Overview
Recently, there has been a huge increase in the number of jobs available in the medical sector in Texas. What this means for medical assistants now and in the future is that there are an ever growing number of jobs available, making it an excellent career to pursue. The medical assistant field is expected to be one of the fastest-growing occupations in the nation from 2008 to 2018, and the city of McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is noted as one of the top five US metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of medical assistant employees. In addition, there are also many medical assistant programs in Texas through which they can train for the position. In comparison to several other states, Texas offers more opportunities for education as well as for employment, and the rate of pay for medical assistants in this state is quite high. When it comes time to select one of the programs, it is very important that you shop around. Ideally it is better to contact in the region of 3 to 5 different schools (possibly more) as this will increase your chances of being admitted to one that suits your needs. There are a number of parameters to consider when choosing a school, so begin by creating a short list of the best options for you.
What Is A Medical Assistant?
A medical assistant is an individual who assists a doctor or physician with either administrative or clinical tasks. This frees the doctor up to focus more intensively on the well being of his patient. The specific duties of the medical assistant may differ depending on:
- The location of the practice
- The specialty of the practice (for example, there is a subdivision of medical assisting for both the ophthalmic and podiatric disciplines)
- The size of the practice
Although there can be differences in terms of what a medical assistant is expected to do, they are usually actively involved in taking patient history, measuring patient vital signs, helping the physician with patient examinations, giving the patient injections (as directed by the physician), scheduling patient appointments, and preparing blood for laboratory tests. Although medical assistants are described as either being administrative or clinical, they usually perform a mixture of duties.
Medical Assistant Training In Texas
One of the main reasons why individuals often fail to study for a career as a medical assistant is that they cannot afford to. However, in Texas, there are a number of financial aid options available for students who would like to pursue a career in this discipline. Some of the better known options are:
- The Tuition Equalization Grant program
- The Texas Public Educational Grant
- The Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program
If you are in need of financial assistance, you should consider options offered at federal level. In addition, there are a number of private contributors who provide scholarships and loans for students. If you do have to take a loan, there are loan forgiveness programs that you could engage in once you have completed your studies.
List Of Medical Assistant Programs In Texas
The following is a fairly comprehensive account of the medical assistant programs in Texas:
Everest College
Program Types Offered: Associate Degree, Diploma
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
Everest Institute
Program Types Offered: Certificate, Diploma, 9
Kaplan College
Program Types Offered: Diploma
National American University
Program Types Offered: Associate Degree
Anthem College
Program Types Offered: Diploma
Arlington Career Institute
Program Types Offered: Diploma
Career Centers of Texas
Program Types Offered: Diploma
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
Career Point College/Institute
Program Types Offered: Associate Degree, Diploma
Cisco College
Program Types Offered: Certificate
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
College of the Mainland
Program Types Offered: Certificate
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
Concorde Career Colleges
Program Types Offered: Diploma
Programmatic Accreditation: ABHES
Dallas County Community College District
Program Types Offered: Certificate
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
El Paso Community College
Program Types Offered: Associate Degree, Certificate
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
Hallmark College of Technology
Program Types Offered: Associate Degree
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
Lamson Institute
Program Types Offered: Diploma
Northeast Texas Community College
Program Types Offered: Associate Degree
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
Richland College
Program Types Offered: Certificate
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
Sanford-Brown College
Program Types Offered: Certificate
Programmatic Accreditation: ABHES
Southern Careers Institute
Program Types Offered: Diploma
Southwest Career College
Program Types Offered: Diploma
Programmatic Accreditation: ABHES
The College of Health Care Professions
Program Types Offered: Certificate
Programmatic Accreditation: ABHES
Virginia College
Program Types Offered: Associate Degree
Vista College
Program Types Offered: Associate Degree, Diploma
Programmatic Accreditation: ABHES and CAAHEP
Westwood College
Program Types Offered: Diploma
Programmatic Accreditation: CAAHEP
It is interesting to note that accreditation information is not available for each of these schools. When selecting medical assistant programs in Texas, it is very important that the program you select is accredited by an appropriate accrediting agency. If it is not, you are likely to find that you qualification (as well as your hard work and money) will have been for nothing. The best method for selecting a school is by only considering those that offer information regarding their accreditation status, and ignoring those that are either not accredited or that are not forthcoming on the topic.
Salary
It is well worth considering what your medical assistant program will get you in the long run. In Texas, the salaries for medical assistants can differ quite notably by city. According to cbsalary.com, the following are the approximate rates that you could expect to earn as a medical assistant in Texas.
- In Abilene you can earn $30, 891 a year
- In Laredo you can earn $27, 443 a year
- In Amarillo you can earn $28, 603 a year
- In Lewisville you can earn $38, 753 a year
- In Arlington you can earn $38, 675 a year
- In Longview you can earn $30, 410 a year
- In Austin you can earn $39, 789 a year
- In Lubbock you can earn $27, 700 a year
- In Azle you can earn $38, 675 a year
- In Marshall you can earn $30, 810 a year
- In Beaumont you can earn $28, 017 a year
- In McAllen you can earn $29, 167 a year
- In Brazoria you can earn $35, 508 a year
- In Mission you can earn $29, 165 a year
- In Brownsville you can earn $29, 338 a year
- In Odessa you can earn $32, 830 a year
- In Bryan you can earn $32, 061 a year
- In Plano you can earn $38, 753 a year
- In College Station you can earn $32, 061 a year
- In Port Arthur you can earn $28, 017 a year
- In Coppell you can earn $38, 753 a year
- In San Angelo you can earn $33, 859 a year
- In Corpus Christi you can earn $31, 758 a year
- In San Antonio you can earn $34, 847 a year
- In Dallas you can earn $38, 753 a year
- In San Benito you can earn $29, 338 a year
- In Denison you can earn $38, 218 a year
- In San Marcos you can earn $39, 789 a year
- In Denton you can earn $38, 753 a year
- In Sherman you can earn $38, 218 a year
- In Edinburg you can earn $29, 167 a year
- In Temple you can earn $32, 804 a year
- In El Paso you can earn $29, 502 a year
- In Texarkana you can earn $30, 629 a year
- In Fort Worth you can earn $38, 675 a year
- In Texas City you can earn $35, 953 a year
- In Frisco you can earn $38, 753 a year
- In The Woodlands you can earn $35, 953 a year
- In Galveston you can earn $35, 953 a year
- In Tyler you can earn $33, 222 a year
- In Harlingen you can earn $29, 338 a year
- In Victoria you can earn $30, 619 a year
- In Houston you can earn $35, 953 a year
- In Waco you can earn $31, 796 a year
- In Irving you can earn $38, 753 a year
- In Wichita Falls you can earn $29, 029 a year
- In Killeen you can earn $32, 804 a year
Texas offers a surprising number of schools through which you can train to be a medical assistant. However, it is important to remember that the medical assistant programs in Texas mentioned here do not represent an exhaustive list, and neither are they necessarily the best options for you. It is extremely important that you do your own research into each of the schools and determine their suitability for you at a personal as well as at a practical level. Medical assisting allows you to enter the stable and ever-growing medical industry where job security is guaranteed and the potential for growth is huge.