Medical Assisting

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Program Overview

Degrees & Certificates

Medical Assisting Certificate

Certificate programs provide students with a set of skills to find a job or stay current in a profession. Many certificates are designed to build on top of each other and eventually lead to a longer-term certificate or degree. These are called “stackable” certificates.
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  • Credits to complete: 57.0
  • Estimated program length in quarters: Full Time - 3 | Part Time - Part Time Option Not Available

About the Program

Are you interested in working alongside doctors and nurses? Do you enjoy fast-paced work and caring for others? If so, a career as a Medical Assistant might be the perfect fit for you.

Our Medical Assistant Certificate program provides enhanced learning opportunities in our new Medical Assisting simulation lab at the Health Education Center. Our graduates leave with the skills needed for today's modern healthcare settings.

No prerequisites are required.

Our fully-accredited program is designed to prepare graduates for their Certified Medical Assistant examination. Students who pass this examination become nationally certified, and are eligible to apply for Washington state-level certification.

When to Begin

The Certified Medical Assisting program starts a new cohort every quarter (fall, winter, spring, and summer). Each quarter, there is space for 24 students to begin the program. For the best chances of securing a seat, it is recommended that students enroll once registration opens for the quarter they wish to begin. For quarterly registration dates, please refer to the Seattle Central College Academic Calendar. 

Career Opportunities

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assisting jobs will grow 29 percent over the next decade

A typical day on the job includes: Taking patient vitals, preparing patients for surgery, reviewing daily patient schedules with a physician, organizing charts, filling out paperwork and health forms. Our graduates work in emergency departments, primary care clinics, nursing homes, outpatient clinics and more.

Over the past five years, we graduate 76 percent of our students who start with us and 98 percent of our graduates are satisfied with the program.

Gainful Employment

Learn more about this program's Gainful Employment information(pdf).

Affiliations

The Seattle Central College Medical Assisting program is a chapter of the National Technical Honor Society, which provides scholarships to career and technical education students who choose a skilled trade as their career.

Accreditation

The Seattle Central College Medical Assistant Certificate Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).

Retention 95%, Job Placement 94%, and Exam Passage 93%!

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs  
1361 Park Street  
Clearwater, FL 33756  
727.210.2350

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs logo

Seattle Central College's Medical Assisting program is intended to meet the educational requirements for licensing/certification in the State of Washington only. Seattle Central College has not determined if the Medical Assisting curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensing/certification in any other state. Additional information about licensure/certification concerns can be found on the NC-SARA webpage. Please contact eLearning with any questions at eLearning@seattlecolleges.edu.

Program lengths are estimates, not guarantees. For the most current program information, please check with the program contact.