Medical Assistant
Become a Medical Assistant in only 12 months and join one of the nation’s fastest-growing career fields.
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 completing the program, you will be eligible to sit for the national registry to become a credentialed medical assistant.
- 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.
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 Information Session Webinar
Applicants interested in participating in the program are required to attend an Information Session.
- Medical Assisting Informational is offered the first and third Thursday of every month at 6:30pm via Zoom (Meeting ID: 734 523 1774 Passcode: 343469)
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.
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.
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.
Your first step is to see if online learning is right for you. Online and hybrid environments offer much more flexibility but require more self-direction and self-discipline. Certain work habits, learning styles and skills contribute to a successful online or hybrid learning experience.
Online Experience Questions?
303.352.6785 | TLC@ccd.edu
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.
The following courses have additional fees:
MAP 1010, MAP 1083, MAP 2038, MAP 2040, MAP 2069
View the 2024-2025 Course Specific Fees
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 to 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. Learn More!
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 $42,000 in May 2023.
The information provided is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook.
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.
Now accepting applications for the Fall 2025 semester!
Thank you for your interest in the Medical Assistant program. Please follow the instructions below to submit your application with any accompanying forms.
If you haven’t done so yet, you must be a current CCD student to enroll in the Medical Assistant program. The CCD application is free. You must declare Medical Assisting Certificate and/or AAS as your program of study.
Complete the online application.
Essay
You will be required to write a 500-word essay (single-spaced) addressing both of the following topics:
- In what ways do you see yourself as a good fit for the Medical Assistant program?
- What are two recent changes in the US healthcare system that could affect Medical Assistants?
To be accepted into the Medical Assistant program, you must determine your course placement in math and English classes.
To determine course placement, you should follow one of these paths:
- Take the math and English placement tests with CCD’s Testing Center.
- Complete the ACT or SAT test to meet the minimum score requirements below.
- Submit transcripts that show previous college classes to CCD’s Testing Center.
To learn more about these processes and course placement determination at CCD, visit the Testing Center website.
Follow the curriculum course map to identify the four first semester classes. All classes need to be taken in the first semester of the program.
The program chair and other departments will communicate with you providing important information regarding onboarding and participation in the MA Program.
Program Orientation will take place approximately one week prior to the start of classes.