Medical Assistant Diploma

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Medical Assistant Diploma

A Dynamic, Growing Healthcare Career

As a medical assistant, you take vital signs, prepare patients for exams, and assist doctors with procedures. You handle paperwork and schedule appointments, keeping the office running smoothly. You also interact with patients and help them feel comfortable. Each day is both varied and exciting!

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Medical Assistant Diploma at a Glance

Award

Diploma

Length of Study

1 ½ years

Course Format

Face-to-Face

Classes Meet

Daytime or Evening

Program Start

Fall (Evenings), Spring (Daytime)

200+

Hours Work Experience

Tuition for Eligible Students

Class Options (Daytime, Evening)

100%

Exam Pass Rate

Your Medical Assistant Career

Graduates work under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional in a variety of settings:

Doctor’s offices
Specialty clinics
Hospitals

20%

Work in Hospitals

60%

Work in a Physician's Office

Succeed at Hawkeye

Program Spotlight Medical Assistant

Hear from students and instructors why Hawkeye’s hands-on approach to education makes you career ready on day one.

Play

Success Story Kim Connor

Kim wanted to take her career further than being a CNA. Now, as a Certified Medical Assistant, she feels a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that’s even better than she expected.

Play

Success Story Desi Perez

Desi Perez loves helping people. After working as a patient care tech, she wanted to move her career forward. At Hawkeye Community College, she found a supportive community that is invested in her success.

Play

Success Story Brooke Stephens

Brooke decided she wanted to work in healthcare after helping her grandma. She discovered that being a medical assistant was a great choice, and now she has many exciting opportunities ahead of her.

Play

Success Story Cassie Krull

Cassie Krull started out wanting to be a nurse, but after a year, she realized it wasn’t right for her. She still wanted to work in healthcare and be in a clinic, so she found that medical assisting was the perfect fit.

Play

Program Overview

You graduate with skills and experience with:

Taking vital signs
Collecting and preparing lab specimens and performing diagnostic tests
Administering medication and injections
Collecting and recording data
Educating patients
Office management and procedures
Scheduling and billing practices

Semester 0 — Prerequisites

Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology or
Human Anatomy and Physiology I and

Human Anatomy and Physiology II
Fundamentals of Oral Communication or
Composition I or

Public Speaking
Introduction to Psychology
Medical Terminology

Semester 1

Clinical Assisting I
Diseases and Disorders
Introduction to Computers or
Information Computing
Medical Lab Procedures with ECG
Medical Office Management I

Semester 2

Clinical Assisting II
Medical Assisting Pharmacology
Medical Laboratory Procedures II
Medical Office Management II

Semester 3

Medical Assistant Practicum
Medical Law and Ethics
Seminar

Explore Courses, Details, and Costs

Gain over 200 hours of real-world experience working in a local healthcare facility, ensuring you have the skills you need to succeed in your future career.

Graduates are eligible to take the RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) or CMA (Certified Medical Assistant), national exams recognized by all states for practice as a Medical Assistant.

See our State Licensure Google Sheet to identify the states in which Hawkeye's Medical Assistant program requirements fulfill the state guidelines for professional licensure and certification.

Licensure and Certification Disclosure

This program qualifies for the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship and will pay up to 100% of your tuition.

You must apply for, be awarded, and meet the ongoing eligibility requirements for the Last-Dollar Scholarship.

Hawkeye has set up a new Blackhawk chapter of the Iowa Society of Medical Assistants (ISMA). Students, graduates, and local medical assistants can join this group to share their experiences and keep up with the latest trends. By attending the bi-monthly meetings, students and members can also earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Explore Courses, Details, and Costs

The Future of Healthcare Education is at Hawkeye

A High-Tech Learning Lab Grundy Hall

A $21 million renovation transformed Grundy Hall into a state-of-the art healthcare and science education center. The building was redesigned from the ground up to meet the ever-changing needs of modern healthcare careers.

State of the Art Van Gerpen Patient Simulation Center

Practice with high-tech equipment in realistic hospital setups. Advanced simulators help you learn how to care for patients and prepare for real medical jobs with confidence.

Explore the Sim Lab

A Community Resource Dental Clinic

Work under the supervision of experienced faculty and a dentist to provide high-quality dental care to the public.

Visit the Dental Clinic

Meet the Instructor: Gwen Mahloch

Gwen has been a Certified Medical Assistant since 2002, and serves as the program director. "I love teaching students new skills and knowledge and having that light bulb come on. I look forward to learning from them as well.”

Meet the Instructor: Corrie Sink

Corrie is a 2021 graduate of the Medical Assistant program, but has worked in healthcare since 2004. She now serves as the program’s clinical coordinator.

Read Corrie's Story

How to Get Started

It’s simple! Complete these steps:

Check the status of your application at any time by logging into your admissions account.

Program Admission Requirements

To enroll in this program, you’ll need to meet the minimum score requirements.

	ACCUPLACER Next Generation	ACCUPLACER Classic	COMPASS	ACT	GPA
Literacy	239 Reading or 240 Writing	58 Reading or 64 Sentence Skills	69 Reading or 41 Writing	16 Reading or 16 English	2.25

You can take the ACCUPLACER Next Generation or ACT at Hawkeye. While ACCUPLACER Classic and COMPASS aren’t offered anymore, you can still use your scores from those tests if you took them before for program admission.

If you don’t meet the minimum score requirements, you can take success courses instead. Talk to your academic advisor to help you find the right courses to get started.

The Medical Assistant program accepts 20 students each fall for the evening option and 20 students each spring for the day option.

Once you meet all the admission requirements, including the assessment score requirement, you’ll get what’s called an "Eligible-Start Date to be Determined" (ETBD) status. Getting ETBD status doesn’t guarantee program admittance—it depends on how many seats are available.

If you don't meet all the admission requirements, you'll be accepted into a Pre-Program. As a pre-program student, you'll start by taking general education and prerequisite classes. Your academic advisor will help you make a plan to meet the program requirements. After finishing your pre-program courses, contact Admissions to let them know.

The Admissions Office admits students with ETBD status until all seats are filled. Any remaining ETBD students will stay on the list and be contacted if a spot becomes available.

Make sure to keep your contact info updated and check your Hawkeye email regularly to stay on top of everything!

As a Health student at Hawkeye, you’ll need to complete the same background checks as hospital employees. This check will include fingerprinting and look into databases like the sex offender registry, child abuse and dependent adult registries, and Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Depending on the results, it could affect your ability to take part in clinical experiences.

The Dual Role of Today’s Medical Assistants

Discover how medical assistants blend clinical care and administrative skills to support patients, providers, and the growing needs of today’s healthcare system.

Read the article

Program Goals & Outcomes

The Hawkeye Community College Medical Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
25400 US Highway 19 North, Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
727-210-2350

www.caahep.org

	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Students entering the program	7	13	11	17	12
Admission cohort retention rate	100%	92.31%	90.91%	100%	91.6%
Exam passage rate	92%	100%	100%	100%	100%

2019–2023 Averages

Retention Rate: 95%
Exam Passage Rate: 98%

The mission of the Hawkeye Community College Medical Assistant program is to develop educated students and lifelong learners that enter the field as entry level productive and valuable members of the health care team in an ambulatory healthcare facility performing both administrative and clinical tasks within their scope of training.

The goal of the Medical Assistant program is to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.