Certified Medical Assistant program approved for fall

INA, Ill.  – A new program for those interested in the health care industry will start in the Fall 2015 semester, and students can register now for general education courses leading up to the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) program at Rend Lake College.

All general education courses are required for those who want to complete the associate degree program. At two years and 66 credit hours, students can begin the program now to get a semester ahead of schedule.

There will also be a one-year, 36 credit hour certificate program offered, and students can register for some existing courses, such as Health Care Terminology, Anatomy and Physiology Fundamentals, Intro to Pharmacology, and others. In addition to general education courses and a practicum, students will be required to take new curriculum to graduate.

The program will prepare students to work in medical offices, clinics, and other outpatient facilities doing a number of tasks, including maintaining appointment schedules and medical records, billing, recording vital signs, obtaining medical histories, and drawing blood.

Kim Robert, Dean of Allied Health, said the associate degree will better prepare students for jobs in the community with more communication skills and better opportunities for supervisory roles in an office setting.

“We’re excited about the new Certified Medical Assistant program because we recognize it as a need for our students in the ever-changing health care industry,” said Kim Robert, Dean of Allied Health. “Both the degree and the certificate are a response to the needs in our district. It’s all new, and we can’t wait to get started next fall.”

Medical assistants are projected to have much faster than average job growth by 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with more than 162,000 jobs coming into the market in the next eight years, a 29 percent increase.

After graduation, students can sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants examination. To learn more about the CMA program, contact the RLC Allied Health Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1251.