About the Program
This accredited program prepares students with the administrative, clinical, and professional skills required to work in a physician’s office or medical clinic. You will learn how to schedule appointments, order supplies, take vital signs, draw blood, give injections, perform EKGs, bill insurance companies and use electronic health records (EHR).After completing the coursework, students will develop their skills during an unpaid 160-hour clinical externship. Upon successful completion of the entire 900-hour program, students will be eligible to sit for the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) certification exam of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). The exam fee is included in the program.
Program Requirements
You will need a high school diploma or a GED. Additionally, the majority of healthcare facilities require a background and drug screen of all students who enter their facility; therefore all healthcare career students are required to successfully complete a background check and drug screen upon entering any healthcare career program. Students who are not successfully cleared will be unable to complete the clinical portion of the healthcare careers program and thus, will not be eligible to complete the healthcare careers program.
Completion of a student health profile and current American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Provider certification are also required.
Students may be eligible to apply for advance placement (AP), transfer credit (TC), or credit for experiential learning (CEL) according to the college guidelines and the federal financial aid requirements for those students considering the MAP program. Students should refer to their student handbook or contact the department to have specific questions answered.
Please direct any question to Amanda Horn at ahorn@nullcecil.edu or (410) 287-1008.
Required Courses
You will need to complete the following courses, totaling 900 hours of instruction/clinical experience. Students who have attained the CMA (AAMA) credential and wish to continue their education at Cecil College may receive up to 12 credits toward an Associate of Healthcare Science degree.
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| HCG 220 | Anatomy & Physiology I for Allied Health |
| HCG 221 | Anatomy & Physiology II for Allied Health |
| HCG 222 | Medical Terminology |
| HMP 301 | Psychology Essentials |
| HMP 306 | Medical Laboratory Procedures |
| HMP 304 | Clinical Office Procedures I |
| HMP 308 | Clinical Office Procedures II |
| HCG 200 | Computer Essentials |
| HMP 303 | Medical Law & Ethics |
| HMP 312 | Insurance and Managed Care |
| HMP 305 | Computer Medical Office Management |
| HMP 310 | Medical Office Procedures |
| HMP 317 | Coding |
| HCG 211 | Professionalism in Healthcare |
| HMP 320 | Medical Assistant Clinical I |
| HMP 321 | Medical Assistant Clinical I |
Program Learning Outcomes
In accordance with the 2022 standards and guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Medical Assisting from the Medical Assistant Educational Review Board (MAERB) and the requirements of the accrediting body the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the Cecil College Medical Assisting program at Cecil College reports their program graduates have a job placement rate in 2020 of 77.78%. Job placement rate is defined as employment as a Medical Assistant or in a related field.
Please see below for the statistics on job placement rate, retention, exam passage, and graduate satisfaction and participation for 2021.
| Statistic | Outcome for 2021 |
|---|---|
| Job Placement | 92.86% |
| Retention | 75% |
| Exam Passage | 61.54% |
| Graduate Participation | 100% |
| Graduate Satisfaction | 85.71% |
Program Accreditation & Approval
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
The Cecil College Medical Assistant Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB):
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
9355 113th St. N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775
(727) 210-2350
mail@nullcaahep.org
National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)
Cecil College is approved by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) to offer distance education in the member states and territories. Student complaints relating to consumer protection laws offered under the terms and conditions of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), must first be filed with the institution to seek resolution. The student should begin the complaint process with the institution and if resolution is not found, the student would contact the Institution’s Home State SARA Portal Entity, Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). For more information, please refer to the SARA complaint process.
Supervised Clinical and Field Training Experiences
Through participation in NC-SARA and compliance with statutory regulations related to training in individual states, Cecil College is approved to offer limited, supervised clinical field experiences in 3 U.S. states to eligible students. The states include Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. These are the locations currently approved for student supervised clinical and field training. Individual state regulations are subject to change without prior notice and the College does not guarantee locations for clinical and field training experiences.
Licensure Requirements
Students who successfully complete a course or program requirements for nursing, teacher education, physical therapist assistant, medical administrative professional, and paramedic will be eligible to meet the national requirements; however, Cecil College cannot confirm whether a course or program meets requirements for professional licensure in each individual state. Prospective students should contact their state for information on the applicable licensing boards to determine whether the program meets requirements for licensure in the state where students are located.
Healthcare Sciences (Associate of Science)
This degree program will offer students, who currently hold a national certification in a field of Healthcare, a flexible degree program designed to provide a sound base of foundational credit coursework and additional career specific studies and/or competencies in a healthcare discipline. Through a combination of general education requirements, core electives and specific healthcare career education studies, graduates are prepared to enter the healthcare workforce in a selected discipline.
Please refer to the college catalog for a complete list of classes required for this degree.
For information about course fees, class times, and location, please visit the Continuing Education and Workforce Development Non-Credit Course Schedule.