The vast majority of Medical Assisting (MA) programs have an externship at a local healthcare facility included. These are unpaid externships in which the student works alongside physicians, nurses, medical assistants and other medical professionals to get real-world, hands-on experience.
Why aren’t medical assisting externships paid work in MA training programs? The question often comes up when prospective students are looking into medical assistant school—why don’t medical assistant students get paid for the hours they work during their externship?
What a Medical Assistant Externship?
An externship is part of your training, the final step before you take the certification exam. Most states require medical assistants to have a certain number of work hours before they can take the exam to become a certified medical assistant. Externships are coordinated between local vocational schools and healthcare facilities, allowing students to get the hands-on field training required to sit for a certification exam.
After you’ve done all your classroom and clinical training, you go to work in an externship for a number of weeks to get your hours. Then you are done with your initial medical assistant training and ready to take the certification exam.
Why Aren’t Students Paid for the Work They Do in an Externship?
Externships are unpaid in almost every medical assisting school scenario, across the US. In most states, it is a requirement that you complete an externship to finish medical assistant school and sit for the certification exam. Depending on what state regulations are, the number of hours may vary. For example, if the externship is 160 hours, you would typically work four 40-hours weeks at an outside medical office or medical clinic, learning from seasoned medical professionals.
This work is unpaid because most vocational schools treat the externship as a course in the overall program, and students are usually graded on this course. In most cases, you cannot be considered a certified medical assistant until you complete the externship—it is considered an in-office course. Therefore, you can’t be paid as a regular W2 employee or 1099 contractor.
Essentially, if the school considers the externship a course, you won’t be getting paid for the hours you work during your externship time. Note: Campus Sacramento has the medical assistant externship listed as a course, similar to most schools.
Some Positive Aspects About Your Medical Assisting Externship
One of the good things about completing an externship is you may receive a job offer from the medical office afterwards. If you do a good job and make a good impression, you might be able to get a job once you earn your certification.
Regardless if you get a job offer or not, you will learn a lot, and gain a lot of valuable experience. Every medical office organizes their work a little differently, and it is good to learn from experienced colleagues who can show you the ropes. You can also list the externship on your resume.
The time will go by faster than you realize, and bring you closer to your goal of working as a medical assistant.
What are Potential Challenges in Externships?
The biggest challenge for some students is if they are already working a job while going to school. Arranging your schedule to be able to work and do the externship will require communication with your current employer. Once the externship is complete, you should be able to resume your previous schedule. Remember, the externship is temporary and is a course in the overall program.
Required Hours for a Medical Assisting Externship
This number will vary from state to state, but in California, you need 160 externship hours to take the certifying exam for medical assistants.
Description of the Campus Sacramento Externship
The 160-hour externship at Campus Sacramento provides students with hands-on experience in an ambulatory healthcare setting off campus from our vocational college. You’ll get a chance to use the clinical and administrative skills you’ve learned so far, in a real world setting, under the supervision of a healthcare professional. You’ll receive feedback on your performance from your healthcare supervisors.
Take the First Step To a Medical Assistant Career at Campus Sacramento
If you’re ready to take the next step towards becoming a medical assistant, Campus Sacramento has a Medical Assisting training program that can help you launch your career. In a matter of months, you can earn your certification in medical assisting, and enter the workforce ready to start. If you have questions about class schedule, start dates, or financial aid, contact our friendly Admissions team for more information. We can’t wait to help you start your healthcare career.