Medical Assisting
CurriculumDirect to Work
Offered in the Classroom & 27% Online
- AAS Associate of Applied Science Degree | 60-63 Credits
Medical Assistant
Medical Assistant
Earn a Medical Assisting certificate for FREE using Care Forward Colorado funding! Find out more!
Now accepting applications for Fall 2023.
This program requires an additional application in addition to the application to become a CCD student.
Please attend the Medical Assistant Information Session to learn more about the program. Information session registration sign up here.
About the Program
Apply to take the first step in becoming part of a medical team. Whether you work in a physician’s office or in a hospital, you will be trained to perform administrative and clinical duties, becoming a key player in the healthcare team. As a medical assistant, you will provide direct patient care, perform basic laboratory tests, draw blood, and assist with minor surgical procedures. In addition, you will also learn what it takes to run an effective medical office through your administrative duties, such as
- maintaining patient records and schedules,
- arranging hospital admissions and laboratory services, and
- working directly with insurance companies for billing.
Upon completion of the program, you will be eligible to sit for the national registry to become a credentialed medical assistant. Once you pass the credentialing exam, you become a recognized professional in the field of medical assisting and become more marketable in an increasingly popular field.
Medical Assisting Program Information Session Webinar
Please plan to attend an Information Session Webinar to learn all about this program. Follow the instructions below.
Medical Assisting Information Sessions
Medical Assisting Informational is offered every other Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
Accreditation
The medical assistant certificate program at CCD is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which is recognized by the US Department of Education and meets clear quality standards for educational and financial performance.
Available Online
CCD Online offers fully online certificates and degrees, and individual online courses to help match your busy schedule.
Only some of the Medical Assistant Program Certificate classes are available online.
Online Experience Questions?
TLC@ccd.edu
Course & Program Fees
Some programs and/or courses may require additional fees in addition to the base tuition and fees. High-cost course fees are used to support the maintenance and development of the course labs and are embedded within your general tuition.
Course Fees
The fees listed here are estimated and may change at any time. Please contact your advisor with any questions. The following courses have additional fees:
| Course | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| MAP 110, MAP 120, MAP 138, MAP 140, MAP 150, MAP 183, MAP 189, MOT 130 |
High-cost course fee | $7.35 (per credit hour) |
| MAP 140 | Lab Materials | $20.00 (flat) |
| MAP 189 | National Exam Cost | $125.00 (flat) |
| MAP 183 | Malpractice Insurance Non-EMT Clinical Site Rotation Tracking |
$8.50 (flat) $39.50 (per semester) |
Online Course Fees
A separate fee is used to absorb the cost of any lab kits needed for lab-based online courses. This fee eliminates the need for students to purchase lab kits separately.
| Course | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| MOT 209 | High-cost course fee | $7.21 (per credit hour) |
Financial Aid Eligibility
The medical assisting program is eligible for federal financial aid. However, the phlebotomy certificate program is not eligible for federal student aid.
Your first step is to connect with the Financial Aid office so you discover how you can afford college. Our dedicated staff and support services help you wade through all the legal language and get you past the first hurdle to completing your educational goals.
In addition, CCD has $1,000,000 available in scholarships. Apply at CCD.edu/Scholarships.
Internships & Service Learning Opportunities
Program Highlights
- Complete the certificate in medical assisting in just three semesters.
- You'll progress through the classes and externship together as a cohort.
- Every student in the medical assistant program will have 180 hours of externship work, applying your knowledge and skills in real-world job placement sites.
- Take the national certificate examination in your last semester of coursework.
Job Outlook & Salary Information
What Can I Do with My Major?
Now more than ever, employers of allied health personnel are preferentially hiring medical assistants who have obtained the necessary training and have successfully acquired the CMA (AAMA) credential. The CMA (AAMA) represents a medical assistant who has been credentialed by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants. Although not a requirement in the state of Colorado, earning this credential makes you a more marketable candidate for employment.
Career opportunities for medical assistants are available in a variety of settings, including:
- private physician practices,
- medical hospitals,
- surgical hospitals,
- outpatient care centers,
- public and private educational centers,
- state and local government agencies,
- medical and diagnostic laboratories, and
- nursing care facilities,
In addition, medical assistants may also receive additional training to work in specialties such as podiatry, ophthalmometry, and even audiology.
Essential Functions of a Medical Assistant
Physical
The physical demands described here are representative of those that you must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
If you have a disability that you wish to receive reasonable accommodations for, you must request it through the Accessibility Center and program chair. If you have a reasonable accommodation, you may have your offer of admission withdrawn if it becomes apparent that you are not able to perform the following essential functions:
- Work for 10 or more hours in a standing position and do frequent walking and or stair climbing.
- Life and transfer adult clients, up to six inches, while a stooped position; then, push or pull the adult up to three feet.
- Life and transfer adult clients, while in a stooped position, and then moving them into an upright position, to accomplish bed-to-chair and chair-to-bed transfers.
- Perform a clinical experience for up to 10-hour duration, including standing for up to four hours at a time.
- Perform close and distant visual activities involving objects, persons, and paperwork, as well as discriminate depth and color perception.
- Discriminate between rough/smooth and hot/cold when using hands.
- Communicate intelligibly in English, both orally and in writing.
- Listen to blood pressure sound with a stethoscope.
*Latex warning: As a medical assistant student, you will be exposed to latex gloves and other products containing natural rubber latex which may cause allergic reactions such as skin rashes, gives, nasal, eye or sinus symptoms, asthma, and (rarely) shock.
Mental
- Attentively listen to patients.
- Controls verbal and nonverbal behaviors when communicating with others.
- Accurately self-assesses own strengths and weaknesses.
- Modifies behaviors are receiving corrective feedback.
- Takes responsibility for own actions.
- Concentrates on the task at hand for an extended period of time.
- Utilizes problem-solving skills to meet the needs of a situation.
What Can I Expect to Earn?
The median annual wage for medical assistants was $32,480 in May 2017.
The information provided is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Program Outcomes
The goals of this program are as follows:
- To prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and effective (behavior) learning domains by providing curriculum relating to general study, patient care skills and administrative / business skills.
- To retain and graduate 80 percent of our medical assistant students with their certificate (47 credits).
- To have 85 percent of retained and graduated medical assistant students be either placed in employment tied to their credential or continuing their education to pursue a higher degree within six (6) months of completing their medical assisting certificate program.
Total of 2019 Graduates |
Total Students Employed in their Field of Study |
Total Students Who Have Transferred to 4-Year Degree or Other Institution |
|---|---|---|
13 |
4 |
3 |
Stackable
The medical assistant certificate is a bridge to the Associate of Applied Science degree.
Once you complete all of the prerequisite requirements and the full program curriculum, you will have achieved either a certificate or A.A.S. degree in medical assisting and will be eligible to sit for the national registry exam to become a credentialed medical assistant.
The Nurse Aide and/or Phlebotomy programs may be used to fulfill elective credit requirements towards an A.A.S. in Medical Assisting as a stackable certificate pathway.