Medical Assisting For Profit Vs. Tech School programs

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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I am looking for a career change in the medical field. I currently teach but I dont have the passion and patience for it. I have always wanted to be a nurse and God willing I will. However, after doing research and looking at my financial situation ( I am married with a 1 year old ), I have decided to wait before applying to a nursing program where I would have to quit working fulltime. I have looked at medical assisting since the hours are pretty much the same and with budget cuts to education, the pay wouldn't be too different. My question is would it be safe to go to a for-profit program like Everest and Sanford Brown instead of a technical school? Of course, I would rather go to a technical school simply due to the price but they don't offer night and weekend classes like Everest. I would like to start taking the program while I work fulltime. Any advice is welcome!

I am looking for a career change in the medical field. I currently teach but I dont have the passion and patience for it. I have always wanted to be a nurse and God willing I will. However, after doing research and looking at my financial situation ( I am married with a 1 year old ), I have decided to wait before applying to a nursing program where I would have to quit working fulltime. I have looked at medical assisting since the hours are pretty much the same and with budget cuts to education, the pay wouldn't be too different. My question is would it be safe to go to a for-profit program like Everest and Sanford Brown instead of a technical school? Of course, I would rather go to a technical school simply due to the price but they don't offer night and weekend classes like Everest. I would like to start taking the program while I work fulltime. Any advice is welcome!

I would be careful about Sanford Brown. I went there and competed their MA program. I was told my credits would transfer, & not a single one did. I did find a job upon graduating Sanford Brown. Although I did gain medical experience I wish I had just gone to tech school and done my pre-reqs, & would have been applying to nursing schools much sooner! Sanford brown is expensive & I personally did not have the best experience, but I did learn some skills.. I'm not sure where you live, but many tech schools offer online and night classes you just might have to do a little searching. I completed a lot of my pre-reqs online-- apart from the sciences which I had to take on campus but I did go to night classes... Anyhow, good luck either way(-:

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This is the program I'm doing. It's a two part program through a local vocational school and community college. The vocational part of the program is just under $3,000 (including books) and is 9 months and gives 36 credits towards the associates. Upon completion of the 9 month program, I'll sit for the AMAA test and be able to work while I complete the rest of my requirements through the college, which runs in all $95/credit hour. Considerably less than the "for profit" schools that charge, what $17,000 plus? I already have a few college credits that will transfer and count towards the program (Math and Psych, yes, I've already talked to the college...)

http://www.occc.edu/catalog/pdf/MedicalAssistant-AAS.pdf

What was very appealing to me as well, was the fact that the school sets up our externship locations FOR us, and all the students who complete this program actually HAVE jobs. I see ads in our local papers for MA's quite frequently, so at least HERE, there's a need.

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^^^^^ wow that medical assisting program looks good! I like how it includes general ed!

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Specializes in alzheimers, hospice, dialysis.

Yea the ma programs i was referring to also included general education.

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Specializes in alzheimers, hospice, dialysis.

Whoops, sorry i was thinking this was a diff thread lol!

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