Medical assistants play a vital role in today’s healthcare system, working alongside providers in clinics, outpatient centers, and medical offices. Students are trained to perform both administrative and clinical duties, from scheduling and documentation to patient care and lab procedures.

Whether your goal is immediate employment or a pathway to continued education, our program prepares you to meet the evolving demands of healthcare with competence and confidence.

Iowa Central’s Medical Assistant Program provides the knowledge, hands-on training, and professional preparation needed to succeed in this fast-paced field. The program includes two semesters of classroom and lab instruction, followed by a 30-day summer practicum.

To progress in the program, students must earn a grade of “C” (76%) or higher in all Medical Assistant curriculum courses and fulfill prerequisite requirements.

Students seeking further education may choose to pursue an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Medical Assisting by completing an additional 13 credit hours of required coursework and 6 elective credits.

Graduation mandates successful completion of all diploma and AAS program courses with a grade of "C" or higher, along with receiving a "P" (pass) in the Practicum component. Upon completing the medical assistant diploma program successfully, students become eligible to sit for a national certification exam.

Graduates of the diploma program are eligible to sit for the national certification exam offered through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Successful candidates earn the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA, AAMA) credential enabling them to practice in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

To enroll in the Medical Assistant Program

Please contact the Coordinator of the Medical Assistant program or the Academic Advisor. Contact information can be found in the Contact Us section below.

Scholarship Opportunities

• Medical Assistant Program Scholarships: The Program Coordinator selects six students during spring semester to receive $500 for the upcoming academic year.
• Last-Dollar Scholarship: The Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship is an award that covers the remaining tuition and institution wide mandatory fees after non-repayable state and federal financial aid are applied. The Last-Dollar Scholarship focuses on increasing opportunities for Iowans to acquire skills to fill high-demand jobs and meet workforce needs.  You must fill out a FAFSA to be eligible. This scholarship is available for any student who is enrolled to earn a post-secondary credential, up to an associate degree.
  https://www.iowacentral.edu/last_dollar
• General, Foundation, and External Scholarships: Iowa Central offers various scholarship opportunities, including general scholarships, foundation scholarships, and external scholarships. These scholarships cater to a diverse range of students and academic pursuits.

Course Schedule

More Information

Iowa Community colleges have developed the following Core Performance Standards for all applicants to Health Care Career Programs.  These standards are based upon required abilities that are compatible with effective performance in health care careers.  Applicants unable to meet the Core Performance Standards are responsible for discussing the possibility of reasonable accommodations with the designated institutional office.  To view the full Iowa Core Performance Standards, click here.

Professional Licensure and Certification Disclosure Information

For more on Professional Licensure and Certification Disclosure Information, click here.

Accreditation

The Iowa Central Community College Medical Assistant Diploma Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org.) upon the recommendation of Medical Assisting Education Review Board (www.maerb.org). According to the Annual Report, the Iowa Central Medical Assistant Diploma Program has surpassed all thresholds established by the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) for outcome assessment in medical assisting programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). This includes exceeding benchmarks for enrollment, retention, graduation rates, graduate and employer satisfaction, job placement, and credentialing exam outcomes during the most recent reporting period. This outcome is from the 2024 Annual Report Form: The 5-year average for exam passage rate for years 2019-2023 is 95%. This outcome demonstrates the program's commitment to academic excellence and preparing students for success in their careers.

Potential Careers

• Medical assistants work alongside physicians, mainly in outpatient or ambulatory care facilities such as medical offices and clinics
• Medical assistants can choose to work in either in primary care or medical specialties such as obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, dermatology, urgent care, general surgery, internal medicine, nephrology, cardiology, neurology, occupational medicine, and others
• Additional potential job opportunities include working at blood donation centers as phlebotomists, assisting with insurance physicals, and health coaching