Education · 1 of 5
The path
About a year. The shortest respectable route into clinical healthcare work in the country.
- 1
High school diploma
Grade 12
Biology and any health science class help. A diploma or equivalent is the entry requirement.
- 2
Accredited certificate program
About 1 year
Anatomy, medical terminology, clinical skills, records and insurance billing. Full time it takes about a year.
- 3
Clinical externship
4 to 6 weeks
An unpaid placement in a real clinic. The Community College of Allegheny County requires 160 hours, and other programs run similar blocks of about 160 to 200 hours.
- 4
Certification exam
Weeks
Take a national medical assistant exam. It is not legally required in most states, but employers increasingly insist on it.
- 5
First clinic job
Year 1
You start at the front desk and on basic clinical tasks, then take on more as you are trusted.