At-Home Clinical Kit Included




Medical assisting is a growing field that offers strong job prospects and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in patient care. Stepful's 5-month online program prepares South Dakota residents to pass the NHA Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam. This nationally recognized credential makes you a more competitive job candidate and ensures you're job-ready on day one.
Join live, 90-minute classes twice a week with expert instructors. Complete daily assignments, mock exams, and simulations—100% online. Pass your national medical assistant certification exam with confidence.
Complete 80 to 160 clinical hours. Use Stepful's Externship Booking Platform to secure interviews at local clinical sites, typically within 1 to 3 months after passing your certification exam.
Join our 8-week Job Coaching Program with mock interview workshops and 1:1 coaching. Receive curated full-time Medical Assistant openings in your area. We're with you every step of the way.

Completing a training program like Stepful's is the fastest way to launch your career as a medical assistant. All you need is a high school diploma or GED. South Dakota does not require medical assistants to be licensed. And while certification isn’t mandatory either, most employers prefer or require it.
Stepful's 5-month program prepares you to earn your Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) credential. Stepful students also do an externship to get real-world, hands-on experience. When you're ready to apply for jobs, Stepful is right there with you, with resume help, mock interviews, and job search assistance. At Stepful, we support you every step of the way — from enrollment through employment.

Learn the foundational healthcare knowledge needed to become a well-rounded Medical Assistant. Topics include healthcare systems, medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology.
Master the ins and outs of providing great patient care and handling tasks in a clinical lab setting. OSHA & HIPAA training and certification.
Master the ins and outs of providing great patient care and handling tasks in a clinical lab setting.
Practice the hands-on skills you’ll use every day as an MA with your Clinical Kit. You’ll also explore medical law and ethics and strengthen your communication skills when working with patients.
Prepare for your national certification exam, get certified, and work with your dedicated coach to find an externship and then a full-time job.
Prepare for your national certification exam, get certified, and work with your dedicated coach to find an externship and then a full-time job.

Medical assistants in South Dakota have a positive job outlook. As of May 2023, there were 1,010 medical assisting jobs in South Dakota, or 2.26 for every 1,000 jobs in the state.
South Dakota cities with the highest number of medical assistants are:
Medical assistants in South Dakota earn a decent salary, with an average salary of $44,238 per year, or $21.27 per hour.
Nationally, medical assisting is one of the fastest-growing fields. Job opportunities for medical assistants are expected to increase by 12% between 2024 and 2034. That’s four times the rate of other jobs in the US.
This high demand means certified medical assistants should be able to find a job more easily and may be able to negotiate for higher starting wages.
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The South Dakota Society of Medical Assistants (SDSMA) provides the medical assistant profession with education, networking opportunities, scope-of-practice protection, and advocacy for quality patient-centered health care. The SDSMA is an affiliate of the American Association of Medical Assistants.
National organizations that support medical assistants in their careers include:
You are not required to be certified to work as a medical assistant in South Dakota. However, 96% of employers require or encourage certification for their medical assistants. A certification — such as the CCMA, which you’ll test for after completing our South Dakota Medical Assistant Training Program — shows employers that you are trained to do all the tasks commonly done by medical assistants.
Medical assistants in South Dakota do not need a license. They are, however, required to work under the direct supervision of a person licensed to practice medicine in the state.
Our tuition includes access to the online learning platform, instructor-led Zoom classes, clinical sessions, NHA certification exam prep, dedicated 1:1 coaching, and career services. You don't need to purchase any textbooks or extra materials to succeed at Stepful.
Students have the option to pay upfront or in installments with a flexible payment plan. Stepful offers partial scholarships. Reach out to our admissions team for more information.
Our classes prepare you to test for your National Healthcareer Association’s Certified Clinical Medical Assistant certification online or in person.
We help graduates who successfully complete our online medical assistant certification program, pass the National Healthcareer Association certificate exam, and complete their externship hours find healthcare jobs in their local communities to start their Medical Assistant careers.
Medical assistants in South Dakota work under the direct supervision of a licensed medical provider. Clinical duties may include: taking vital signs, preparing patients for exams, phlebotomy and injections, reporting patients’ signs or symptoms, administering basic first aid, assisting with patient exams or treatment, collecting routine lab specimens, and performing EKGs and glucose testing. Administrative duties include scheduling appointments, maintaining patient records, handling billing and insurance claims, and all general administrative tasks.
Students may drop out within the first two weeks of class and get a full tuition refund. Feel free to attend class to get a sense if this program is right for you. Please note the $59 enrollment fee to secure your spot in class is not refundable.
All you need is a copy of your high school or GED diploma and a stable internet connection for our course. That's all you need to learn the skills required to succeed as a medical assistant and get your medical assistant certification online.
Our medical assistant program is 100% online and is followed by an optional in-person unpaid externship. Stepful has affiliation agreements with over 6,000 clinics across the nation and helps students get placed at an externship site for in-person clinical hours.
Yes! We are partnered with the NHA. All our graduates are eligible to take the NHA's national medical assistant certification once they successfully complete the program.
Medical assistants in South Dakota cannot examine, diagnose, or treat patients independently. The supervising licensed provider determines which tasks are appropriate to delegate. Medical assistants may only perform duties for which they have been trained and that have been specifically assigned by their supervising provider.