Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Program

What does a CCMA do?

CCMAs have a variety of tasks, including taking patient medical histories and personal information, preparing laboratory samples for testing, and measuring vital signs, such as temperature, weight, and blood pressure, amongst many other tasks.

Where do CCMA work?

CCMAs can work in physicians' offices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and other healthcare facilities.

Why is certification important to becoming a CCMA?

Becoming certified shows your that you have obtain the proper training and skillset needed to be a certified clinical medical assistant.

What is the job outlook for a CCMA?

According to the BLS, the job outlook for certified clinical medical assistant is expected to grow by 14% (much faster than average) between 2022 and 2032, with 764,400 job opening annually.

Our accelerated CCMA program is an excellent opportunity to complete educational requirements quickly without forsaking quality. The same curriculum is taught by the same instructors as our traditional CCMA program, but in a condensed timeframe. Students should be aware that this faster pace requires a significant workload, including completing required readings, training modules, and labs in a condensed amount of time. Balancing full-time work may affect your successful completion of this program. And requests for vacations or other time away from the program are highly discouraged, as it can impact learning outcomes. Previous knowledge of medical terminology and experience in a healthcare setting are beneficial but not required.

1. Meet with Chunta Rivers to review course requirements and externship guidelines.
2. Pay the $200 pre-enrollment fee for the course by the pre-enrollment deadline. This is a non-refundable fee that must be paid by credit card to cover pre-enrollment screenings.
3. Perform all pre-enrollment screenings at least 2 weeks before the course start. Screenings include a criminal background check, drug screening (basic urine 9-panel), and vaccine verification.
4. Pay course balance to finalize enrollment.
   1. If paying via credit card, a payment link will be provided.
   2. If paying via payment plan, first payment must be made prior to course start date. You must obtain pre-approval from our office if you choose to pay via a payment plan.
   3. If paying via invoice, balance must be paid in full by course start date.

Clinical medical assistants are tasked with working directly with patients and supporting the work of doctors and other health care professionals. According to NHA, certified clinical medical assistants serve in a variety of functions that combine office operations and patient procedures. This course will help you gain the skills necessary to function as a member of the healthcare team in a doctor’s office setting.

Tuition includes all course materials, including:

• Stethoscope and blood pressure cuff
• One set of TU branded scrubs
• Access to National Healthcareer Association (NHA) digital learning tools:
  
  • Medical Terminology
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • PersonAbility™
  • MA SkillsBuilder™: Clinical
  • CCMA Online Prep Package
• Unpaid externship
• NHA certification exam
• Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers (BLS) certification course 

Each of the following modules must be completed in order to complete the certified clinical medical assistant program.

Module 1

• Clinical communication
• Concepts, suffixes, and prefixes of medical terminology
• Organization of the human body
• Chemistry, matter, and life
• Cells and their function
• Tissues, glands, and membranes
• Infection control
• Disease and disease-producing organisms
• Body structure
• Vital signs and body measurement

Module 2

• Metabolism, nutrition, and body temperature
• Body systems: endocrine
• Endocrine system: glands and hormones
• Minor surgical task
• Body systems: urinary
• Urinary system
• Body fluids
• Urine collection and analysis
• Body systems: digestive
• Digestive system
• Lab tests

Module 3

• Body systems: integumentary
• Integumentary systems
• Body systems: blood and immunity
• Blood vessels and blood circulation
• Blood
• Phlebotomy and related testing
• Immunity
• Heredity and hereditary diseases

Module 4

• Body systems: muscular
• Muscular system
• Pharmacology
• Body systems: skeletal
• Skeletal system: bones and joints

Module 5

• Body systems: cardiovascular and lumphatic
• The heart and heart disease
• Lymphatic system and lymphoid tissue
• Cardiac and respiratory procedures
• Skeletal system: bones and joints
• Body systems: male reproductive
• Body systems: female reproductive pregnancy and birth
• Male and female reproductive systems
• OB/GYN procedures
• Development and birth

Module 6

• Body systems: nervous and mental health
• Nervous system: the spinal cord and spinal nerves
• Nervous system: the brain and cranial nerves
• Special senses: ears and eyes
• Sensory system
• Eye and ear procedures
• Body system: respiratory
• Pediatric procedures

Download Course Outline (PDF)

This CCMA certification program requires students to participate in an unpaid 160 hour externship in a medical practice. You will be matched with an office based on fit and flexibility. You must meet the following requirements:

• Be 18 or older with a high school or GED® diploma
• Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers (BLS) certification
• Proof of vaccination:

  • Measles (Rubeola), Mumps & Rubella (MMR)

  • Varicella (Chicken Pox)

  • Hepatitis B

  • Tuberculosis (TB)

  • Influenza (Flu)

• Health insurance
• Criminal background check
• Drug screening (basic urine panel)

 

By course completion, you will be fully prepared to take and earn the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam, offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Download requirements (PDF)

CCMA program manager

Tricia Taylor has worked in the medical field since she was 14 years old, starting in her neighbor’s physical therapy office. She spent eight years in higher education teaching medical assistant classes. Most recently, Tricia is the program coordinator at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. In her free time, she is a volunteer EMT at Damascus Volunteer Fire Department and enjoys hiking or trips to the beach with her two sons.

CCMA clinical instructors

Shannon Kennedy-Rios has worked in the medical field as a medical assistant since she was 19 years old. She obtained her medical assistant certification in 2015 from the Allen School of Health Sciences located in New York City. She also obtained a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration with a concentration in patient safety and quality from Southern New Hampshire University in 2020. She also has extensive knowledge in pediatrics, OBGYN, and primary care. She most recently worked at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians as a registered medical assistant. In her free time, she spends her time with her child and husband.

Susan King, Ph.D., is a registered nurse with a background in leadership, critical care, and emergency nursing. She currently serves in the role of faculty and simulation coordinator for the Towson University Department of Nursing. She earned a B.S. in nursing from Bowie State University. She also obtained a M.S. in nursing, an MBA in healthcare administration, and a PhD in 2017. King is certified through the National League of Nursing as a Certified Nurse Educator, as well as a Certified Clinical Nurse Educator demonstrating standards of excellence in knowledge of nursing education through the National League of Nursing. King earned certification from the society for simulation in healthcare as a certified simulation healthcare educator in 2023. Dr. King’s lifelong passion of nutrition and fitness is supported by a certification as a personal trainer, group fitness professional, and nutrition counselor in sports nutrition and nutrition for weight management. She is certified in Barre Connect by the National Exercise Trainers Association. She has earned a certification in an aquatic fitness from Aquatic Alliance International and group spin certification from Kaiser Cycling Association. She enjoys the outdoors and time with her family.

Jennifer Powell has worked as a Certified Medical Assistant since 1990, when she graduated from Medix. In 1995, she obtained an associate degree in allied health from Dundalk Community College. She has worked in many specialties during her career, including OBGYN, cardiology, oncology, hematology, urology, family, and internal medicine. She has extensive knowledge in phlebotomy and working in the lab. She currently works for Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and sewing.

Kayla Proctor has worked in the medical field as a medical assistant since she was 22 years old. She obtained her medical assistant certification in 2009 from Medix Towson. She also has extensive knowledge in pediatrics, family practice, cardiology, ortho, and internal medicine. She has worked as a registered medical assistant at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians since 2009. In her free time, she likes to bake and spend her time with her children.

Hardware Requirements

• This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
• Webcams are strongly recommended.

Software Requirements

• PC: Windows XP or later.
• Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Microsoft Word (not included in enrollment).
• Windows Media Player.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download the Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.