To be a medical assistant, you might choose to get certified. Or you might choose to get your associate’s degree instead. Both have benefits and drawbacks, so examining the pros and cons helps you decide which is the better option. Here’s a look at the differences between the options open to a medical assistant.
Time
One of the biggest factors is how much time you’re willing to devote to training and education. While a medical assistant certification course typically only takes about a year, getting your associate’s degree generally takes closer to two years if you go to school full time (longer depending on how many classes you take each semester). Why the difference? Certification programs focus almost solely on medical assistant skills. An associate’s degree requires basic courses, like math and writing, in addition to the courses for the medical assistant certificate.
Logistics
Online classes exist for either a certificate or an associate’s program, and they can be a great deal less expensive and easier to fit into a busy schedule. However, if you don’t think going to class online would work well for you or you prefer the experience of walking into the classroom, it’s important to know what kind of programs are offered in your area. There are relatively few institutions that offer both kinds of programs, which means the choice may be taken out of your hands.
Job Goals
Taking into consideration what your potential future boss is going to be looking for is key to making a choice like this. An associate’s degree shows an employer that you have the wherewithal to commit to something that takes longer than a year and put the effort into the extra hoops they make you jump through to reach your end goal. Additionally, not every place you’ll be applying may have the same ideas about how much work you put into getting a certificate versus getting a degree.
Getting an associate’s degree may qualify you for more positions, and it can also mean a higher salary. Because of this, you may be given more responsibility -- which you may or may not want. Look into the jobs and companies you are most interested in and find out what kind of expectations they have for their employees.
The Future
It’s also important to think about what you’re going to be doing in ten, fifteen, or twenty years. If you want to be a medical assistant and that’s the end of it, then a medical assistant certificate could be great. However, getting an associate’s degree leaves you with more options. Getting an associate’s degree is kind of like getting part of your bachelor’s degree, except that you can take a break and actually start working. If you intend to go back to school (or just think you might eventually), getting your associate’s degree lets you get some of that work out of the way already for other medically inclined programs, like nursing or office management.
