Houston Career Institute
MEDICAL ASSISTANT PROGRAM AT HCI'S SOUTHWEST HOUSTON CAMPUS

Learn the Exam Room and the Front Office in as Few as 9 Months

One 800 clock hour program covers both halves of medical assisting: patient care skills like vital signs, EKG, and phlebotomy, and office skills like electronic health records and billing and coding basics. You finish with a 160-hour externship at an approved Houston-area medical facility. Financial aid for those who qualify.

Prep for the NCMA and NCET Certification Exams
Nine Modules Including a 160-Hour Externship
Small Classes on Bissonnet Street in Southwest Houston
Federal Financial Aid for Those Who Qualify

Ask About the Next Start Date

An HCI admissions advisor can explain admission requirements, tuition, financial aid for those who qualify, and how the modules and externship work.

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800 Clock HoursCompleted in as few as 9 months
Accredited by ACCSCAccrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
NCMA & NCET PrepNational certification exams through NCCT
Small ClassesPersonal attention in hands-on labs
WHY MEDICAL ASSISTING

One role, two skill sets: patient care and office administration.

Medical assistants support healthcare teams on both sides of a practice. In the exam room that can mean taking vital signs, assisting with examinations, drawing blood, and performing EKGs. At the front desk it can mean scheduling, managing medical records, and verifying insurance. HCI trains you for both, with small classes and hands-on labs at an ACCSC-accredited campus in Southwest Houston.

Exam Room Skills

Practice taking vital signs, administering medications, assisting with examinations, and performing EKG and phlebotomy in hands-on labs inside HCI's industry-standard training facilities.

Front Office Skills

Learn medical office administration, electronic health records (EHR), medical billing and coding basics, and HIPAA and medical law, so you understand the administrative side of a medical practice too.

Real Clinic Experience Built In

Module X puts you in an approved Houston-area medical facility for 160 supervised hours, after you complete the HCIN introduction and Modules A through G.

Help Paying for Your Training

HCI is approved for federal financial aid, including Federal Pell Grants and federal student loans, for students who qualify. The financial aid office helps with the FAFSA and reviews payment options.

INSIDE THE CURRICULUM

Nine Modules, From Your First Class to a Clinical Externship

CAMPUS
9700 Bissonnet Street, Houston
PROGRAM LENGTH
As few as 9 months
TOTAL HOURS
800 clock hours
CERTIFICATION PREP
NCMA and NCET through NCCT

After an introduction to the healthcare profession, seven 80-hour modules pair body systems with clinical skills, alongside office training in EHR, billing and coding basics, and HIPAA.

  • Integumentary and sensory systems, patient care, and communication
  • Skeletal and muscular systems, infection control, minor office surgery, and pharmacology
  • Digestive system, nutrition, financial management, and first aid
  • Cardiopulmonary systems, vital signs, and electrocardiography (EKG)
  • Urinary, blood, lymphatic, and immune systems, with laboratory procedures
  • Pediatrics, geriatrics, and the endocrine and reproductive systems
  • Nervous system, law and ethics, psychology, and therapeutic procedures
  • Electronic health records, medical billing and coding basics, and HIPAA
Where Medical Assistant Training Can Lead in HoustonHouston's healthcare sector, anchored by the Texas Medical Center, includes medical practices, clinics, hospitals, urgent care centers, diagnostic laboratories, and specialty providers from Sharpstown and Bellaire to Sugar Land. Because the program covers both clinical and administrative work, graduates may qualify for a range of entry-level titles depending on the roles and certifications they pursue, such as front office clinical assistant, back office clinical assistant, pediatric or geriatric medical assistant, medical records specialist, medical claims biller, or patient registration representative. Some entry-level positions may require additional certifications, background checks, drug screenings, or state licensure not provided by the HCI program. HCI offers career education and training, not employment, and does not promise or guarantee a job.
Program training

CERTIFICATION AND CAREER SUPPORT

Exam Eligibility and Help After Graduation

National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA)An industry-recognized credential from the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) that demonstrates competency in clinical medical assisting. HCI graduates may be eligible to sit for the NCMA exam.
National Certified ECG Technician (NCET)Also offered through NCCT, the NCET validates competency in performing and interpreting electrocardiograms, a skill you build in the cardiopulmonary and EKG module. Graduates may be eligible to sit for this exam.
Support for Your Job SearchAfter graduation, HCI career services can review your resume, help you prepare for interviews, assist with placement, and introduce you to Houston-area healthcare employers that partner with HCI. HCI does not guarantee employment.
HOW IT WORKS

Four Steps Toward a Medical Assistant Career

Ask Your Questions

Request details and an HCI admissions advisor will go over admission requirements, start dates, tuition, and financial aid for those who qualify. Applicants need a high school diploma or GED.

Build Skills on Bissonnet Street

Begin with the introduction to the healthcare profession module, then train in small classes and hands-on labs through seven more 80-hour modules.

Finish in a Real Medical Facility

Wrap up the program with Module X, a supervised placement at an approved Houston-area medical facility.

Prepare for Exams and Your Job Search

Graduates may be eligible to sit for the NCMA and NCET exams, and HCI career services can help with resumes, interviews, and placement assistance as you pursue entry-level roles.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

See How Medical Assistant Training at HCI Fits Your Plans

Tell us a little about yourself and an HCI admissions advisor will follow up with tuition details, financial aid options for those who qualify, upcoming start dates, and a walk through the nine modules.

No obligation to enroll. An HCI admissions advisor will follow up about your questions.