Lincoln Technical Institute has two campuses in Philadelphia, one in northeast Philly and one in Center City. Each campus offers medical assistant programs and other health care programs. The facilities at both campuses include simulated medical environments to enhance the hands-on learning experience. The medical assistant program can be completed in just under one year.
Thompson Institute is part of the Kaplan University group of schools. The Philadelphia campus was opened in 1982 and offers a Medical Assistant diploma program. The diploma program is designed to help students pass the medical assistant exams; although these exams are not a requirement of the program, they can add value to a student's resume. There are no state standards in Pennsylvania mandating medical assistants to be certified. Each employer sets its own standards when hiring medical assistants and may require a certificate for hire. The medical assistant program can be completed in just under a year, and the exams are scheduled on various dates throughout the year.
CHI Institute is also part of the Kaplan University group of schools and has two campuses located in Philadelphia. One is in the Broomall area, and the other is in Franklin Mills. Both campuses offer medical assistant training programs; the Broomall location offers an Associate of Arts degree while the Franklin Mills location offers a diploma program. The Associate of Arts degree takes approximately two years to complete while the medical assistant program can be completed in just under a year. The Associate of Arts degree requires general education courses as well as those specializing in medical assisting. The specialized programs include courses such as clinical assisting and pharmacology, as well as patient care and communication.
Online degree programs are alternatives to traditional training facilities. Keiser University's eCampus accepts Philadelphia medical assistant students for its Associate of Arts degree program. The school requires a background check as well as a health screening prior to enrolling. The program requires 60.5 credit hours for completion. Courses include general education as well as medical assistant courses, such as medical terminology and clinical procedures.