertake some clerical tasks.

The following table breaks out the distinctions:

Medical Administrative AssistantsMedical Assistants
Schedules appointmentsTakes vital signs, administers injections
Maintains medical recordsAdministers injections and medications
Codes procedures for insurance claimsAssists physicians during examinations
Updates medical office inventoryPrepares blood draws and x-rays
Coordinates visits to labs and other providersCreates and maintains medical histories

How long does it take to earn medical administrative assistant certification online?

Online MAA certification programs take about one year if the student can attend on a full-time basis. Some accelerated online programs can be completed in 9 months. It can take a few months following graduation to earn your formal certification by passing the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant exam (CMAA).

The program may also offer a voluntary externship to build experience, so that program will last a week or two longer. If you go to school on a part-time basis, the additional time to complete the program depends entirely on how many courses you can take and complete at a time.

How much does an online medical admin assistant program cost?

Calculating the cost of your online medical administrative assistant training has many variables to juggle. Factors that may impact tuition cost include:

  • Type of school (community college or private assisting school)
  • Enrollment status (full- or part-time)
  • Commuter expenses (for travel to voluntary externships)
  • Program length
  • Courses required for completion

If cost is your number one issue, contact prospective schools to inquire about enrollment deals. For instance, you could sign up for your first semester for as little as a dollar and pay off your tuition in monthly installments. You may qualify for federal or state grants to offset the total costs. Monthly tuition is higher than if you pay it all upfront.

For the cost of a specific online program, find a school in the ranking above and visit its tuition and fees page. To see the range of costs, here’s a sampling of five online programs and their in-state tuition rates:

Purdue University Global
$371 per credit

Penn Foster College
$79 per credit

Three Rivers Community College
$244 per credit

Pierpont Community College
$206 per credit

San Francisco State University

San Francisco State’s “Medical Administrative Assistant” program consists of a self-paced online course followed by a voluntary 40-hour clinical externship. Students learn how to navigate the practice and ethical responsibilities in the medical industry.

Course topics include:

  • Role of the assistant
  • Legal and ethical issues (including compliance)
  • Terminology and technology in a healthcare setting
  • Financial and practice management
  • HIPAA review and Patient Bill of Rights
  • Medical records management
  • Insurance coverage and billing/coding procedures

Features:

  • Career center provides job search resources, career guidance, and assistance with cover letter and resume writing
  • Online courses have 24/7 instructor support, student exercises, videos, labs, and animated simulations
  • Voluntary externship provides contacts and mentorship for employment
  • You receive six months access, all textbooks, and related course materials when you register
  • Tuition is $1,399 for the full program and financial aid programs are available

Ashworth College

Ashworth’s 10-month medical administrative assistant certificate program is built around a flexible online study model that allows students to complete their learning at their own pace. Even students who haven’t been in school for a number of years will find easy access to the required 14 lessons and faculty support.

Features:

  • Offers tools like the Binder mobile app, which allows you to take your program wherever you go
  • Continuum-based course of study from online lessons to career services
  • Assistance with building your resume, drafting cover letters, and interviewing – a service you can continue to use after you graduate
  • Tuition is $599 if you pay up-front or $799 if you submit monthly payments (can be as low as $49/month)
  • Slashed tuition rates at certain times during the year

Paying for Your Online Medical Office Assistant Program

Lining up your financial aid can spare you needless worry about paying for your MAA program, but you’ll have to start applying for aid as soon as possible. There are fewer federal financial aid programs for undergraduate certificates than there are for undergraduate degree programs.

Beware, not all schools will accept students dependent on federal financial aid or private student loans. But take heart: there are many ways to receive tuition assistance.

Scholarships

There are a number of scholarships that do not need to be repaid for medical assistant students. Online search websites, such as Fastweb, can direct you to the right MAA scholarships.

For example, California offers scholarships to medical assistant programs through the California Department of Health Care Access and Information. On the national level, AARP offers scholarships for women 50-years or older go to college based on need. Applications for scholarships need to be made at least several months before school begins.

Many scholarships are offered by:

  • The college itself
  • Allied health professional organizations
  • Individual states
  • Medical assistant associations

Financial Aid

There’s a common way to measure your ability to pay and send your results to your prospective schools. You start the aid process by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). The process also evaluates your parents’ ability to contribute.

Students should call the admissions or financial aid office of target program to see what’s available. Find out more at our financial aid page.

Loans

Don’t feel alone if you need to borrow money. The National Center for Educational Statistics reports that 46 percent of first-time college students take loans. Loans have to be repaid, so borrow carefully. Loans are available from entities such as:

Grants

There are grants available from the Federal government, state governments, national associations or trade organizations. One of the most-common grants is the Federal Pell Grant that offers $6,195 to first-time college students.

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) pays from $100 to $4,000 a year to supplement students that cannot afford school from a Pell Grant alone.

Tuition Discounts

Depending on the institution, colleges offering an online MAA program offer discounts for enrolling students. These can be enticements to sign up near the application deadline for the school.

Other deals include a small down payment plan for signing up for the program letting you pay off the balance. Others have interest-free installment plans, but the total repayment can cost more if you don’t pay it all upfront.

Check with the allied health department or college that you have in mind.

The Importance of Accreditation

Proper accreditation means a program’s curriculum has been approved by independent academic evaluators endorsed by the Department of Education. Employers in healthcare pay close attention to accreditation. They want to know that job applicants are fully prepared for their medical administrative roles before they hire them.

Two types of accreditation:

  • Institutional accreditation: covers the entire school
  • Programmatic accreditation: offered to individual academic departments or specific programs

There are severe, negative implications for attending a program without appropriate accreditation status. These include:

  • Ineligibility for federal financial aid
  • Inability to sit for National Healthcare Association’s Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) exams

Accreditation is voluntary. In exploring schools, be on the watch for a programmatic accreditation from The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

Online institutions and programs can be accredited as well, typically by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).

As with most careers involving certification or licensing, medical administrative assistants are required to renew their credentials by completing additional education. The American Association of Medical Assistants requires working assistants to complete 60 continuing education points in a three-year period to remain certified. But there are other significant reasons to continue your education.

Perhaps you want to add an undergraduate degree to create more healthcare opportunities that offer higher wages. Or you can pivot from assisting directly into another branch of healthcare. Many schools offer credit for your previous college courses, shortening your time to complete the program.

If you’re already working as an assistant, online allied health programs allow you to tailor your schooling around your daily commitments.

Below, take a look at a few of the degree options that may be a good fit, even if you’re still in your MAA program:

Continuing Education

Online Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN):

Medical administrative assistants often find themselves called to the nursing profession. With the two-year Online Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), you can complete your coursework from the location of your choice, but typically must attend clinical labs at a designated location.

The programs take from 2 to 3 years to complete. Some employers seek graduates of four-year baccalaureate nursing programs, but a registered nurse can find ample opportunities at hospitals, clinics and physicians’ offices.

You must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN).

Online Associate Degree in Health Science:

Graduates from a two-year associate program in health science are prepared to serve in a variety of roles in healthcare assisting in specialties including:

  • Patient care
  • Health information management
  • Insurance
  • Patient communication

Students increase their core knowledge in the health sector, including the fields of compliance, human resources, licensing, and community health. The degree might be suited for people changing fields or licensed practical or vocational nurses who want to complete a non-nursing degree in the business of healthcare.

Online Medical Assistant Programs:

Medical assisting certificate programs are designed for those who want to help in the examination room in concert with the physician. It is not a front-office specialty. It takes about a year to finish these programs that are offered at community colleges and vocational schools.

Graduates of accredited online programs can sit for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam offered by the National Healthcareer Association.

Online Medical Billing & Coding Schools:

The online certificate programs are designed specifically for MAA’s who want to focus on the business side of healthcare. They take approximately 10 months to complete. Students are prepared to work with:

  • Invoicing
  • Coding for medical procedures
  • Insurance claims

Upon completion of the program, graduates can take the Certified Professional Biller (CPB) or Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam from the American Association of Professional Coders.

After Your Medical Administrative Assistant Program Online

Before signing up for a certificate program, students like you are probably curious to know how to get a license, whether there will be jobs for them, and how much they can expect to be paid. Explore how continuing your education and assuming roles with greater responsibility can lead to better pay outlooks.

Do I need certification or licensure to work in as a medical admin assistant?

According to the Department of Labor, medical administrative assistants are not required to hold certification in most states. But you can increase your hiring potential to gain certification and you can find even more opportunities by earning optional certifications.

The most-common certification employers are looking for is offered after you pass the CMA Certification Exam from the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Grads can also receive certification as a Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) from American Medical Technologists.

Optional certifications can also give your career a boost. For example, the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) from the National Healthcareer Association tells employers that you have a special aptitude for handling clerical tasks.

Ranking the Top Online Medical Administrative Assistant Programs

About the Ranking
1
1

East Ohio College

Best for: externship arranged
Online Enrollment 80%
Avg. Net Price $15,827
2
2

Ultimate Medical Academy

Best for: career changers
Online Enrollment 100%
Avg. Net Price $20,197
3
3

Hopkinsville Community College

Best for: community college students
Online Enrollment 76%
Avg. Net Price $7,872
4
4

University of Arkansas Grantham

Best for: online-only students
Online Enrollment 100%
Avg. Net Price $8,369
5
5

Somerset Community College

Best for: hybrid learners
Online Enrollment 65%
Avg. Net Price $5,748
6
6

Big Sandy Community and Technical College

Best for: career-focused students
Online Enrollment 66%
Avg. Net Price $5,091
7
7

West Virginia Junior College-Bridgeport

Best for: part-time students
Online Enrollment 82%
Avg. Net Price $10,572
8
8

Maysville Community and Technical College

Best for: full-time students
Online Enrollment 62%
Avg. Net Price $6,290
9
9

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College

Best for: cohort-based learners
Online Enrollment 67%
Avg. Net Price $7,143
10
10

Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College

Best for: evening class students
Online Enrollment 59%
Avg. Net Price $6,253

Keep Learning

Online Bachelor of Healthcare Administration (BHA) Degrees: Finding Top Programs

Learn what to expect from online bachelor’s in...

Online Health Information Management Degrees: Finding the Right Program

Learn the steps to pick an accredited online...

Online Medical Billing & Coding Classes (Programs for CPC, CCS, CCA)

Top online medical billing & coding programs help...

Gabby Hyman AUTHOR

Gabby Hyman has written articles in higher education and healthcare for more than 20 years. His content has been featured on Yahoo! Education, MSN Careers, ElderCare Link, and more. Gabby's work for EduMed includes detailed analyses of degree programs in practical nursing, medical assisting, and six other allied health fields.

Read More About Gabby Hyman

Charmaine Robinson, RN, MSN EDITOR

Charmaine Robinson has been a nurse for over 10 years. She has a background in medical-surgical nursing and nursing instruction. She received a Master of Science in Nursing Education from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, San Bernardino. Her combined years of nursing experience, education, and writing skills guided her into the field of nurse writing. Charmaine has authored dozens of articles, career guides, courses, and clinical training material for nurses, nursing students, and allied health professionals.

Read More About Charmaine Robinson
Logo of EDUMED, featuring a stylized graduation cap forming the letter 'M' in a monochromatic orange, with the rest of the letters in purple on a green background.
Privacy Settings

When you visit the EduMed website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. This information may pertain to you, your preferences, or your device and is primarily used to ensure the site functions as expected and to deliver a more personalized experience. You can choose to disable certain types of cookies; however, this may affect your experience on the site and limit the services we can provide. Click on the different category headings to learn more and customize your settings. Please note that you cannot opt out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies, as these are essential for the proper functioning of the website (e.g., displaying the cookie banner, remembering your preferences, logging into your account, redirecting upon logout, etc.).