Penn Highlands announces change to Medical Assisting Technology associate degree

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — Pennsylvania Highlands Community College announced a transition of the Medical Assisting Technology associate degree.

The degree, which was formerly a two-year program, has been updated to a one-year program. The change aims to provide Medical Assisting Technology students with "essential" professional skills, enabling them to enter the workforce more quickly than the previous program would.

The change will decrease the credit requirement from 60 to 32 credits, with the curriculum consisting of a fall and spring semester. Most classes will still be conducted in person to facilitate essential hands-on training and enhance engagement skills.

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"This is an exciting opportunity for students to receive the same quality courses from the associate degree, but in a shorter timeframe," Erica Reighard, Dean of Faculty, said. "This allows Penn Highlands to respond to and help fulfill the growing need for positions across the state."

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 14% increase in medical assistant employment from 2022 to 2032, a rate significantly exceeding the average growth across all occupations, the college noted.