Medical Assistant Program

Medical Assistants are multi-skilled health professionals specifically educated to work in ambulatory settings performing administrative and clinical duties. The practice of medical assisting directly influences the public's health and well-being, and requires mastery of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skills requiring both formal education and practical experience that serves as standards for entry into the profession.

The Medical Assistant Program at Iowa Central Community College prepares the student with theory and entry-level competence in performance of the administrative, clinical, and laboratory procedures. The diploma program is conducted over a period of 11 months and includes 2 semesters of theory and lab followed by an 8 week summer practicum. The program begins in the fall and concludes in the summer. Student must earn a "C" or better in all Medical Assistant curriculum courses and meet the prerequisites to progress in the program. Students must retake any medical assistant courses completed over three years ago. Upon successful completion of all program requirements, the graduate is eligible to make application to take the National Certification Examination for Certified Medical Assistants (CMA (AAMA)) administered by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants. After completion of the diploma program, students may opt to continue their education by obtaining an AAS degree, completing and additional 13 credit hours of required coursework and 6 credit hours of elective coursework approved by the Program Coordinator.

Pre-requisites
The following criteria is required of applicants:

1. Minimum of a high school diploma (GPA of 2.5) or GED (score of 550), or 8 hours of college credit (GPA 2.0), ACT composite score of 18, COMPASS scores (writing 65, reading 80, pre-algebra 39, or algebra 46), or ASSET scores of 40 in each category (writing, reading, and numeric),

2. Documentation or the ability to type 35 words per minute with three errors or less during a three-minute timing or completion of Introduction to Keyboarding (ADM-105) obtaining at least a "B" for the course.

3. Interview with the Medical Assistant Program Coordinator.

Early application to the program is encouraged. Only 25 students are accepted each fall. Acceptance is granted by the Program Coordinator to the first 25 students who meet the above program admission criteria. Applicants may not begin the program until ALL the above criteria have been completed.