Choosing a medical assistant program in Pasadena usually comes down to a tradeoff: the low tuition and local reputation of Pasadena City College against the shorter timelines of private and hybrid programs that cost several times more. Both paths lead to the same entry-level roles at Huntington Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Pasadena, and the outpatient clinics filling the San Gabriel Valley, where medical assistant demand continues to outpace supply.
California does not license medical assistants, but employers here consistently favor graduates of accredited programs who hold a national certification like the CCMA or CMA.
Medical Assistant Jobs and Employers in Pasadena
Medical assistant jobs in Pasadena are the day-to-day clinical and administrative openings at hospitals, outpatient clinics, and specialty practices across the city and greater Los Angeles area, ranging from entry-level roles at pediatric or general clinics to specialized positions in orthopedics, oncology, or primary care.
Who's Hiring
Pasadena's medical assistant job market is anchored by large health systems and multi-site groups rather than small standalone offices. Employers actively posting openings include Cedars-Sinai, Kaiser Permanente Pasadena, City of Hope, Huntington Hospital, USC/Keck-affiliated clinics, UnitedHealth Group, Unio Health Partners, Monument Health, and HCA-affiliated practices in nearby South Pasadena. Specialty clinics in orthopedics and pediatrics also hire regularly, and short-term travel medical assistant contracts (often around 13 weeks)6 show up from time to time for MAs willing to work flexible assignments.
What Employers Expect
Most postings ask for completion of a medical assistant training program at minimum, and many prefer or require national certification such as CMA, RMA, or CCMA certification. BLS certification (typically from the American Heart Association, sometimes Red Cross) is commonly required, though some employers allow new hires a window, often around 60 days, to complete certification or BLS after starting. Experience requirements vary widely: some entry-level roles accept new graduates4, while others, including UnitedHealth Group3 and Monument Health, look for a year or more of hands-on MA experience. HCA offers multiple paths in, including a completed MA program, 12 months of direct clinical care experience, or an active MA certification. EMR familiarity and bilingual English-Spanish skills are frequently listed as pluses, especially in outpatient and pediatric settings.
Current Hiring Trends
Job boards show steady demand concentrated in Pasadena and the broader Los Angeles metro, with typical hourly pay around $21.70 and a range of $18.61 to $23.85 for most openings1, though specialty and system-affiliated roles like those at Cedars-Sinai can reach into the low $30s2. Entry-level positions coexist with postings targeting more experienced MAs, suggesting openings at multiple career stages rather than a single hiring pattern.
Medical Assistant Salary in Pasadena and Los Angeles Metro
Pasadena is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, so the figures below are the closest published BLS benchmark for medical assistant pay in the Pasadena area. According to the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for 2024, medical assistants in this metro area earned a median annual wage of $46,000. The reported 25th to 75th percentile range was $39,550 to $56,200; 10th and 90th percentile values were not included in the available data. California state median and national median figures were not available in this section's source data.
| Metric | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
|---|---|
| Total employment | 34,570 |
| Mean annual wage | $48,670 |
| 25th percentile annual wage | $39,550 |
| Median annual wage | $46,000 |
| 75th percentile annual wage | $56,200 |
Your Step-by-Step Path to Medical Assistant Certification in California
California does not license medical assistants, but most employers look for a completed training program and a national or state certification. You will work under a physician, nurse practitioner, or other licensed provider, performing non-invasive routine support. While the state does not require a background check or drug screen, individual employers may request them.
How to Choose the Right Medical Assistant Program in Pasadena
The Pasadena City College cost page estimates the medical assistant program total at about $4,000, with tuition listed at $46 per unit for a 40-unit program and additional costs for books, uniforms, exam fees, and background screening. That figure is a useful starting point, but choosing a Pasadena-area program means looking beyond the headline number.
Start With Accreditation and Exam Eligibility
Accreditation matters most when it is time to sit for a certification exam. CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation is the most direct route to CMA (AAMA) eligibility, so contact any Pasadena-area program and ask for its current accreditation status before you enroll. The public program pages reviewed here do not clearly confirm CAAHEP or ABHES status for local options, so treat that as a verification step rather than an assumption. If a school says it qualifies you for certification, ask which exam and which credential.
Compare the Full Cost, Not Just Tuition
- Pasadena City College: The posted estimate is about $4,000 in total. Tuition accounts for $46 per unit across 40 units, with other listed expenses including about $1,500 for books, $150 for uniforms, a $125 exam fee, and a $25 background check.
- CALRegional Pasadena: Advertises tuition at $2,995 or less, but the all-in cost after books, supplies, and exam fees is not published in the available materials.
- Integrity College of Health: Reports much higher 2023-2024 costs, including $24,980 for tuition and fees and $8,414 for books and supplies. Off-campus costs of attendance are listed at $120,228, or $49,102 with family; these totals include living expenses, not just the program.
Always ask for a written cost sheet that separates tuition, fees, books, supplies, background checks, CPR, liability insurance, and certification exam fees. Some figures may vary slightly across program pages, so confirm the current year's breakdown before comparing schools.
Check Schedule, Format, and Outcomes
Program length and schedule flexibility are not the same everywhere. Ask whether classes run during the day, evening, or weekend, and whether the program offers online medical assistant programs or hybrid options. Also ask for recent CMA exam pass rates and job placement or externship support. Pass-rate data for Pasadena-area programs was not available in the sources reviewed, so request current numbers directly from the school and treat a clear answer as a sign of transparency.
Choosing well comes down to verifying accreditation, getting an itemized cost picture, and matching the schedule to your life, not just picking the lowest advertised tuition.
What You'll Learn: Curriculum and Clinical Training
Core Classroom and Lab Topics
Pasadena City College's Medical Assisting Administrative/Clinical AS Certificate blends front-office and back-office skills.1 Coursework typically includes medical terminology, human disease, introductory pharmacology, medical insurance and reimbursement, and health IT with electronic health records.4 You will also practice medical office software tasks such as scheduling, patient demographics, insurance entry, accounts receivable, and records management.
Hands-On Clinical Skills
Lab time focuses on clinical assisting techniques, phlebotomy, and laboratory procedures.2 Students practice in clinical or simulated settings before working with patients. Broader medical assistant training at medical assistant schools in the Pasadena area often reinforces vital signs, specimen collection, injections and medications as permitted by California law, exam-room preparation, and assisting physicians during visits.
The Externship or Practicum
At Pasadena City College, the practicum is a 4-unit, in-person experience that lasts about six weeks and includes roughly 162 hours of unpaid clinical training.4 Placements are typically in physician offices and outpatient clinics, and students should plan to provide their own transportation to off-campus sites.3 Hours and site types can vary, so ask whether the program assigns your placement or provides a list of approved sites.
Your medical assistant externship is where classroom skills turn into professional habits. Many employers treat this supervised training as a working interview, and it often leads to a job offer after graduation.
Average Total Program Cost in Pasadena
Medical assistant program costs in Pasadena typically fall between $3,000 and $15,000 depending on program type and credential level.
Medical Assistant Program Admissions: Step-by-Step Application Guide
Applying to a Pasadena medical assistant program is less about luck and more about following a clear sequence: gather documents, meet the deadline, and show you are ready for patient-facing clinical work. Pasadena City College's Medical Assisting Program Overview is a useful reference point because its steps are clearly published, but many other local programs follow a similar path.
Common Prerequisites
Before you start the online application, collect the basics. Most programs expect a high school diploma or GED, and minimum age policies vary by school, so confirm the age requirement before applying. Pasadena City College's Patient Intake Specialist certificate requires a 2.0 overall GPA and a 2.0 GPA in college work, plus two transcripts.1 The college's medical assistant program recommends but does not require Medical Terminology and either Anatomy 25 or Biology 3. Expect to show immunization records.1 PCC's medical assistant track requires health clearance, a background check, BLS and First Aid certification, and COVID-19 vaccination. The Patient Intake Specialist path adds a chest x-ray or Mantoux test and an Ishihara color vision screen after acceptance,1 while some clinical sites also request drug screening.
Application Steps
Start with the general college application, then complete the specific medical assistant program application during its open window. At PCC, both steps are online. Upload official high school transcripts or GED equivalency unless you hold an associate degree or higher on U.S. college transcripts. Also upload official transcripts from every U.S. college you have attended, including PCC, as PDFs. After your file is reviewed, you wait for a decision. Admission to PCC does not guarantee a seat in the medical assistant program, so treat the program application as the one that counts. Some private or short-term Pasadena-area programs use an interview or an entrance exam in place of prerequisites, so be ready for either.
Deadlines and Interview Prep
Plan around specific opening windows. PCC's medical assistant program accepts applications for fall from April 18 to July 18 and for spring from September 15 to October 31. The Patient Intake Specialist certificate uses year-round applications,1 but health sciences tracks can have separate dates, so verify the correct window before applying. - Request transcripts first: Official documents can take days or weeks from other colleges. - Work backwards: Schedule transcript uploads, immunization checks, and background checks two to three weeks early. - Prepare a clear story: If an interview or placement test is needed, practice a brief answer on why you chose medical assisting and mention caregiving or customer service.
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Accredited Medical Assistant Programs in Pasadena
Below are the top medical assistant programs serving Pasadena students, ranked by IPEDS completion data, accreditation status, and program fit. The list blends local campus programs with nearby hybrid and commuter-friendly options so you can compare accreditation, net price, schedule, and clinical training opportunities. Use each program's institutional outcomes and program highlights to find the strongest match for your career goals.
Pasadena City College
#1Pasadena, CA · under $5,000/yr (est.)
Best for: Pasadena locals prioritizing accredited campus training
Pasadena City College is the most direct local option, with a CAAHEP-accredited Medical Assisting certificate offered at its Pasadena campus. Students can choose full-time (11 months) or part-time (24 months) pacing, and the program includes evening sections plus hands-on lab training. PCC reports a 95% job placement rate and prepares graduates for the AAMA certification exam. Institutional outcomes show a graduation rate near 48 percent and median earnings around $43,900, while the estimated net price is about $3,900.
- CAAHEP-accredited certificate program
- 11-month full-time or 24-month part-time tracks
- 95% job placement rate reported
- Eligible for AAMA certification exam
- Evening classes available for spring entry
- Hands-on training in state-of-the-art labs
- Administrative and clinical skill instruction
- Located at the Pasadena campus
Platt College-Los Angeles
#2Alhambra, CA · $25,000 – $30,000/yr (est.)
Best for: Working adults needing hybrid evening classes
Platt College offers an Associate of Science in Medical Assisting in a hybrid format at its nearby Alhambra campus, just outside Pasadena. The 15-month program blends online lectures with in-person labs and exams, and includes clinical externships, certification exam support, and evening class blocks. Estimated net price is about $27,600, and the program is ACCSC-accredited. Institutional outcomes show a graduation rate near 64 percent and median earnings around $40,700.
- Associate of Science degree
- 15-month hybrid program
- Online lectures with in-person labs and exams
- ACCSC-accredited program
- Clinical externships included
- Certification exam support and first exam fee covered
- Evening class blocks available
American Career College-Los Angeles
#3Los Angeles, CA · ~$32,000/yr (est.)
Best for: Commuters seeking twice-weekly hybrid classes
American Career College's Los Angeles campus offers an ABHES-accredited, nine-month Medical Assistant diploma in a hybrid format that combines two in-person days per week with online coursework. Weekend class options and a 200-hour clinical externship add flexibility and hands-on experience for Pasadena-area commuters. The estimated net price is about $32,400. At the institutional level, the college reports a graduation rate near 75 percent and median earnings around $38,400.
- Nine-month diploma program
- Hybrid blend: two in-person days weekly
- Weekend class options available
- ABHES-accredited program
- 200-hour clinical externship included
- Hands-on training with professional equipment
- Covers patient exams and office management
Angeles College
#4Los Angeles, CA · $29,000/yr (est. net price)
Angeles College offers a campus-based Medical Assistant certificate at its City of Industry location, where students train in on-campus skill labs and focus on both administrative and clinical duties. The program uses rolling admissions with new modules starting monthly, and day or evening schedules can fit Pasadena commuters who prefer a predictable campus routine. Specialized medical assisting accreditation is not listed for this program. At the institutional level, Angeles College reports a graduation rate near 93 percent and median earnings around $49,100.
- Administrative and clinical duties taught together
- Lab procedures and patient intake practice
- On-campus skill labs at City of Industry
- Monthly starts with rolling admissions
- Day and evening class schedules
West Los Angeles College
#5Culver City, CA · ~$10,000/yr (est.)
West Los Angeles College offers an on-campus Associate of Science in Medical Assisting with part-time evening and Saturday classes, making it accessible for working students in the greater Pasadena area. The program includes hands-on clinical training and prepares graduates for the California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants exam. Specialized medical assisting accreditation is not reported for this program. The estimated net price is roughly $9,600, with institutional outcomes showing a graduation rate near 28 percent and median earnings around $38,500.
- One-year part-time schedule
- Evening and Saturday classes
- Hands-on clinical and administrative training
- Eligible for CCBMA certification exam
- Clinical externship hours included
Cerritos College
#6Norwalk, CA · under $5,000/yr (est.)
Cerritos College offers both an Associate in Arts and a Certificate of Achievement in Medical Assisting at its Norwalk campus. The associate path requires about 60 units, while the certificate can be finished in two semesters with 29 units, both including internship or work experience. Specialized medical assisting accreditation is not reported, but the college is a public institution with a very low net price around $2,400. Institutional outcomes show a graduation rate near 31 percent and median earnings around $41,200.
- Associate in Arts degree path
- Requires Certificate of Achievement plus additional courses
- Minimum 60 units
- Full-time in two semesters
- Part-time options available
- Includes internship or work experience
- Grade C or better required
- 2-semester certificate program
- 29 total credit hours
- Full-time and part-time options
- Includes internship or work experience
- Prepares for front and back office skills
- Requires CPR and First Aid certification
- Estimated $600 for books and equipment
Long Beach City College
#7Long Beach, CA · $2,000 – $13,000/yr (est.)
Long Beach City College runs a campus-based, fall-start Medical Assisting program with three associate-level tracks: combined administrative and clinical, administrative only, and clinical only. Each track admits 40 students on a first-come, first-served basis, and the college is WASC-accredited. The estimated net price is about $6,200. Institutional outcomes show a graduation rate near 30 percent and median earnings around $38,900.
- Combined administrative and clinical concentration
- Two-semester program
- Starts only in fall semester
- 40 students accepted per cohort
- First-come, first-served admissions
- Associate in Science or Certificate option
- WASC accredited college
- Administrative-focused associate track
- Two semesters, fall start only
- 40 students accepted
- First-come, first-served
- Scheduling and medical records duties
- WASC accredited college
- Clinical-focused associate track
- Two semesters, fall start only
- 40 students accepted
- Vital signs, blood draws, exam assistance
- WASC accredited college
University of California-Los Angeles
#8Los Angeles, CA · $13,000/yr (est. net price)
UCLA's Medical Assistant Program is a CAAHEP-accredited hybrid certificate delivered with UCLA Health. The four-quarter program includes 68 units, 200 clinical hours, and preparation for the NCCT NCMA exam, with reported 100 percent pass and 90 percent job placement rates. Program tuition is listed at $23,000 before aid, while the estimated net price after aid is about $12,500. At the institutional level, UCLA reports a graduation rate near 93 percent and median earnings around $82,500.
- CAAHEP-accredited certificate program
- Four-quarter program totaling 68 units
- 200 clinical hours included
- Prepares for NCCT NCMA certification exam
- 100% licensure pass rate reported
- 90% job placement rate reported
- Partnership with UCLA Health
- $23,000 total program tuition before aid
Downey Adult School
#9Downey, CA · $10,000 – $15,000/yr (est.)
Downey Adult School offers a hybrid Clinical Medical Assistant certificate that costs about $4,999 including books, making it one of the more affordable private training options in the region. The program includes 660 hours of instruction with an externship, day or evening classes, and preparation for both NCCT and California state certification. The estimated net price is about $13,700, and institutional median earnings are around $46,900. The school reports a graduation rate near 31 percent.
- $4,999 total program tuition including books
- 660 total hours with externship
- Day, evening, and hybrid options
- Prepares for NCCT and California state certification
- Covers EHR and keyboarding
- Career paths include MA, ER tech, and lab tech
University of Southern California
#10Los Angeles, CA · ~$33,000/yr (est.)
USC offers a short, 15-16 week Medical Assisting certificate designed for high school juniors and seniors, combining high school and college credit through a partnership with West Los Angeles College. The program includes 6-8 week internships and prepares students for California state certification, though it is not a typical adult career-entry pathway. Specialized medical assisting accreditation is not listed for this campus-based program. Estimated net price is about $32,700, with institutional outcomes showing a graduation rate near 92 percent and median earnings around $92,500.
- 15-16 week training certificate
- Designed for high school juniors and seniors
- Earn dual high school and college credit
- 6-8 week internships included
- Partnership with West Los Angeles College
- Prepares for California state certification
- 3.0 GPA minimum for applicants
Next Steps to Launch Your Medical Assistant Career in Pasadena
Your path into a medical assistant career comes down to five decisions made in order: compare programs, apply, secure financial aid, complete training, and get certified. Skipping ahead or getting the order wrong is what stalls most aspiring MAs, not lack of ability.
A Simple Action Checklist
Before committing to any one school, work through this list:
- Request info: Contact 2 to 3 programs in the Pasadena area to compare tuition, schedule, and externship placement support.
- Verify accreditation: Confirm each program holds recognized accreditation before you pay any deposit or enrollment fee.
- Tour or attend an info session: Walk the campus, meet instructors, and ask current students about their experience.
- Check financial aid options: Ask about payment plans, scholarships, and federal aid eligibility for each program you're considering.
- Confirm certification exam prep: Make sure the curriculum aligns with the certification exam you plan to take after graduation.
Apply Early
Popular programs near 91001 fill clinical externship slots and cohort seats months in advance. Starting your applications early gives you first pick of start dates, better financial aid windows, and more leverage in choosing a program that fits your schedule rather than settling for whatever's left.
