Delaware Accredited Medical Assistant Schools and Programs

Delaware has many healthcare facilities that offer employment opportunities for medical assistants. The state consistently pays higher than the national average for medical assistant salaries. Despite the potential for employment, the state does not have many accredited medical assisting programs.

Students who wish to train as a medical assistant may need to attend school in another state if they can’t find a school in Delaware that meets their needs. Online programs may be available; however, most require hands-on clinical practice at a physical location that may not be available in Delaware.

Delaware cities with medical centers that offer top employment are:

• Wilmington
• Dover
• Newark

There are two colleges in Delaware that offer accredited medical assisting programs. Attending an accredited program is necessary to be eligible to take the certified medical assistant (CMA) exam through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). The CMA exam is increasingly being required by employers as a measure of competency in medical assisting practice. Be wary of any program that is not accredited, as you may not be able to take the valuable CMA exam.

Delaware Medical Assistant Certification Requirements

In contrast with other entry-level healthcare positions like nursing assistants (CNAs) or practical nurses (LPNs), medical assistants (MAs) working in the state of Delaware aren’t explicitly required to hold a credential in order to practice. Regardless of what’s required, both medical assistants already working in the field, as well as students readying themselves for the jump into the profession, are highly encouraged to seek out the most legitimate and widely recognized credentials.

In the case of medical assisting, those credentials are Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential and the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA), which are administered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and the American Medical Technologists (AMT), respectively.

Route I: To become eligible to sit for the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential exam which is administrated by the AMT, individuals must satisfy ONE of the following fulfillments:

• Option I: Complete a medical assistant program which has:
  • Been regionally or nationally accredited by an agency that’s been approved by the U.S. Department of Education, The Council for Higher Education Accreditation, or the AMT Board of Directors
  • 720 hours of theoretical, in-class/online instruction and 160 hours of hands-on clinical experience at a local healthcare facility or office
• Option II: Past experience as a medical assistant program instructor
  • Five years of work experience instructing medical assistant students in the past seven years OR over one year of experience teaching and three years of experience working as a medical assistant
• Option III: Past employment in the profession
  • Five years of full-time employment as a medical assistant in the past seven years, during which both clinical and administrative duties were performed
• Option IV: Complete a US Armed Forces training program which has:
  • 720 hours of theoretical instruction and 160 hours of hands-on clinical training at a healthcare facility

Route II: To become eligible to sit for the Certified Medical Assistant (CMAs) credential exam which is administered by the AAMA, individuals will need to have satisfied the following requirements:

• Have graduated from a medical assisting program that has been approved by either the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP).
• The program must contain a curriculum with both theoretical and clinical components which expose the students to a broad range of topics – both clinical and administrative – which include but aren’t limited to courses like:
  • Medical law & ethics, pharmacology, clinical and diagnostic procedures, physiology, anatomy, pathophysiology, record keeping and accounting, and computer competency, among others
• Certified Medical Assistants (CMAs) must renew their credentials every 60 months by passing a recertification examination or by completing continuing education hours

List of Delaware Medical Assisting Programs

1. Dawn Career Institute

Dawn Career Institute offers a diploma in medical assisting. The school also offers a degree in administrative medical assisting which may be completed online. The in-house program may be taken during day or night classes and takes about eight months to complete. Students learn a combination of clinical and administrative medical assistant skills. Students enrolled in the online administrative MA course focus on front office duties. Dawn Career Institute states a 73% job placement rate after graduation and the program costs about $15,000. Graduates may be eligible to take certification exams upon graduation.

2. Delaware Technical and Community College

Delaware Technical and Community College has three locations, including Wilmington, Georgetown and Dover. They offer a diploma in medical assisting or an Associate degree. Students in the diploma program learn entry-level skills in both administrative and clinical medical assisting. The associate’s degree offers expanded education and skill building, as well as office management education. Credits from the Associate program may transfer to a higher degree, like a Bachelor degree in healthcare. Costs of the medical assisting program ad Delaware Tech vary based on the degree length chosen.

3. Harris School of Business

Harris School of Business is a private, for-profit educational institution with campus locations throughout the northeast United States. Its campus in Dover offers a medical assistant program that can be taken during daytime or evening hours. The daytime program takes 37 weeks to complete whereas the evening program takes 74 weeks to finish. Students will take courses like medical terminology, medical office procedures, pharmacology, and anatomy and physiology. In total, the program costs about $20,120.

HSB is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).

Article Written by Rachel Dennis

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.