Testimonials
Medical Assistant
Help Others in the Career That Cares
Working alongside providers in medical offices and clinics, medical assistants are in high demand.
This program offers maximum flexibility, including an online option combined with evening on-campus, hands-on skills practice. Learn more!
Put your empathy to work in health care. It all starts with the Medical Assistant program at DCTC.
| Awards | Credits | Course Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant - A.A.S. Degree | 60 cr. | Online | On Campus | Hybrid |
| Medical Assistant - Diploma | 42 cr. | Online | On Campus | Hybrid |
| Program Datasheet: Download the Medical Assistant Datasheet | ||
Medical assistants are multi-skilled health professionals specifically educated to work in a variety of healthcare settings performing clinical and administrative duties. The practice of medical assisting necessitates mastery of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skills requiring both formal education and practical experience that serve as standards for entry into the profession. A medical assistant’s expansive cross-training includes duties such as taking medical histories, preparing patients for procedures, administering medications, drawing blood, obtaining vital signs, scheduling appointments and collecting and testing lab samples. The program goal is to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.
Employment in this field typically requires successful completion of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) certification exam.
This program has additional costs for equipment and practicum requirements. Also, students must begin the Hepatitis B vaccination series, sign a declination statement, or provide evidence of immunity before beginning invasive procedures in the first semester.
The Medical Assistant diploma program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
25400 U.S. Highway 19 North, Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
727-210-2350
www.caahep.org
Allina Health has provided $1000 scholarships to our students for the last three years to help with the expense of tuition during their summer practicum. They are in the clinics 40 hours a week for six weeks without pay so it’s difficult for many of them to afford life with the tuition expense and limited hours they can work.
This program offers Credit for Prior Learning (CPL). Seek credit for life experience to accelerate your progress toward a degree, diploma, or certificate. Visit the Credit for Prior Learning page to learn more.
Karen Tennis, RN, serves as the clinical services supervisor at Allina Health Eagan Clinic in Eagan, Minnesota. Karen has worked for Allina Health for 42 years. Karen considers DCTC her preferred school for hiring certified medical assistants (CMAs) as well as licensed practical nurses (LPNs). She noted that the DCTC programs have a longstanding reputation for quality with robust curriculums that produce professional, knowledgeable CMAs and LPNs.
I had been in retail sales for so long and absolutely loved working with people, but I wanted to try something different rather than sales. I have always cared a lot about people, and healthcare interested me. My friends and family were telling me they always thought I would end up in healthcare with my people skills and the empathy I showed. I absolutely loved my time at DCTC. The staff and professors were always so helpful and kind; they made you feel right at home.
I have always been interested in healthcare. I enjoy learning about how the human body works and all the amazing ways we can heal. I knew that I did not want to be in a program that took more than a few years. I started researching and realized that Medical Assistant had everything I was looking for in a career. I liked the way the program was put together. We were learning skills that we were going to be implementing in this career. There was plenty of hands-on instruction besides reading. The instructors were caring and knowledgeable. They cared that we were learning the material to be successful.
I chose Medical Assistant because I wanted to do something that was not confined to a desk. I also love talking to people and helping them. Most classes at DCTC were very interesting and the topics fun to learn. If you enjoy people and have a heart to help others, this is a great field to get involved in.
I knew I wanted to be in the medical field, but was unsure which path I wanted to pursue. The Medical Assistant program at DCTC was fast-paced and had great instructors.
| Medical Assistant A.A.S. Degree • 60 credits |
Medical Assistant Diploma • 42 credits |
|
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $209.63/cr. | $209.63/cr. |
| Student Fees | $30.65/cr. | $30.65/cr. |
| Textbooks | $1,580 | $1,080 |
| Course fee for MDAS 1151 | $59 | $59 |
| Course fee for MDAS 2990 | $125 | $125 |
| Practicum Requirements (background study, health assessment, CPR) | $80 | $80 |
| Equipment (scrubs, stethoscope) | $70 | $70 |
| Grand Total | $16,330.80 | $11,505.76 |
Each year, Dakota County Technical College and the DCTC Foundation make more than $200,000 in scholarships available to our students. Students are encouraged to create an account and apply for scholarships online.
Students looking for ways to help finance their college education can find part-time jobs on campus with various DCTC departments and programs. Deliver your completed Work-Study Application to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and search for openings on Handshake. For more information, you can review Work Study Procedure.
Step 1: Apply now for financial aid. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
DCTC's Federal School Code: 010402
Step 2: After receiving an official award letter from DCTC, you may apply online for a Federal Stafford Student Loan. Visit the Loans page for more information.
Graduates assist primary care physicians and specialists in clinics ranging in size from single-doctor to large, multi-specialty. Opportunities are also present in a variety of other health care areas.
According to O*Net Online, occupations in this field are expected to grow rapidly in the next several years and will have large numbers of job openings.
Medical assisting is one of the nation's careers growing much faster than average for all occupations, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, attributing job growth to the following:
If you are looking to bring in any college credit, visit our Transfer To DCTC Resource Page and DCTC will help you through the process.
If you are looking to transfer to a 4-year institution after completing your degree, DCTC can help you through the process! Check out our Transfer From DCTC Resource Page.
Transferology is used to find out how your courses might transfer to DCTC and any of the participating schools in the Transferology network. Get an account for free and create a plan now!
The Medical Assistant program at DCTC is active throughout the year and makes headlines in college publications. Read about graduate success, faculty accomplishments, and the latest and greatest in the medical assisting field.
Like us on Facebook for an inside view of the program.
As a student in DCTC's Medical Assistant program, you can make connections in the health care industry through your involvement in a professional organization with a national and state presence. You can also make connections on campus by joining one or more of the more than 20 student clubs and organizations. Civic engagement and service-learning opportunities are a hallmark of the program.
The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) with its affiliate, the Minnesota Society of Medical Assistants, provide our students with professional networking opportunties while they are still in college. On completing the Medical Assistant program, our graduates can take the national certification exam to earn the title of Certified Medical Assistant, or CMA (AAMA)™. The AAMA offers a variety of continuing education activities as well as record keeping for participation. Sixty hours of continuing education every five years in various content areas is required to re-certify the CMA(AAMA)™ credential.
The Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society is recognized as the official honor society for two-year colleges by the American Association of Community Colleges. PTK provides many leadership and civic engagement opportunities for students. To be eligible for membership, you must have completed a minimum of 12 hours of coursework at DCTC with a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Invitations to join the society are mailed to eligible students at the end of each term.
Service-learning is an activity or action where our students learn a skill, practice a skill, or learn something about their profession. Students need the ability to relate the activity to their education. The activity can be a volunteer project or a part of their normal studies.
Service learning allows the medical assistant students at DCTC to interact with the public and gain confidence in their patient care skills.
Our students routinely take part in health fairson campus, providing blood pressure screening and healthy living education.
Rosemount High School students visit our program every spring semester to learn about medical assisting and to see what takes place in our classrooms. The 240-hour Practicum at the end of the program is also considered service learning.
For a complete list of extracurricular opportunities at DCTC, visit our Campus Life page.
