Ohio Accredited Medical Assistant Schools and Programs
Ohio is a Midwestern state with a great deal of diversity. The state is known for its great cities, its football, and its nickname, the Buckeye State. It is also a densely populated state, and that means that a large need will soon overtake the medical industry as the Baby Boomers age. If you are interested in pursuing a career in medicine, you could easily find work as a medical assistant.
These major metropolitan areas are sources of medical assisting schools and jobs:
- Columbus
- Cleveland
- Cincinnati
- Akron
Medical assisting is a great career for someone who enjoys multitasking. You will be responsible for taking care of patients, collecting vital signs, administering injections, and explaining diagnoses. In some areas of your work, you will be required to handle the paperwork of the medical system. Health insurance forms, Medicare, and patient charts all require someone who knows how to handle them. If you like assisting people with their medical needs and enjoy administrative work, you may find that medical assisting is your niche job.
List of Ohio Medical Assisting Programs
1. Cuyahoga Community College
Locations: Cleveland, OH
Cuyahoga Community College offers an AAS and a certificate of proficiency in Medical Assisting. The AAS takes 4 semesters to complete after the prerequisites are completed. The certificate can be completed in 2 semesters if attending a full-time day program, or 3 semesters if attending the part-time night program, after the prerequisites are completed.
2. Columbus State Community College
Locations: Columbus, OH
Columbus State Community College offers a certificate in medical assisting, as well as an Associate of Technical Study (ATS) degree. Classes are held during daytime hours Monday through Thursday. Students learn via classroom lecture, and also complete hands-on training in the form of 210 externship hours (approximately 23.5 hours per week).
3. Sinclair Community College
Locations: Dayton, OH
Sinclair Community College offers an associate’s degree in medical assisting, but it offers a certificate program in medical office receptionist. This program will not allow you to sit for certification to become a medical assistant, but other programs that offer diplomas or certificates in medical assisting are eligible for certification. In the degree program, you will learn such varied skills as administering injections, teaching patients, and organizing a chart. You will take classes in anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, and medical terminology. With the associate’s degree, you will also be required to take classes in English composition, math, and other liberal arts areas.
4. Lorain County Community College
Locations: Elyria, OH
Lorain County Community College takes a unique approach to offering medical assisting education. In addition to offering a one-year medical assisting certificate, the school also offers an associate’s degree with a choice of focus: clinical or administrative. In the clinical track, you learn all about lab procedures, patient care, and pharmacology. In the administrative track, you will learn about human resources, medical billing and coding, and health insurance.
5. Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
Location: Cincinnati
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is a public college that offers a CAAHEP accredited Medical Assisting Certificate Program which prepares students for future entry-level healthcare careers. Throughout the 36 credit-hour program, students will learn how to perform a wide variety of administrative, clinical, and managerial tasks that are common to the medical assistant field. The program, which can be completed in as little as three semesters, consists of in-class lecture, hands-on lab practice, and a clinical externship at a local healthcare facility.
6. Edison State Community College
Location: Troy
Edison State Community College is a public college offers a 35 credit-hour Medical Assisting certificate program that’s delivered to students in a hybrid online/in-class format. The program, which can be completed in just three semesters, is designed to prepare students for entry-level medical work. Throughout the program’s duration, students learn medical office procedures, coding, various computer applications, clinical procedures like how to take and record vitals, as well as diagnostic testing/lab techniques. After students finish the in-class lecture and hands-on lab portion of the program, they’ll be expected to complete a clinical externship at a local healthcare facility.
7. Zane State College
Location: Zanesville and Cambridge
Zane State College is a public community college that offers students a CAAHEP-accredited Associate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting (A.A.S) degree which boasted an AAMA certification examination pass rate of 100 percent in 2016. The 63 credit-hour program can be completed in roughly two years. Following the successful completion of the program, students will be well versed in a wide variety of both administrative and clinical procedures such as taking vitals, performing basic lab procedures, medical record management, and handling insurance claims.
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.