South Dakota Accredited Medical Assistant Schools and Programs
The health services job market is expanding in South Dakota. The United States Bureau of Labor predicts that employment for medical assistants is expected to grow by as much as 31% in the upcoming years. The average salary for medical assistants in South Dakota, with about five years on the job, is over $31,000 annually. This growing career path along with South Dakota’s reasonable cost of living makes a job as a medical assistant a smart choice.
Before you start a career as a medical assistant, you will need to explore the certification process as well as your options for training. Training can take nine months to two years to complete, depending on whether you choose a diploma program or associate degree. The duration depends on if you choose to go to school part-time or full-time.
List of Accredited South Dakota Medical Assistant Programs
1. Lake Area Technical Institute
Campus Location: Watertown
Lake Area Technical Institute, founded in 1965, offers a medical assistant diploma program and an associate of applied science in medical assisting degree. The curriculum includes courses in medical ethics, patient preparation, insurance, medical billing as well as skills required for administrative and clinical setting.
Students will also receive hands-on training in local participating medical facilities. Upon graduation, students are qualified to take the medical assistant certification examination.
2. Presentation College
Campus Location: Aberdeen
The medical assistant training program at Presentation College offers a two-year associate of applied science degree in medical assisting. This four-semester program requires students to successfully complete 70 credits. Prerequisite courses include health, science and basic math.
Toward the end of the program, students participate in a nine-week supervised externship. After graduation, students are eligible to register for the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam and the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) test.
3. Mitchell Technical College
Campus Location: Mitchell
The city of Mitchell has a population of fewer than 15,000 residents. Mitchell Technical Institute has a current student population of about 1800 people and offers a two-year associate of applied science degree for medical assistants.
The medical assistant associate degree offered by the school requires students to complete 73 credits. The program offers courses in anatomy/physiology, psychology, pathophysiology, medical ethics, patient preparation, insurance, medical billing as well as skills required for administrative and clinical settings.
Students also receive hands-on training in any one of the local participating medical facilities. Successful graduates of the program can sit for the AAMA certification exam.
4. Western Dakota Technical Institute
Campus Location: Rapid City
Western Dakota Technical Institute is a secondary technical institute which serves students living in the western portion of South Dakota. WDTI offers students a three-semester, 39 credit hour Associate in Applied Science in Medical Assisting Diploma (A.A.S) and a nine-month, 30 credit hour Medical Assistant Certificate program. Each program teaches students the clinical and administrative skills needed to become a future medical assistant. According to the college, since the program been running, it has enjoyed 100 percent pass rate. Some courses that students can expect to take while enrolled in the program include Microcomputer Software Applications, Pathophysiology, Professionalism in Healthcare, and more. After the students have successfully completed the program’s coursework, they’ll need to complete a clinical externship at a local healthcare facility.
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.