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Medical assisting extern education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, medical assisting externs don't need a college education. The most common degree for medical assisting externs is bachelor's degree with 34% graduates, with only 23% medical assisting extern graduates earning associate degree. Medical assisting externs who decided to graduate from college often finish ECPI University or Remington College. Some good skills to have in this position include patients, vital signs and ekg.

Popular medical assisting extern certifications include Medical Assistant, Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), or Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (NHA). To improve medical assisting extern qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in medical assisting extern education paths.

What education do you need to become a medical assisting extern?

What degree do you need to be a medical assisting extern?

The most common degree for medical assisting externs is bachelor's degree, with 34% of medical assisting externs earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 23% and associate degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 34%
  • Associate, 23%
  • Diploma, 16%
  • High School Diploma, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 19%

What should I major in to become a medical assisting extern?

You should major in medical assisting services to become a medical assisting extern. 40% of medical assisting externs major in medical assisting services. Other common majors for a medical assisting extern include business and health care administration.

Best majors for medical assisting externs

20 best online courses for medical assisting externs

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1. Medical Terminology

coursera

This specialization is intended for anybody that is interested in developing skills in medical language or preparing for further studies in the medical field. Learners will be able to identify common prefixes, suffixes, roots and abbreviations so they can recognize most medical terms used by medical professionals. Learners will also have an understanding of the structure of an electronic health record and extract vital information from it. Moreover, learners will gain basic knowledge of the...

2. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

3. Speak Medical Spanish to Your Patients and Clients

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Spanish essentials for healthcare; program teaches correct pronunciation, pain management and medication, among others...

4. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing

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Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...

5. Medical Terminology II

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This is the second course of the Medical Terminology specialization. It builds on the basic concepts of medical terminology with the introduction of new roots, terms, and abbreviations specific to the endocrine system (hormones). The body's transportation and defense systems (cardiovascular, blood, and lymphatic) will also be covered as well as the respiratory system (lungs)...

6. A Specialty Approach to Learning Medical Billing and Coding

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Volume One: Medical Hematology...

7. Medical Terminology

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Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...

8. AMCI Introduction to Medical Coding (I2MC) Course

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Introduction to Medical Coding (I2MC) Course...

9. Medical Coding: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Training

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Learn medical coding and prepare yourself for today's healthcare workplace...

10. Introduction to Medical Imaging

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Your guide to the history, science, math, and economics of medical imaging systems (e.g., X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound)...

11. Deep Learning with PyTorch for Medical Image Analysis

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Learn how to use Pytorch-Lightning to solve real world medical imaging tasks!...

12. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.

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Understand regulations for medical devices in simple terms to gain market approval of a medical device in the EU...

13. Medical Device Regulation (MDR): Intro for Device Designers

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An introduction to the EU's Medical Device Regulation (MDR) for those involved in developing medical devices...

14. Medical coding for U.S. healthcare industry

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Jump start your career in the fastest growing career choice in the healthcare industry...

15. Internal audit on Medical Device QMS - ISO 13485:2016

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Successfully conduct an internal audit based on requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

16. EU Medical Device Regulatory Affairs explained Simply

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How to get approval to sell Medical Devices within the European Union. Understand regulatory affairs & ISO 13485 2016...

17. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - European Medical Devices

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A practical course discussing the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in real-world situations...

18. Medical Terminology 101

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For those in healthcare, billing, and more. Boost earning ability and marketable skills by learning to speak medicine...

19. Medical Writing for Healthcare Professionals

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Launch your scientific and medical writing career today. Learn from an experienced medical writer!...

20. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016

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Awareness and Application for the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

Average medical assisting extern salary by education level

According to our data, medical assisting externs with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $42,373 annually. Medical assisting externs with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $38,208.
Medical assisting extern education levelMedical assisting extern salary
Master's Degree$42,373
High School Diploma or Less$37,292
Bachelor's Degree$38,208
Some College/ Associate Degree$37,998

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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