The Workforce Institute at St. Petersburg College is offering training for students interested in becoming certified as a Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 23 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. In the Tampa Bay area alone, more than 450 job postings were advertised in June 2016. That is a lot of opportunity.
The growth of the aging baby-boom population will continue to increase demand for preventive medical services, which are often provided by physicians. As their practices expand, physicians will hire more assistants to perform routine administrative and clinical duties, allowing the physicians to see more patients. The number of positions that should be available in coming years should make this one of the most sought after roles beneath the nursing level.
What do medical assistants do?
Medical assistants work with medical professionals and provide help in a number of clinical duties and administrative jobs. They may help with patient appointments, scheduling medical staff, preparing samples for the lab, recording patient history and retrieving vital information from patients.
Clinical Medical Assistants (CMAs) have different duties, depending on the state where they work. They may do basic laboratory tests, dispose of contaminated supplies and sterilize medical instruments. They may have additional responsibilities, such as instructing patients about medication or special diets, preparing patients for X-rays, removing stitches, drawing blood or changing dressings.
What is the work environment?
Medical assistants held about 591,300 jobs in 2014. The industries that employed the most medical assistants were:
| Offices of physicians | 59% |
| Hospitals: state, local, and private | 15% |
| Offices of other health practitioners | 10% |
| Outpatient care centers | 7% |
What is the average pay for Medical Assistants?
The average annual wage for medical assistants was $30,590 in May 2015. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
In May 2015, the average annual wages for medical assistants in the top industries in which they worked were:
| Outpatient care centers | $32,060 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $31,410 |
| Offices of physicians | $30,830 |
| Offices of other health practitioners | $27,980 |
Training and Certification
At SPC’s Workforce Institute, we offer a Clinical Medical Assistant program that takes less than 5 months to complete. The course work combines online classes, labs and externship experiences and includes the national certification exam. Obtaining certification will increase your career opportunities, pay, job security and subject matter expertise. Additionally, funding and scholarship opportunities may be available to students.
Upcoming CMA Information Session
SPC will be offering a Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) Information Session at the Midtown Campus on Wednesday, July 20, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. The session will be held in Room 236 of the Midtown Jamerson Building located at 1300 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712.
To register for this information session, please complete this survey.
For more information regarding the Clinical Medical Assistant program or other Healthcare training, please contact us at workforce@spcollege.edu or (727) 341-4445.
Hi,
My name is Claudia and I’m interested in your Medical Assistant program.
Looking forward to starting a new carrier and trying to take the right path.
I have two main questions, if you don’t mind.
One is I can’t find the classes for this program on the web site.
And the second question is how did you manage to complete this program
in a short term? The other schools take from 10 to 12 months to complete it.
Your schedule is very appealing since I need to work and take care of my children,
but as I said before I want to make sure your program will offer what I need.
Thanks for your time and any information you can provide me with.
Claudia Costa
Hi Claudia,
We’re happy to answer any questions you may have.
1. To find information on where to register, you’ll have to go to the non-degree department (Workforce Institute) registration page: https://spcollege.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassListing.ClassListingDisplay&int_category_id=27&int_sub_category_id=331&int_catalog_id= .
2. We would be happy to explain to you how our program is so condensed, but it is a lengthy to put into a post. Please give us a call though! You can contact our team member, Raena Boston, at 341-4667. She does all of the intake for this program and is well versed on all of the details that make this program special.
Thanks again for contacting us, Claudia. We hope to hear from you soon!
would like degree of difficulty of required courses for CMA
Whats the difference between a CMA and a MEDICAL ASSISTANT never heard of CMA just MEDICAL ASSISTANT OR CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT.. and also do u guys have job placement
Degree of difficulty CMA course.Have been CNA-HHA for 28 years(licenced of course)
CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants) have direct patient care and typically work in an assisted living facility under a nurse.
The CMA’s (Clinical Medical Assistant)primary responsibilities are patient assessment such as obtaining medical history, medication, and allergy information, doing a physical exam, and checking vital signs. The CMA prepares the patients for the doctor, performs clerical duties, cleans and sanitizes exam rooms and equipment, and also stocks rooms with supplies and equipment. CMAs most commonly work in a physician’s clinic or urgent care centers
I am excited about beginning the CCMA program but do have a few questions.
1. Is Job Placement Assistance available after the externship and Certification?
2. What is the percentage of your success rate for passing the Certification exam and Entry level job placement?
3. Can you customize a package to include EKG Cert or Medical Admin for purposes of the Displaced Worker WIOA?
Thank you