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Becoming a Medical Assistant from Home: Here’s How to Get Started

Your passion for people and dedication to wellness have paved the way for your future career, which is to become a medical assistant. You’ve heard that you can learn medical assisting through an online college, but can you really?

You can indeed learn medical assisting online at home when you enroll in an online university. You can obtain an undergraduate certificate in clinical medical assisting and an associate degree in administrative medical assisting which prepare you to work in the growing healthcare industry.

You may still have questions, but you won’t by the time you’re done reading. This guide will tell you all you need to know about learning medical assisting online.

Can I Become a Medical Assistant Online?

It might almost sound too good to be true, that you can get a medical assisting degree online, but it is true!

Your next question might be this: how to learn medical assisting online at home? Well, that’s easy. You select an accredited online university and then enroll.

Becoming a medical assistant from home has many advantages, so let’s discuss them now.

Learn from Your Favorite Place

Being relaxed may be able to better your ability to learn, according to a 2020 article from The Daily Iowan.

What place is more relaxing than your own home? You know it better than anyone, so you can carve out a cozy nook, open your laptop, and get started with your lessons or assignments for the day.

No Commute

Who likes to spend time stuck in traffic? No one of course, yet it’s such a major part of so many people’s daily lives that they just learn to live with it.

When you learn medical assisting online, you won’t have to worry about a commute to and from a college campus.

The only commute you’d have is from your bed to your work desk!

Your tank of gas will go further. Plus, not being on the road produces fewer emissions, so you’re doing our planet a favor too.

Peace and Quiet

Do you work best in a quiet, controlled environment? When learning online at home, you have the freedom to choose your environment down to the letter.

You can select a quiet place, control the temperature, and alter the amount of lighting. You’ll be ready to get your best work done.

Saves Money

You also save so much money when you decide to become a medical assistant online.

There’s the aforementioned gas money you don’t have to spend since you’re not commuting. You won’t live on campus, so you don’t have to pay any residential fees.

Further, some online colleges with medical assisting programs might include all software, courseware, and books with your tuition.

What Education Is Required to Become a Medical Assistant?

To become a medical assistant, you need at least a high school diploma, but with an undergraduate credential such as a certificate or an associate degree from an accredited college, this will help you stand out.

Here’s what you may learn in your online medical assisting program from home.

Specialty Exam Assistance

When a doctor or nurse needs to do an electrocardiogram, diagnostic imaging, or radiology, you’d be right there ready to step in and assist.

Your time in a medical assisting program will teach you how these various exams work, what the equipment does, and how you can help ensure patient comfort.

Patient Exams

You’ll also be trained on how to do a patient exam, including how to take patient measurements and vital signs.

You’ll learn how to sterilize medical equipment, how to do ear and eye assessments, how to take injections, and how you may aide a doctor during surgical procedures.

Collecting Blood Samples

Taking blood is known as phlebotomy.

Part of your at-home medical assisting education will entail you using a practice medical kit that contains blood tubes, syringes, safety needles, and a phlebotomy/venipuncture kit to learn how to properly collect blood samples.

Medical Billing and Coding

Although medical billing and coding is its own field, as a future medical assistant, you’ll at least become acquainted with the basics.

You’ll also get to understand electronic health records or EHRs.

Diseases and Infection Control

The pathology and pharmacology skills that you’ll collect during your time in academia will allow you to partner with nurses or doctors to understand various types of infections or diseases and the associated treatments.

Medical Terminology

From physiology to anatomy and all the medical terminology you need to know, you’ll be able to speak the same language as the rest of the medical staff when you eventually get hired as a medical assistant.

Medical Records Cybersecurity

Today, the safety and security of medical records are more paramount than ever. You’ll be instructed on cybersecurity measures to keep your medical facility HIPAA-compliant.

Medical Office Technologies and Software

Finally, to make a more effective medical assistant right out of graduation, your undergraduate or associate program should teach you medical office technologies and software. These are the kinds of programs you’ll use every day in your new role.

How Long Are Most Medical Assistant Programs?

You’ve decided that an online medical assistant college is the best choice for your future career. Will you spend more time in school if you enroll online or less time?

Well, the average amount of time it takes to complete a medical assistant certificate program is between nine and 11 months. Many associate degrees can be completed in roughly 18-20 months.

You also may have the opportunity to earn both your undergraduate certificate and associate-level degree at the same time depending on which online college you choose. This should shave time off your education so you can begin working as a medical assistant sooner.

Enroll in an Online Medical Assistant College Program Today

How to become a medical assistant from home? At Bryan University, we offer two programs for aspiring medical assistants.

The Clinical Medical Assistant Undergraduate Certificate program includes courses on technical skills like those above. Future medical assistants will have the skills that hiring managers want for on-the-job success. 

As a Bryan University students, you’ll receive a medical kit free of charge with blood tubes, safety needles, syringes, wipes, gloves, vein clips, tourniquets, an authentic IV kit, a phlebotomy/venipuncture kit, a stethoscope, and a blood pressure cuff.

Bryan University is also a proud partner of the National Healthcareer Association or NHA and offers our Clinical Medical Assistant Undergraduate Certificate students a virtual externship opportunity to make you even job-readier.

Plus, the curriculum will prepare you for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), and Bryan U even pays for one exam fee.

As a graduate of the Clinical Medical Assistant Undergraduate Certificate, you can work as a healthcare support worker, a certified medical assistant, or a clinical medical assistant.

Upon earning your undergrad certificate or at the same time, you can also enroll in the Associate Degree in Administrative Medical Assisting program through Bryan U.

You’ll expand on the skills that you gleaned during your time as an undergrad, becoming even readier for additional medical assisting roles. You’ll receive the entire medical kit as part of your tuition as well as a virtual externship opportunity. Plus, you’ll prepare to take an additional certification known as the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). Bryan U also pays for one exam fee for all students, which is included in tuition!

With your Associate Degree in Administrative Medical Assisting, you could be hired to work at surgery centers, urgent care clinics, rehabilitation facilities, public health agencies, mental health facilities, college health departments, physician offices, or hospitals.

Your degree could help you earn advanced medical assisting job titles such as medical records specialist, certified medical administrative assistant, or medical office assistant.

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