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Receive your NHA CCMA certification
100% online followed by in-person clinical hours
Job interview prep and resume services
1:1 Support From Enrollment to Employment
Stepful’s Medical Assistant program is designed for those looking to take the next step in their careers by becoming a certified medical assistant in California.
Our online program prepares you to earn your Certified Clinical Medical Assistant certification from the National Healthcareer Association and perform all the duties of medical assistants, including both those in the front office as well as working with patients.
Our California Medical Assistant classes take 4 months to complete and cover all essential topics such as medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, healthcare systems, phlebotomy, EKG, patient care coordination, and much more.
The Stepful staff is here to support you at every stage of the journey. From career preparedness to help finding an in-person externship*, we're here to help you launch your career in healthcare.
*Please note, students must be available M-F, 9-5 p.m. to be eligible for externship support.
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At-home clinical kit included
What you’ll learn
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Weeks 1-4
Learn the foundational healthcare knowledge needed to become a well-rounded Medical Assistant. Topics include healthcare systems, medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology.
Weeks 5-8
Master the ins and outs of clinical patient care, such as infection control, phlebotomy, EKG, as well as patient care coordination and education.
Weeks 9-13
Learn how to handle routine administrative responsibilities and get a good grasp of medical law and ethics as well as excellent customer service.
Weeks 14-17+
Prepare for your national certification exam, get certified, and work with your dedicated coach to find an externship and then a full-time job.
Pick Your Start Date
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01
Graduate from high school or complete your GED
While California does not require medical assistants to be licensed or certified, they do have training requirements. Training programs, like Stepful’s 4-month online California Medical Assistant program, require a high school diploma or GED.
02
Enroll in & complete a medical assistant course
Our classes take 4 months to complete and cover all essential topics such as medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, healthcare systems, phlebotomy, EKG, patient care coordination, and much more.
03
Complete a medical assistant externship
One of the most important aspects of becoming a medical assistant in California is in-person training under a licensed supervisor. In fact, California requires specific training hours to be met for medical assistants to administer medications.
Here at Stepful, we help students in good academic and financial standing find an externship with one of our 8,000 partner clinics. This includes 80 to 160 clinical hours that help you get hands-on experience before you start working full-time.
04
Pass your medical assistant certification exam
The state of California does not require medical assistants to be certified. However, they advise that employers may require their medical assistants to be certified by a national or private association.
Stepful’s program prepares students to test for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) certification provided by the National Healthcareer Association. This certification focuses on the clinical aspects of medical assisting instead of administrative work.
05
Search for jobs
Here at Stepful, we support you from your first class all the way to your first job as a medical assistant. Students have access to resume services, mock interviews, and coaching to help them find a job in their area.
Job search sites like Indeed and Monster list many job openings for medical assistants throughout California. These range from private practices to hospitals to government facilities.
Likewise, healthcare systems in California, like Kaiser Permanente and Providence, also have postings for medical assistants in the various hospitals and practices they run.
The state of California imposes no certification requirements for medical assistants. However, some employers will require certification from a nationally recognized group. A certification—such as the CCMA, which you’ll test for after completing our CCMA Training Program—may help you get a job and earn a higher salary.
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Many healthcare careers in California must be licensed, such as physician assistants and dental hygienists, but medical assistants do not have to be licensed.
What Medical Assistants Can Do in California
California has specific language regarding what a medical assistant is allowed to do. The following tasks all fall within a medical assisting scope of practice in California:
- Taking vital signs
- Preparing patients for the physician’s care
- Observing and reporting patients’ signs or symptoms
- Administering basic first aid
- Assisting with patient examinations or treatments
- Operating office medical equipment
- Applying and removing bandages and dressings
- Removing sutures
- Performing ear lavage
- Shaving and disinfecting treatment sites
- Providing patients with pre-packaged prescriptions (excluding controlled substances) as directed by the physician
- Performing basic laboratory procedures
California requires specific training hours to be met for a medical assistant who administers any medications. This training includes:
- Ten hours of training in administering injections and performing skin tests
- Ten hours of training in venipuncture and skin puncture to withdraw blood
- Ten hours of training in each of these areas: intramuscular, subcutaneous, and intradermal injections
- Ten skin tests
- Ten venipuncture and ten skin punctures
- Ten hours of training in administering medication by inhalation
The role of a medical assistant also includes administrative tasks, such as scheduling appointments, managing patient records, performing medical billing and coding, and more.
What Medical Assistants Cannot Do in California
Medical assistants are unlicensed individuals who work under the supervision of a physician or other licensed healthcare providers. Generally speaking, they are prohibited from examining, diagnosing, or treating patients.
Medical assistants in California are not allowed to perform such invasive procedures as:
- Placing the needle or starting and disconnecting the infusion tube of an IV
- Administering medications or injections into the IV line
- Charting pupillary responses
- Inserting a urine catheter
- Independently performing telephone triage
- Injecting collagen
- Using lasers to remove hair, wrinkles, scars, moles or other blemishes
- Administering chemotherapy
One of the best things about starting a career as a medical assistant in California is the positive job outlook. As of May 2023, California has the highest employment level for medical assistants in the country, with 110,280 jobs in the state, or 6.15 for every 1,000 jobs.
California is the third highest-paying state in the country for medical assistants. Medical assistants in California earn a median salary of $46,690, or $22.45 per hour.
Medical assistant jobs are expected to increase by 15% over the next decade. This is more than three times higher than the average growth expected for all jobs nationwide (4%) and better than the projected job growth for all healthcare jobs (12%).
This high demand for medical assistants means that certified medical assistants should be able to find a job quickly and may be able to negotiate for higher starting wages.
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Salary $46,690, / year
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Job Outlook: +15% Growth
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# of Jobs in California: 110,280
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California Society of Medical Assistants: The purpose of the California Society of Medical Assistants is to enable medical assisting professionals to enhance and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and professionalism required by employers and patients; protect medical assistants' right to practice; and promote effective, efficient health care delivery through optimal use of multi-skilled Certified Medical Assistants CMA (AAMA). The CSMA is an affiliate of The American Association of Medical Assistants.
The California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants (CCBMA): The mission of the CCBMA is to provide a pathway for California medical assistants to demonstrate professional competency, to encourage career development through continuing education and recertification, and to promote public safety by continually improving the certification programs to reflect the changing needs of healthcare.
National organizations that support medical assistants in their careers include:
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