Program Overview
Are you interested in working alongside doctors and nurses? Do you enjoy fast-paced work and caring for others? If so, a career as a Medical Assistant might be the perfect fit for you.
Our Medical Assistant Certificate program provides enhanced learning opportunities in our new Medical Assisting simulation lab at the Health Education Center. Our graduates leave with the skills needed for today's modern healthcare settings.
No prerequisites are required.
Our fully-accredited program is designed to prepare graduates for their Certified Medical Assistant examination. Students who pass this examination become nationally certified, and are eligible to apply for Washington state-level certification.
Degrees & Certificates
Medical Assisting Certificate
Certificate programs provide students with a set of skills to find a job or stay current in a profession. Many certificates are designed to build on top of each other and eventually lead to a longer-term certificate or degree. These are called “stackable” certificates.
- Credits to complete: 57.0
- Estimated program length in quarters: Full Time - 3 | Part Time - Part Time Option Not Available
Getting started in the Certified Medical Assisting program has never been easier! A new CMA cohort begins every quarter, with space for 24 students. There are no prerequisite requirements to get started in the CMA program, and no separate application process. Students are allowed to enroll on a first-come, first-serve basis once registration opens for the next quarter. See the Seattle Central College Academic Calendar for quarterly registration dates.
Steps to Enroll:
- Apply at Seattle Central College online. The New Student Checklist is a helpful resource in navigating the college admissions process.
- Enroll in the first three courses of the program when registration opens for the quarter you wish to begin: CMA 101, CMA 102, and CMA 103. Important: You must enroll in all three courses.
You may contact the program director, Ms.Toya Moore at Toya.Moore@SeattleColleges.edu with questions relating to the Certified Medical Assisting program.
Medical Assisting is a profession with many rewards, as practitioners can perform both administrative and clinical services, filling several roles in a variety of healthcare environments. The Bureau of Labor Statistics clearly outlines that it is a growth field, with an anticipated 18% growth from 2020 to 2030.
A typical day on the job includes: Taking patient vitals, preparing patients for surgery, reviewing daily patient schedules with a physician, organizing charts, filling out paperwork and health forms. Our graduates work in emergency departments, primary care clinics, nursing homes, outpatient clinics and more.
Over the past five years, we graduate 76 percent of our students who start with us and 98 percent of our graduates are satisfied with the program.
Medical Assistants work directly with providers and patients, with the goal of providing healthcare and ensuring patient safety. It is a position with a great deal of responsibility. As with any healthcare position, certain occupational risks come into play with being a medical assistant, and those hazards include the following:
- Exposure to infectious diseases
- Sharps injuries
- Bloodborne pathogens and biological hazards
- Chemical and drug exposure
- Ergonomic hazards from lifting, sitting, and repetitive tasks
- Latex allergies
- Stress
Learn more about this program's Gainful Employment information(pdf).
The Seattle Central College Medical Assisting program is a chapter of the National Technical Honor Society, which provides scholarships to career and technical education students who choose a skilled trade as their career.
The Seattle Central College Medical Assistant Certificate Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).
Exam Passage 85.16% are the five-year averages for 2019-2023
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
1361 Park Street
Clearwater, FL 33756
727.210.2350
Seattle Central College's Medical Assisting program is intended to meet the educational requirements for licensing/certification in the State of Washington only. Seattle Central College has not determined if the Medical Assisting curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensing/certification in any other state. Additional information about licensure/certification concerns can be found on the NC-SARA webpage. Please contact eLearning with any questions at eLearning@seattlecolleges.edu.