Harford Community College Medical Assisting Certification Receives Accreditation

From Harford Community College:

Harford Community College is pleased to announce that its Medical Assisting Certificate program has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). HCC is one of only five institutions in Maryland to offer a Medical Assisting program of study. Medical Assisting is a health workforce shortage program, supporting State workforce and health workforce education priorities in a fiscally prudent manner. With this program designation, enrolled students, irrespective of where they live in the State, qualify for in-county tuition at the offering community college, and the college receives reimbursement from Maryland Higher Education Commission for the differential amount between in-county and out-of-county tuition (www.mhec.state.md.us).

The Medical Assisting program at HCC teaches both administrative and clinical skills. Students can complete the certificate program in as little as one year by taking courses that are offered online, in the evening, or during the summer. The College has 30 externship sites available to provide students with actual work experience (unpaid) onsite at a medical facility. The program prepares students for employment immediately upon completing the course of studies.

In a recent article from the website at www.aama-ntl.org, it was stated, “In view of the preference of many health care employers for trained personnel, job prospects should be best for medical as¬sistants with formal training or experience, particularly those with certification.”

Medical assisting is in high demand and the outlook for employment is very high. Employment is predicted to grow 35 percent between 2006 and 2016. Graduates of the program may find employment in such health care settings such as doctors’ offices and clinical ambulatory outpatient centers. The student who completes the certificate program has the option of earning the A.A.S. in Medical Assisting by completing the general education courses required by that degree program. Since HCC offers a credit program, students also have the option of transferring their credits to a four-year institution to work toward a bachelor’s degree in an allied health field. You can visit https://www.utmb.edu/hr/careers/ to find jobs related to your course.

The College currently has 160 students enrolled in Medical Assisting. Upon graduation from the program, students may sit for the CMA (Certified medical assistant) examination through AAMA (American Association of Medical Assistants) certification exam or the RMA (certified Registered Medical Assistant) examination through American Medical Technologists.

Summer 2010 graduates of Harford Community College’s Medical Assisting program are pictured at their pinning ceremony. Front row, left to right: Jasmine Tildon, Tiffany Smith, Ashley Runyon, Lesli McLaughlin; and back row, left to right: Lauren Killmond, Meghan Killmond, Flor Bercian