Medical Assistant Training Approaches

Medical assisting curricula vary greatly in cost, design, and implementation. Each vocational training program is unique because of each individual school's background, traditions, competency and training demands, values and resources, location, size of classes, and faculty.

On the other hand, there also are similarities among different schools, such as how they implement the curriculum, the use of eclectic, individualized techniques and the way content is organized by job tasks, building on employees' job knowledge.

Which Training Programs are Best?

As always, recommended medical assistant programs are those that are licensed by a regulatory entity, such as a branch of the United States Department of Education, and/or approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Graduates from these programs are eligible to sit for nationally recognized medical assistant certification exam to earn their credential. This is important to remain competitive and employable on today's highly competitive job.

What is Distance Education?

Distance education programs make use of instructional technology such as computers and interactive video, note that media can offer privacy, individualization, potential achievement gains, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility. However, technology is subject to change, involves some cost and expertise, and may not be appropriate for the level of instruction needed to produce highly trained and flexible employees.

What Should I Look for In a Distance Program?

Good distance education programs have earned approval and recognition by the same regulatory bodies as mentioned above, and have explicit measurement standards, such as using pre- and post tests based on grades; providing frequent feedback to students and instructors; measuring success by application of skills in job performance (such as the externship at a job site); and including observations of changes in work habits and attitudes as well as student reactions.