Medical Assisting
SECURE YOUR FUTURE
BECOME A MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Become a certified medical assistant (MA) in just one year! This career is in such high-demand the Mercy College of Health Sciences medical assistant program can lead to many opportunities to earn a competitive wage while completing your certification and/or employer tuition reimbursement options. Earn your certificate through 100% online instruction; two, six-hour skills labs; and 160 hours of clinical practicum experience with one of our local healthcare partners.
Program Length
In-Person Skills Labs
Start Dates Per Year: Fall, Spring, & Summer
Job Placement1
YOUR BODY OF WORK
WHAT DOES A MEDICAL ASSISTANT DO?
Medical assistants provide critical physician support services to ensure healthcare facilities run smoothly. Using excellent communication and interpersonal skills, MAs help keep patients at ease throughout their visit. They are often responsible for administrative as well as clinical tasks, such as maintaining patient records, preparing patients and rooms for examination, assisting physicians with exams, and performing other critical tasks. As a MA you will act as an important patient liaison in a variety of healthcare settings — such as clinic offices for physicians, podiatrists, and other health practitioners.
The purpose of Mercy College of Health Sciences’ medical assisting program is to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.
WANT AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE?
You can earn an associate of science in medical assisting by completing the additional Core requirements prior to starting the MA certificate. Those courses would include: Math Elective (3 Credits), Natural Science Elective (4 Credits), Humanities Elective (3 credits), Natural/Social Science Elective (3 Credits), Core Elective (3 Credits), Comp I (3 Credits), Comp II (3 Credits), and Servant Leadership (3 Credits) for an additional 25 credit hours. Servant Leadership can be completed while earning your MA Certificate.
FIND A COHORT NEAR YOU
- Lexington, KY (CHI Saint Joseph Health)
- Omaha, NE (CHI Health)
- Seattle, WA (Virginia Mason Franciscan Health)
- Philadelphia, PA (Trinity Health)
- Stay local and explore our cohorts across Iowa!
Looking for a turnkey solution for your entire healthcare system? Become a partner.
ACCREDITED BY THE COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION OF ALLIED HEALTH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The Mercy College of Health Sciences Medical Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB, www.maerb.org).
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
9355 113th Street N. #7709
Seminole, FL 33775
727-210-2350
www.caahep.org
Medical Assisting Education Review Board
2339 N California Ave. #47138
Chicago, IL 60647
www.maerb.org
Our MA faculty team includes a full-time program chair as well as many medical professionals in the clinical setting. Our full-time liberal arts and science faculty members are PhD-prepared and adept at integrating their subject matters into a comprehensive health science curriculum. As a student, you will receive an exceptional level of personalized instruction from experienced educators dedicated to your success.
The Medical Assisting tuition cost only applies to MA-### courses. It is designed to be completed over the course of one year for $437.16 per credit hour. Students taking additional coursework may incur additional charges. Please visit our tuition and fees page for more information.
Earning my degree online allowed me the flexibility to be home with my children and not have to rely on expensive daycares, which would have increased the cost of earning my degree. Even though I wasn’t on campus, I was able to contact my instructors, tutors, advisors, and librarians virtually and through email.
Beth D., BSN Candidate, 2020
COMPLETE A FREE APPLICATION
The Medical Assisting program is a direct admit program. When you are admitted to Mercy College, you are admitted into the Medical Assisting program! To get started, complete the Mercy College application. If you are transferring credits, please visit our transfer page to learn more.
The following courses and sequencing is a sample of required courses to graduate from the Medical Assisting program. The following courses are designed to allow students to sit for the Certified Medical Assistant (AAMA) Exam.
Semester 1
8-Week Term
MA 101 – Medical Assisting Administrative Procedures (4 cr)
7-Week Term
MA 106 – Anatomy and Physiology (4 cr)
SEMESTER 2
8-Week Term
MA 102 – Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures I (4 cr)
7-Week Term
MA 122 – Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures II (4 cr)
Semester 3
8-Week Term
MA 108 – Diseases of the Human Body (3 cr)
MA 203 – Medical Assisting Practicum I (2 cr)
7-Week Term
MA 201 – Medical Assisting Professional Components (2cr)
MA 204 – Medical Assisting Practicum II (2 cr)
TOTAL: 25 MAJOR CREDITS
The Medical Assisting program has three convenient start dates to match your needs. View our full academic calendar.
FALL: September
SPRING: January
SUMMER: May
*Pending final approval from the Medical Assisting Educational Review Board.
MEDICAL ASSISTANT PROGRAM OUTCOMES (2023)
|
Job Placement1 |
Retention2 |
Exam Pass Rate3 |
|---|---|---|
Job Placement1 94.68% (89/94) |
Retention2 85% (101/119) |
Exam Pass Rate3 84% (68/81) |
