Why Kino College
Frequently Asked Questions
Real answers about cost, schedule, admissions, and what happens after graduation, straight from the Kino College team.
Kino College is Accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools.
Career Outlook
While certification isn’t legally mandated to practice in Arizona, earning your credential vastly increases your job market competitiveness and hiring appeal to top healthcare employers. Passing the exam also grants you a portable, national certification recognized in all 50 states, ensuring you can take your career anywhere you choose to move.
If you want to step into a rewarding healthcare career in just 9 months without any prior medical experience, this program is designed to get you job-ready quickly. With flexible morning, evening, and weekend class schedules alongside personalized financial planning assistance, we make it simple to balance your training with your busy life.
Medical assistants enjoy a fast-paced, dynamic routine that splits time between clinical patient care and essential administrative tasks. On any given shift, you’ll be cross-trained to greet patients, take vital signs, update electronic medical records, prepare treatment rooms, and assist physicians directly with examinations or procedures. You can also specialize in subfields like geriatrics, pediatrics, surgical, oncology, and more.
The profession is booming, with national employment projected to grow a swift 12% through 2034, tracking much faster than the average occupation. Locally, the future is even brighter for graduates, as Arizona is expecting a massive 34% increase in medical assistant jobs to support the state’s rapidly growing and aging population.
About Kino College
The Kino College main campus and administrative offices are located in Tucson, Arizona at Northwest Medical Center. Classes are held at both Northwest Medical Center and Banner University Medicine North. Your classroom is the medical campus.
Kino College is committed to our students’ success. We’re available to answer your questions about admissions, the application process, and paying for school.
Yes, Kino College is a single program technical school. As such, we keep this opportunity affordable and up to date with the latest medical advancements. By not spreading ourselves thin, we give your career and career goals our focused attention.
Most students graduate from the Kino College Professional Medical Assistant Program in 9 months (36 weeks). You will spend approximately eight months in the classroom and an additional five weeks in a clinical externship.
An externship is an unpaid practicum position within a medical facility where students enjoy direct mentorship while practicing their skills with patients. Externships provide students with valuable on-the-job experience and coaching in real-life situations.
Kino College offers morning, evening, and weekend classes to accommodate your busy schedule. Daytime/morning classes run 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., evening classes run 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and weekend classes are held Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kino College takes a personal interest in your career goals, your community’s challenges, and the quality of the skills you need to improve patient care. You’ll learn at an active medical center that provides hands-on experience with patient engagement, applying your training throughout the program and taking your skills into the community through volunteer opportunities.
Kino College is accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). Accreditation ensures the Professional Medical Assistant program meets the professional, ethical, and quality standards of healthcare education, and allows graduates to meet eligibility requirements for credentialing exams administered by recognized certifying agencies.
Every class meets on an active medical campus, real instructors, real equipment, real experience.
Admissions
By completing Kino College’s 9-month medical assistant program, you’ll feel more confident applying for medical assistant positions and increase your likelihood of being hired. While certification isn’t required in Arizona, Kino College prepares you for the NHA’s Certified Clinical Medical Assistant national certification, allowing you to work in any state, including those that require certification for employment.
Simply call our admissions office or submit an online form to get started. Our admissions representative will contact you personally to discuss entrance requirements, program details, and your career goals. We’re with you every step of the way, starting with your first enrollment conversation.
Applicants must have a high school diploma or recognized equivalent, like a General Education Development Certificate (GED). Kino College does offer provisional admittance for high school students who have completed a majority of their education and are expected to graduate.
Yes. Kino College participates in both Federal and non-Federal programs and offers Federal Student Financial Aid to qualified applicants. As an accredited program, Kino College accepts Title IV Federal Student Aid. Students who don’t qualify have access to in-house financing options.
Kino College prepares you for the NHA’s Certified Clinical Medical Assistant national certification. The exam is administered onsite, and you receive your results immediately. National certification allows you to work anywhere in the United States, including states that require certification for employment.
Certification is not required to be a medical assistant in Arizona. Many large medical employers require it, however, and it can result in higher salaries, increased opportunities, and lets you use your training outside of Arizona.
Yes. Kino College is an authorized testing site for the NHA’s Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam. Your tuition includes study materials and practice exams, and we strongly encourage every graduate to get certified.
Medical Assistant Program Costs
We are committed to making education affordable. Our financial aid team works to ensure you can be successful and achieve your goals as a Kino College student, and we carefully consider each item that goes into the total enrollment amount to remain competitive with nearby options.
Tuition and fees, books and supplies (textbooks, stethoscope, practice exams and modules, etc.), uniforms (two pairs of scrubs), and laboratory costs are all included.
Students may need to budget for logistical expenses such as required immunizations (if not already up to date), interest or late fees on delayed payments, transportation to clinical externship sites in the greater Tucson area, and the optional certification exam. Some externship sites may charge additional fees, like parking, and may require the extern to carry medical insurance.
Yes. Simply let your admissions representative know you’d like to purchase your own books or supplies, and they’ll provide the details. Credit may be applied to your fees. Keep in mind, books and supplies are included in tuition costs to make enrollment hassle-free.
Yes. This singular focus allows Kino College to provide the highest quality education possible. The U.S. Department of Labor has identified medical assisting as one of the top 10 fastest-growing professions over the next decade, with jobs projected to exceed the number of available medical assistants.
For complete, current information on tuition and costs, refer to the academic catalog or speak with an admissions representative.
Classroom and Curriculum
Kino College instructors are practicing medical professionals who teach on active medical campuses at Northwest Medical Center and Banner University Medicine North. You’ll learn directly from people currently working in the field, surrounded by real medical equipment and staff, not just from a textbook.
Kino College offers true morning, evening, and weekend cohorts, the only school in Tucson to do so. Morning classes run 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., evening classes run 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and weekend classes are held Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., so you can build training around your life instead of the other way around.
An externship is an unpaid practicum position within a medical facility where you gain direct mentorship while practicing clinical skills with real patients under supervision. It’s hands-on experience and coaching you can’t get from a classroom alone, and it’s where many students build the relationships that lead to their first job.
Kino College doesn’t guarantee employment, but your five-week clinical externship is built as a real externship-to-hire pathway. Training on active campuses like Northwest Medical Center and Banner University Medicine North puts you in front of the professionals and employers who are actually hiring, so you graduate with real connections, not just a certificate.
Still have questions?
Our admissions team is happy to walk you through anything that’s not covered here.