Becoming a medical assistant is a quick pathway to a rewarding career in healthcare with a solid salary.
If you’re interested in a medical assistant career, you may already know that most employers won’t hire you unless you’ve completed a training program and earned your certification.
Luckily, you have plenty of options when it comes to medical assistant training, from traditional in-person programs to live online classes to self-paced classes. All that variety can make it difficult to narrow down your choices to the best possible fit for your needs.
If you're just looking for the quick answer on whether self-paced vs. live medical assistant classes are better for you:
- Self-paced classes: These are completely self-directed and on your own time. They are best for highly self-motivated and organized students, those with unpredictable schedules or frequently changing responsibilities, and anyone looking to refresh their knowledge or certification from previous programs
- Live classes: These are led by an in-person or remote instructor and include other classmates. They are best for students who benefit from structure, accountability, and increased support or accommodations
This guide will help you determine what type of medical assistant program may be right for you, especially if you’re having trouble choosing between self-paced learning and live online classes.
You’ll learn the key pros and cons of each learning style, helping you determine what kind of classes are best-suited for you and your goals.
First Things First: Do I Need a Training Program to Become a Medical Assistant?
No always, but it helps a lot and increases your earning potential. Completing a training program is typically the first step on the path toward becoming a medical assistant for most people.
Even if you have prior experience working in healthcare, you’ll still want to choose a program that will impress potential employers, improve your salary, and leave you ready to handle the job from day one.
Even though most employers will expect you to have graduated from a credible program, you do have other options. Some aspiring medical assistants choose to forgo formal training in favor of on-the-job training, an externship, or an apprenticeship with a particular hospital or organization.
What Are Self-Paced Medical Assistant Programs?
For those leaning toward embracing the convenience and cost-effectiveness of online medical assistant training programs over in-person classes, it can be tough to decide between self-paced learning and live online classes.
As always, the first step toward making a smart choice is understanding your options.
When it comes to healthcare training, “self-paced” means exactly what it sounds like: You set the pace of your own learning, progressing through provided resources like pre-recorded lessons on your own time.
The main benefits of self-paced classes are that self-motivated independent learners can move as fast as they want without a classroom setting, and folks who need extra time to digest information won’t feel rushed.
Self-paced programs can also be a great choice for people with unconventional schedules or extensive responsibilities outside of education.
On the downside, self-paced programs tend to have lower rates of student engagement and higher dropout rates than programs featuring live instruction. That’s likely due to the isolating nature of self-paced learning, which can leave some students feeling a lack of support.
What Are Live Medical Assistant Programs?
By “live programs” we don’t just mean those that meet in-person. There are also online programs with live classes.
The defining feature of these programs is that they include real-time lessons with a live instructor, whether remote or in-person. This creates a program structure more similar to what you likely experienced in high school or college, with a set class schedule, classmates you can expect to see every time, and an instructor who’s available to answer questions and offer feedback.
The positives that come along with this teaching style are fairly obvious: More engagement with peers and instructors leads to more motivation, more effective learning, and ultimately higher graduation rates.
On the downside, those benefits often come at a slightly higher cost than comparable self-paced programs, and require students to commit to a fixed schedule.
How Do I Choose Between Self-Paced and Live Medical Assistant Classes?
Now that you know more about the types of medical assistant training available to you, it’s time to focus on the factors you’ll use to make the best decision for your specific needs:
- Self-paced learning is best for: Highly self-motivated and organized students, those with unpredictable schedules or frequently changing responsibilities, and anyone looking to refresh their knowledge or certification from previous programs
- Live classes are best for: Students who benefit from structure, accountability, and increased support or accommodations
Does Stepful Use a Live or Self-Paced Approach?
Stepful’s Medical Assistant Program combines the benefits of live instruction with the flexibility of self–paced learning. Real-time classes with actual instructors, as well as weekly check-ins and one-on-one career coaching, ensure you get the personal attention and support you need to succeed in the program and beyond.
You’ll also benefit from the convenience of online remote lessons, clinical kits for hands-on independent learning, and externship placement support so you can continue acquiring skills once you’ve completed the program. In just four months, you’ll leave with all the knowledge you need to get certified and start working in healthcare.
Stepful graduates pass their certification exams at a rate of over 87%, and 80% of graduates find a full-time job with the help of our career coaching. In fact, our success has earned us the #1 EdTech ranking in the U.S. by Time.
To sum all of this up, you’ll want to factor both your personal preferences and your future career goals into your decision to pursue either self-paced or live medical assistant classes. Live classes are more likely to hold you accountable and keep you engaged from sign-up to graduation, while self-paced courses will reward those who can keep themselves motivated and organized.
Ready to start your healthcare career with the accountability and support you need to succeed? Apply to Stepful’s live online medical assistant program today.
