Clinical Medical Assistant

Why Choose This Program

The CMA program can lead to a rewarding career in the healthcare industry or serve as a stepping-stone to another health-related field.

About The Program

The Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) healthcare program prepares a graduate to work as a valuable aid to complete many of the routine tasks involved in patient care in outpatient clinics or offices, specialty clinics, or hospitals. Students in the CMA program learn to record vital signs, assist with examinations, and explain treatments or tests, administer medications, obtain laboratory specimens, perform electrocardiograms, and sterilize equipment. Students learn to maintain the exam rooms and supply specialty areas.

Paying for College

Northark is affordable! We offer nearly $500,000 annually through institutional and foundation scholarships in addition to federal and state aid. See our scholarships and other financial aid programs.

Learning Outcomes

• Graduates of the Clinical Medical Assistant program will demonstrate skills for assisting healthcare providers in an outpatient clinical setting giving direct patient care assistance.

• Graduates will demonstrate competence in preparing patients for tests, procedures and examinations and performing vital sign documentation common to the outpatient clinic setting. The graduate will also perform CLIA-waived laboratory procedures and simple office procedures within the scope of the CMA role.

• Graduates will exhibit patient safety in the clinic setting, using universal, standard precautions to prevent disease transmission, recognize and respond to emergencies, and administer select medications under the direction of the physician or nurse.

• Graduates will use correct medical terminology to communicate and document care, manage patient records, obtain patient history and insurance data using electronic health record (technology) and will demonstrates competency in basic diagnostic and procedural coding.

• Graduates will exhibit lawful and ethical care; assuring patient rights, maintenance of safety in the healthcare environment, following chain of custody procedures and reporting illegal or unsafe practices to proper authorities.

Licensure and Certification

Graduates of our Medical Assisting programs complete all course work necessary to sit for the NHA CCMA certification exam. Certification is not currently required by the state of Arkansas for Medical Assisting but is preferred by many employers. We are unsure of the certification requirements in other states.