Medical Assistant - Front and Back Office is a Diploma program (Hybrid) offered by Premiere Career College in Irwindale, CA. The program takes 34 weeks to complete, with a total tuition of $9,680.
Program Overview
The Medical Assistant, Front and Back Office program gives students the basic knowledge and skills to work as entry-level medical assistants performing both front and back-office duties, including taking EKGs and drawing blood. It is a 900 clock hour, 38 semester credit diploma, completed in 34 weeks.
The program trains students in anatomy and physiology, front office practices, clinical procedures including EKG and phlebotomy, typing and keyboarding, and microcomputer operation. Students learn to run the front office of a medical facility with an understanding of both clinical and office procedures, along with medical coding and billing and software applications, patient education and preparation for diagnostic examinations.
The program ends with a 160-hour externship in a doctor’s office, clinic, hospital or medical laboratory connected with the college, giving students practical clinical experience before graduation.
What sets this Program apart
- Programmatic recognition. ABHES’s grant of accreditation includes programmatic recognition of the college’s Medical Assistant program.
- Front and back office. Patient reception, appointment scheduling, patient history, medical records and telephone communication, alongside vital signs, EKGs, drawing blood, injections and specimen collection.
- A real externship. 160 hours in a doctor’s office, clinic, hospital or medical laboratory.
- Simulated clinical spaces. A simulated doctor’s office and examination room and a simulated EKG room on campus.
Admission Requirements and Process
The first thing to remember about the admissions process is that there are many people at Premiere Career College qualified and willing to help you. Requirements for admission to Premiere Career College are based upon the applicant’s career goals, their motivation to succeed, and their ability to benefit from the program. Your Admissions Advisor will have all the details about each program.
General Requirements
- Minimum Age 18Be 18 years of age or not subject to compulsory school attendance in California.
- California ResidencyBe a California resident. Applicants must provide a state-issued ID to evidence California residency.
- High School Diploma or GEDHave a high school diploma (this can be from a foreign school if it is equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma) or have the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma, such…
- Wonderlic Entrance ExamPass the College’s Entrance Examination (Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam, Form IV or V) with a minimum passing score of 15. Applicants who do not pass on the first try may retake…
- Career Planning InterviewParticipate in a career planning interview with an admissions advisor.
- Required OrientationAttend the required orientation.
- Program VaccinationsThe College has no general vaccination requirement for students entering the College. However, a specific program may have vaccination requirements for the externship and clinical…
- Physical RequirementsAn allied health professional must be in good physical health since they will be working in direct contact with customers or patients. The related fields of study require a great…
- English ProficiencyAll classes are conducted in English. Students must have the ability to read and write English at the level of an American high school graduate, as demonstrated by a high school…
Application Process
- 1Visit the Campus and Meet an Admissions AdvisorVisit the campus and meet with an Admissions Advisor. This is an important first step, and all inquiring applicants are scheduled for a tour of the College. We encourage you to bring your family and involve them in the process.
- 2Complete the Application FormThe enrollment procedure begins with filling out an application form designed to ascertain your educational, occupational, and financial background. Contact the Admissions Office to get started.
- 3Interview and Program PresentationAll applicants are interviewed, given a tour of the facility and a thorough presentation of the training program they are interested in, and receive information on tuition and fees, a copy of the catalog, and a copy of the School Performance Fact Sheet.
- 4Take the Wonderlic Entrance ExamQualified applicants are given the timed admission test (Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam). The required scores vary by program.
- 5Apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA)Upon making a formal application to the College, you may meet with a Financial Aid officer who will help determine your eligibility for participation in the Federal Student Aid program. Entrance Counseling with the financial aid officer is required.FAFSA Code for Irwindale: 031258Fill Out the FAFSA
- 6Admissions ReviewThe Director of Admissions, with the guidance of the respective Program Director, reviews and approves all applications for admission. Applicants who do not qualify are notified promptly via telephone, text messaging, e-mail, or in person.
- 7Attend OrientationAttend the required orientation before your program starts. Classes start every week, so chances are good that there’s a new class starting soon.
Program Schedule
900 clock hours over 34 weeks, delivered residentially or blended, including a 160-hour externship. The maximum time allowed to complete is 150% of the program length: 51 weeks. Many externship assignments are for forty hours per week. Graduation requires satisfactory on-time completion and a minimum grade average of 70% (C).
Campus Location
Why Accreditation Is Important
When you attend an accredited institution, you attend a school that has been independently evaluated for educational quality.
This program: Premiere Career College is accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) through February 28, 2031, with programmatic recognition of Medical Assistant. In August 2026 ABHES issued the college a Continued Show-Cause Action and directed it to submit a teach-out plan. It is approved to operate by the California BPPE.
- A reliable indicator of quality
- Approved program of study
- Qualified instructors
- Recognition by employers nationwide
Accreditations
Student Demographics
These are demographics for all students at the Irwindale Campus (IPEDS, 2024).
Percentages are of total fall enrollment. 6 students whose race or ethnicity was not reported are included in that total but shown as no category, so the figures above come to 94.3% rather than 100%.
Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid Information
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $9,680.00 |
| Registration Fee (non-refundable) | $150.00 |
| Books | $940.00 |
| Uniforms | $80.00 |
| Supplies | $450.00 |
| Kit Fees | $150.00 |
| Medical Fees | $300.00 |
| Test/Certification/Membership Fee | $250.00 |
| Total | $12,000.00 |
Federal student aid. Premiere Career College participates in the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. A Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid.
Veterans. The college is approved to train veterans and eligible persons by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education.
Paying tuition. All tuition and fees are due on or before the first day of attendance unless other payment arrangements are made. Books and supplies are provided by the college at the stated charges, which are estimates based on current prices and may change. The STRF assessment is $0.00, effective April 1, 2024. These rates took effect May 1, 2026.
Curriculum
Basic sciences, back-office and front-office procedures, then the externship: 325 theory, 415 lab and 160 externship hours, 900 clock hours and 38 semester credits in all.
The required courses below are from Premiere Career College's published catalog.
Required Courses
| Subject # | Name | Lecture | Lab | External | Total | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Required Courses
| Subject # | Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
Career Outcomes
Graduates can work in doctors’ clinics and offices, medical centers, hospitals, medical and research laboratories, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies and medical insurance companies (SOC 31-9092, 43-4071, 29-2071, 43-6013) — as entry-level medical assistants performing front-office administrative duties, as ward clerks or EKG technicians, or as phlebotomists in the back office.
Medical assistant certification is not required for employment in California; the college publishes a state-by-state determination of whether the program meets professional licensure requirements.
Career services. Students and graduates use the college’s Career Development and Placement Assistance Services. Career Development staff act as a liaison with employers and provide job search information and techniques based on current market needs, with instruction on résumé preparation, market research and interviewing, and they remain available to alumni who later consider a change of position.
What to expect as a Premiere Career College student
Important notice from the college. On August 14, 2026, Premiere Career College published a student disclosure notice: on August 12, 2026 the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) directed the college to submit an updated teach-out plan or agreement, because the institution received a Continued Show-Cause Action due to prolonged heightened cash monitoring (payment method HCM2), and required additional information showing it has the financial resources to continue operating and meet its obligations to students and employees. The college will provide a proposed teach-out plan for all five of its programs. It states that its current ABHES grant of accreditation continues through February 28, 2031.
Premiere Career College has trained students for careers in the business and medical fields since it was established in November 1991. It is located in the business center of Irwindale, in the East San Gabriel Valley, reached from the San Gabriel (605), San Bernardino (10) and Foothill (210) freeways, with parking at the front, sides and rear of the building.
The college occupies a 13,122 square foot building of connected suites: seven lecture rooms, a computer laboratory, an operating suite, a simulated doctor’s office and examination room, a nursing skills laboratory with mannequins, a clinical simulation lab that simulates a hospital suite, a simulated EKG room, an instrument processing lab, a career development and student center, and a learning resource center. Every lecture room has a motorized screen, an LCD projector and wireless desktop computers.
The college is open Monday through Friday; most classes are in session from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M., and externship and clinical rotations may be held on nights and weekends. All instruction is in English. The college provides no housing.
The Medical Assistant lecture and laboratory rooms have anatomical models and charts, microscopes, autoclaves and sterilizers, EKG machines, a centrifuge, examination tables and lights, a Mayo stand, wheelchairs and scales.