Colorado Accredited Medical Assistant Schools and Programs
Colorado offers an incredible mixture of natural beauty, quiet locales and bustling metro areas. If you’re thinking about a medical assisting career and long-term career planning, you have good reason to consider Colorado. Not only does the state have a multitude of healthcare centers across the state, it also has a variety of medical assisting schools. The salary for a medical assistant in Colorado is about $33,000 per year.
Top Cities for Medical Assistant Jobs in Colorado:
– Denver
– Colorado Springs
– Englewood
– Littleton
– Aurora
These cities have bustling healthcare centers that frequently have employment openings for medical professionals. Luckily, there are medical assisting schools nearby that can help you get the training you need to work as a healthcare professional.
Choosing the right medical assisting school is important. Remember to interview more than one school, and bring a list of questions with you to find out more about each school. Consider things like location, cost of the program and graduation rates. Also, be sure that the school you choose offers an accredited medical assistant program. Choosing a non-accredited program means you won’t be able to sit for the medical assistant certification examination (CMA) through the American Association of Medical Assistants. Only graduates of accredited programs may take this coveted exam.
Colorado Medical Assistant Certification Requirements
Unlike other crucial, entry-level healthcare employees like Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) or Licensed Practical Nurses (LVNs), Medical Assistants (MAs) aren’t required to hold a license, certification, or credential to practice in their field. Despite this fact, however, students looking for easy entry into the profession and current MAs seeking to advance in their careers are always encouraged to seek the credentials that exist.
At the moment, there are two national certifications available to medical assistants. While the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) administers what’s known as the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential, the American Medical Technologists (AMT) offers the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) certification.
Individuals seeking AMTs Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) certification will need to satisfy ONE of the following requirements to be able to sit for the exam one must pass to gain the credential:
- Path 1: Enroll in and complete a medical assisting program with the appropriate regional or national accreditations that’s composed of 720 hours of in-class/on-line lecture and 160 hours of hands-on clinical practice
- Path 2: Be able to prove having worked full-time as a medical assistant for at least five of the last seven years, carrying out both clinical and administrative duties
- Path 3: Be able to prove having worked as an instructor in a medical assisting program for at least five years; or more than one year with at least three years of work experience
- Path 4: Have completed a military training program that – like college-level medical assisting programs – consisted of 720 hours of didactic instruction and 160 hours of hands-on clinical practice at a local healthcare facility.
For those who’re instead looking to earn the AAMA’s Certified Medical Assistant credential, they’ll need to fulfill this separate set of requirements to become eligible to take the certification’s exam:
- Enroll in and complete a medical assisting program which has been accredited by either the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
- Programs that have been approved by these accrediting agencies tend to have clinical and theoretical course sections that covers topics like medical law & ethics, clinical and diagnostic procedures, human anatomy, physiology, and pathology, as well as pharmacology, medication administration, and computer competency, among others.
- The CMA credential must be renewed every 60 months
List of Colorado Medical Assisting Programs
1. Arapahoe Community College
Arapaho Community College is located in Littleton, Colorado. It offers a 2-term certificate of medical assisting, which can usually be completed in one year. This program is focused on building skills directly related to work in a medical office, like computer training, medical insurance and billing and clinical skills, like taking vital signs. Students are not required to take non-medical electives to complete this program. Graduates may sit for a certification exam upon graduation. Program costs are about $9,000.
2. Front Range Community College
Front Range Community College is located in Longmont, Colorado and offers a certificate in medical assisting which combines clinical and administrative assisting. The college also offers certificates in medical administrative assisting and medical clinical assisting, for student who wish to do one or the other, but not both. The certificate program is about one year long, depending on whether pre-requisites must be taken or not. Some requirements must be met before you can enter the MA program here, so be sure to meet with a Front Range counselor to find out more about admissions.
3. Community College of Denver
Located in Denver, Colorado, the Community College of Denver offers a 9-month certificate in medical assisting. Students with no prior healthcare experience are suggested to take pre-requisites in anatomy and physiology, and medical terminology before starting the program. The comprehensive program prepares students for entry-level jobs in clinical or administrative medical assisting. Students may sit for certification upon graduation.
4. Red Rocks Community College
Red Rocks Community College offers both an Associate of Applied Science degree and certificate of medical assisting. Red Rocks offers in-depth curriculum for both MA degrees; however, Associate students are required to take electives and additional credit hours to round out their education. All students of the medical assistant program are required to complete an externship at a healthcare facility before graduation. Red Rocks states that may of their students become employed by the facility where they completed their externship, and overall, the college states an 86% job placement rate. Red Rocks requires certain qualifications for admission; be sure to visit with a Red Rocks representative to learn more. Graduates are allowed to sit for the certification exam through the AAMA.
5. Pima Medical Institute
Pima Medical Institute has locations in Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado. This school offers a 34-credit certificate in medical assisting. The course combines general education classes, like computer basics and math, with core medical assisting courses. Graduates may sit for the CMA exam through the AAMA. The medical assisting program through Pima costs about $11,000 and takes about 9 months to complete.
6. National American University
National American University is a private, for-profit educational institution in Colorado Springs which offers students a 59.5 credit-hour medical assisting program. Throughout the program, students will take courses like medical terminology, introduction to medical assisting, human pharmacology, clinical science labs and lab techniques, and others.
As an institution, National American University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Its medical assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
7. IntelliTec Medical Institute
IntelliTec Medical Institute is a private, for-profit education institute which offers students a broad range of medical career training programs at its campuses in Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, and Pueblo.
IMI offers students a medical assisting certificate program that can be completed in as little as 10.5 months. Throughout the program students will learn how to maintain medical records, how administer drugs, and how to understand, care and treat illness and injuries. Courses combine theoretical knowledge and practicum experiences to provide students will a holistic understand of the discipline.
IntelliTec College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.
Rachel Dennis works as both a professional writer and health care provider. She has been a licensed health care provider since 1998, with work experience as a medical assistant, certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician. She has been writing since 1994 and has been published both on-line and in print.