West Virginia Accredited Medical Assistant Schools and Programs
Nicknamed the Mountain State, West Virginia is known for its stunning Appalachian landscapes and its role in the coal mining and logging industries. West Virginia is also known as a paradise for sports enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, fishing, and whitewater rafting. As a medical assistant in West Virginia, you’ll be surrounded by opportunities for outdoor recreation while you pursue a fulfilling career helping others. The best West Virginia cities for a career in medical assisting include the following:
- Charleston
- Huntington
- Morgantown
- Parkersburg
- Wheeling
What makes West Virginia an attractive place for medical assistants to live and work? Although the state’s population is small, it has many outstanding medical assistant schools. To maximize your professional potential, look for a program that’s accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). In order to use the title of Certified Medical Assistant or Registered Medical Assistant, you must graduate from an accredited school and pass a national examination.
List of West Virginia Medical Assisting Programs
1. Huntington Junior College
Location: Huntington
At Huntington Junior College, you can complete an Associate Degree in Medical Assisting in 18 months if you enroll as a full-time student. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Goals for graduates include proficiency at clinical tasks, competency at medical office responsibilities, a background in general education, and a sense of professional ethics.
2. Mountwest Community & Technical College
Location: Huntington
The accredited associate degree program at Mountwest Community & Technical College can be finished in two to three years of study. Courses are offered in traditional classrooms, online, or in hybrid format. Students learn to become versatile members of a medical team, performing tasks that range from taking patient histories to performing diagnostic tests and processing insurance claims. The program prepares students to advance professionally by providing a solid background in general education as well as program-specific courses. A medical office internship concludes the program.
3. New River Community & Technical College
Locations: Beaver, Lewisburg, Princeton, Summersville
New River Community & Technical College’s Certificate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting provides a foundation for careers in front-office and back-office healthcare settings. In a front-office environment, medical assistants perform tasks like scheduling, insurance processing, records management, and bookkeeping. In a back-office setting, medical assistants collect specimens, take vital signs, educate patients, fill prescriptions, and help doctors with examinations. Forty hours of coursework are required to qualify for the certificate.
4. West Virginia Northern Community College
Location: Wheeling
Administrative medical assistants play vital roles on healthcare teams by acting as liaisons between patients and clinical personnel. West Virginia Northern Community College offers a Certificate of Applied Science in Administrative Medical Assisting. Administrative medical assistants specialize in managing the clerical and financial aspects of a clinic, physician’s office, or medical records center. Graduates of the program can apply for the credential of Certified Medical Administrative Assistant from the National Healthcareer Association and may accept jobs as medical secretaries, hospital unit clerks, medical transcriptionists, or insurance clerks.
5. West Virginia Junior College
Locations: Charleston, Morgantown, Bridgeport
West Virginia Junior College is a public, two-year community college that offers students an Associate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting and a Certificate program which both ready students to become Certified Clinical Medical Assistants, Certified EKG Technicians, and Certified Phlebotomy Technicians. The program combines in-class instruction, hands-on lab practice, and a clinical externship at a local healthcare facility to equip students with the knowledge and skills required for employment. At the end of these programs, students will know how to obtain lab specimens, perform capillary punctures for glucose testing, bill medical insurance providers, and much more.
6. Ross Medical Education Center
Locations: Charlestown, Morgantown
Ross Medical Education Center is a private, for-profit medical career training institution with campus locations throughout the country. RMEC offers students a Medical Assistant Certificate program that can be completed in 30 weeks if taken during daytime hours and 36 weeks if taken during evening hours. The program focuses primarily on the development of administrative and clinical skills. After students complete the six modules which cover topics like urinalysis, keyboarding, medical insurance coding procedures, hematology, and professional communication, their final task will be to complete a six-week clinical externship at a local healthcare facility. RMEC Charleston and Morgantown campuses have retention rates of 70 percent and 88 percent, respectively.
7. Blue Ridge Community & Technical College
Location: Martinsburg
Blue Ridge Community & Technical College is a public, two-year community college that offers students a 39 credit-hour Medical Assistant Certificate program that can be completed in twelve months. Throughout the program, which includes classroom lecture, labs, and a clinical externship, students will learn about pharmacology, human biology, insurance billing and coding, phlebotomy, and more. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be well equipped with the skills needed for an entry-level position in a healthcare setting.
8. Valley College
Location: Martinsburg, Beckley
Valley College is a public, two-year community college that offers a 10-month Professional Medical Clinical Assistant Training program. During the program students learn front office duties, computer applications, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and much more. VC’s program prides itself on combining hands-on training, practical experience, and instruction from healthcare professionals in the field. After students complete the in-class instruction and lab portions of the program, they’ll then need to finish a clinical externship at a local healthcare facility. The tuition cost of VC’s Medical Assistant program is about $15,000 dollars.
9. BridgeValley Community & Technical College
Location: South Charleston
BridgeValley Community & Technical College is a public, two-year community college that offers a four semester Associate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting degree. Throughout the program’s duration, students learn essential clinical and administrative duties like managing patient records, collecting lab specimens, insurance processing, taking vitals, and much more. In total, the program is 58 semester credit-hours.
Rachel Dennis works as both a professional writer and health care provider. She has been a licensed health care provider since 1998, with work experience as a medical assistant, certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician. She has been writing since 1994 and has been published both on-line and in print.