Medical Assistant Jobs and Programs in North Carolina – Schools, Salary, and License Info

How to Become a Medical Assistant in North Carolina

North Carolina, known for its touristic areas, may easily be a place where you land a job.

But you need to do things step by step.

So, you need a solid education in the field first.

This time, I mean a medical assisting education.

Basically, you can become a well-qualified medical assistant in North Carolina in a matter of steps.

These steps are:

• Pursue a Medical Assistant Education
• Learn About the Different Types of Medical Assistant Certifications
• Research North Carolina’s Job Market
• Maintain Your Professional Credential

Medical assistants in North Carolina work with dedication and professionalism.

In the state, nearly 13,890 of them offer their medical services to people in various health and medical settings.

This profession is indeed expected to grow beyond the average as the upcoming decade approaches.

However, the work of medical assistants will continue to be supervised by special supervisors.

The issue of supervision is also regulated by law.

These medical assistants are delegated a number of tasks from licensed physicians in the state.

On the other hand, medical assistants in North Carolina are not asked to get a license, education or training to practice the profession.

But, in the private sector, the regulations fall short.

Anyway, the employers have made some sets of requirements for medical assistants, which usually include these:

• Graduation from a medical assistant training program in North Carolina
• Holding a medical assistant degree from an accredited medical assistant school in North Carolina
• Having a professional medical assistant certification
• Having previous work experience as a medical assistant

Step 1. Pursue a Medical Assistant Education

Attending a medical assisting program in North Carolina is necessary to make progress in the career.

This progress will open up job opportunities as well.

So, in the state, candidates will also be able to attend online and local certificate and associate degree programs.

Another important of the school choice is accreditation.

For this reason, choosing a school that is accredited by accrediting organizations within the state or a national one is crucial.

Also, you need to attend a medical assisting school that supports optional certification.

Because there are some certifications that can only be given to those graduates from a school that holds accreditation from the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

Or else, by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

The medical assistant academic program you choose, however, will include courses such as the following ones:

• Clinical office procedures
• Anatomy and physiology – body structures, organs, and systems
• Math for health care professionals
• Medical office procedures
• Pathophysiology
• Medical insurance applications
• Pharmacology and drug administration
• Medical law and ethics
• Medial laboratory procedures
• Communications and business English
• Medical assistant administrative procedures

Step 2. Learn About the Different Types of Medical Assistant Certifications

When it comes to certification, there are many options for it in medical assisting in North Carolina.

In the state, each certification offers a typical credential to the aspiring candidates in the field.

Of course, they will also be a good help in raising the candidates’ qualifications as well.

One of the available certifications in the state is the CMA credential.

This certification is sponsored by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

 To become eligible for this you need to meet two requirements:

• Graduate from a medical assistant academic program that is accredited by the ABHES or CAAHEP
• Pass the Certified Medical Assistant Exam

Apart from that, you may also take the CMA Exam through an online application.

This application is made up of 200 multiple-choice questions that must be completed in 160 minutes.

These questions will mainly be taken from the following categories:

• General subjects
  • Communication and psychology
  • Professionalism, medical law, ethics, and regulatory guidelines
  • Quality assurance, risk management, and safety
  • Medical terminology
• Administrative subjects
  • Medical reception and appointment scheduling
  • Medical business practices
  • Patient medical records
  • Practice finances
• Clinical subjects
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Patient care, intake, and documentation
  • Infection control and sterile procedures
  • Patient preparation
  • Processing and collecting specimens
  • Diagnostic testing
  • Emergency procedures
  • Pharmacology

In addition to the CMA credential there are several other certifications offered by a variety of national organizations:

• Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – offered by American Medical Technologists (AMT)
• Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) – offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
• Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA) – offered by the National Association of Health Professionals (NAHP)
• Medical Assistant (NCMA) – offered by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT)

The eligibility for all these medical assisting credentials, an exam is a must.

The exam will usually be offered by a specific agency.

The agency also qualified the candidate in four ways.

These ways are:

• By completing an accredited medical assistant education program
• By having several years of experience working as a medical assistant or medical assistant instructor
• By working as the equivalent of a medical assistant in the US Military
• By earning another agency’s medical assistant certification credential

Step 3. Research North Carolina’s Job Market

Hunting the job market is necessary to find a suitable job in medical assisting.

This will also help know what employers are looking for in a candidate.

From a data survey done in various locations across North Carolina, this information came out:

• Novant Health Durham Internal Medicine Associates recently posted a medical assistant job description seeking a candidate with the following minimum qualifications:
  • High school diploma
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) and CPR certification
  • Either a CMA or RMA professional medical assistant credential

• Duke University Health System at Chapel Hill was recently seeking a medical assistant who holds a professional credential through the AAMA or AMT.

• Tenet Healthcare in Hickory was recently looking for a medical assistant who had at minimum completed a medical assistant training program. The ad specified that candidates with a CMA credential would be preferred for hire.

• Rex Healthcare in Raleigh recently posted an ad seeking a medical assistant who at minimum had graduated from a medical assistant training program. The candidate must also have a CMA credential as well as a Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification.

• Mebane Primary Care was recently looking for a medical assistant with the following minimum qualifications:
  • 1-2 years of previous clinical experience
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification
  • Either a CMA or RMA medical assistant certification

From the review of the qualifications for medical assistant jobs in North Carolina, there are different numbers of medical assistants noted.

The distribution of these professionals throughout the state is such:

• 2,470 medical assistants in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metropolitan area
• 1,780 medical assistants in the Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area
• 1,210 medical assistants in the Greensboro-High Point area
• 1,090 medical assistants in Asheville
• 1,070 medical assistants in the Durham-Chapel Hill area
• 870 medical assistants in the Winston-Salem area
• 770 medical assistants in Wilmington
• 590 medical assistants in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morgantown area

The Best Medical Assisting Schools in North Carolina

With a number of 50 medical assisting schools located in the state, you will be perfectly fine.

However, you need to choose the right school.

To do so, you need to look for proper accreditation.

And then, you also need the type of degree you’re interested in.

The rest of the way is to study, study, and study.

Medical Assisting Salaries in North Carolina

Until you find a job!

After doing so, you would like the salary to fulfill all your needs.

But, to witness that, you need to take the previous means first.

The greatest most important mean to a high salary is the correct qualification.

Annual Salary Range:

Regional Salary in North Carolina

Medical Assisting by State