Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at WellSpring School of Allied Health-Wichita

WellSpring's Allied Health program manages to do something increasingly rare in medical assisting: keep debt low while delivering above-average earnings. At $12,417 in debt—well below both state and national medians—graduates face one of the lighter debt burdens in this field. First-year earnings of $29,815 place this program above 68% of similar programs nationally, and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.42 means graduates earn back their investment in roughly five months of work.

The wrinkle is that earnings essentially flatline between years one and four, dipping slightly to $29,100. This suggests the credential opens doors quickly but doesn't create much room for advancement. Among Kansas programs, WellSpring sits just above the median, tied with Rasmussen's offerings. For a school serving primarily Pell-eligible students—83% of the population—this represents solid access to healthcare employment without the debt trap that ensnares graduates at many for-profit institutions.

The value here is straightforward: quick entry into medical assisting work with manageable debt. Parents should understand their child will likely need additional credentials or pivot to another role to substantially increase earnings over time, but as an affordable gateway into healthcare, this program does its job without creating financial burden.