Medical Assistants provide a wide range of services to healthcare practitioners and patients. For example, they assist with patient care management, administrative, and clinical procedures, such as physical examinations, phlebotomy, injections, electrocardiograms, and instrument sterilization.

Positions are most often available in hospitals and clinics, physician offices, and outpatient care facilities.

Medical Assistant Education Plan

Notes for Students

• PSYC& 200 is a recommended elective.

• Students interested in entering the Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management program will also need to take a Quantitative Skills Distribution course, ENGL& 101, Natural Science, Social Science, and five additional credits of English, Math, Natural Science or Social Science.

First Year
Fall Quarter	MA 139 MA Medical Terminology* - 5 credits HLSV 131 Nursing Assistant Certification OR MA 140 Medical Assisting Intro* - 5-9 credits ENGL& 101 English Composition I OR WRT 105 Writing in the Workplace - 5 credits
Winter Quarter	BIOL& 170 Human Biology* ** - 5 credits BIOL 172 Human Biology Lab* ** - 1 credit BTEC 101 Keyboarding for Business OR BTEC 102 Skillbuilding I - 3 credits HR 110 Human Relations in the Workplace - 5 credits
Spring Quarter	BTEC 266 Medical Law & Ethics - 3 credits MA 130 Medical Math OR MATH& 146 Intro to Stats* - 5 credits PSYC& 100 Psychology OR PSYC& 200 Lifespan Psychology - 5 credits Health and Fitness Distribution - 3 credits

*BIOL$ 170/BIOL& 172 or BIOL& 242/242, MA 130, MA 139, and MA 140 or HLSV 131 are prerequisites to apply for the second year. Students must receive a grade of 2.5 or higher in these courses.

** BIOL& 170/BIOL 172 may be substituted for BIOL& 241/BIOL& 242.

Second Year
Fall Quarter	HLSV 110 BLS for Healthcare - 1 credit MA 241 MA Clinical Procedures - 6 credits MA 249 MA Admin Procedures - 8 credits
Winter Quarter	MA 242 Medication Administration - 7 credits MA 246 MA Laboratory Procedures - 10 credits
Spring Quarter	MA 243 MA Clinical Procedure II - 6 credits MA 208 MA Electrocardiography - 2 credits MA 245 MA Clinical Externship - 6 credits

The Centralia College Medical Assistant program is accredited at the institutional level by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. 

The MA program is affiliated with the American Medical Technologists (AMT), one of four national credentialing organizations that provide written examinations for graduates to become nationally certified. This national certification is now required to work in the state of Washington.

Upon successful completion of the national exam, the MA will be awarded the national credential Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) through AMT. The national RMA credential is equivalent to the national CMA credential, and should be recognized as such by all potential employers. Once nationally certified, graduates will be required to complete continuing education units to renew the national credential per the AMT renewal schedule.

It is the responsibility of the MA graduate to apply to the AMT to take the national boards and to pay all incurred costs with this national written examination.

Centralia College's MA program meets all criteria for graduates to be eligible to work in the state of Washington as a Medical Assistant-Certified (MA-C), once the graduate has passed their national boards. This certification requires renewal every two years.

Once hired, the graduate's employer will obtain from the state an interim MA-C certificate that is good for exactly one calendar year from the date it is issued. The one-year interim period is to allow the new graduate to start work even if they have not passed their national boards yet. However, they must pass their national boards within that one-year interim period; otherwise, the MA-C will be revoked and they will only be allowed to work from that point forward in Washington as a Medical Assistant-Registered (MA-R), which is a lesser credential.