Certified Medical Assistant

This program trains you for both sides of a medical office: the clinical work and the paperwork. It includes a 100-hour internship with local healthcare providers, in a doctor’s office, a hospital, or another health care setting.

What you learn

• Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Terminology
• Record Keeping, Insurance Processing, and Office Practices
• Laboratory Techniques, Phlebotomy, and EKG
• Patient Relations, Medical Law, and Ethics
• Taking Medical Histories, Recording Vital Signs, and First Aid

The exam

You can take the certification exam online with the National Healthcareer Association, or in person with MedCA.

What it costs

$5,000, plus a $169 exam fee. That includes your books and the $150 administrative fee. The administrative fee is not refundable.

Class dates

New groups start regularly. The most recent group began September 14, 2026. Call for the next start date.

What people earn

The median wage is about $44,200 a year, or about $21 an hour. Experienced medical assistants earn over $56,000.

Where it leads

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects medical assistant jobs to grow 12% over the next ten years, and counts about 112,300 openings a year. From here, people often move into office management or go on to nursing.