Medical Assistant Schools in North Carolina

North Carolina is home to several medical assistants, all of whom are gainfully employed with the potential to scale their earnings and take advantage of career growth opportunities. The profession is perfect for candidates wanting to enter the healthcare industry to gain experience and decide whether to go any further.

Below, we explore the requirements needed to become a medical assistant in North Carolina. Residents will discover the basic requirements, educational pathways, and possible training destinations.

They will also find the licensure/certification requirements and an overview of the potential annual average salary to expect based on a few key factors.

How to Become a Medical Assistant in North Carolina

The following are the steps to becoming a medical assistant in North Carolina.

Meet the Basic Requirements

It is common for candidates looking to become medical assistants in North Carolina to start with at least a high school diploma or a GED. This alone is enough to secure admission into a training program or even gain placement at a medical establishment willing to provide training for candidates from scratch.

Attend an Accredited Training Program

For their training, aspiring medical assistants may attend accredited programs to develop the skills they’d need on the job. Currently, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accredited Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) are the authorities in this regard.

The main focus of the training will include laboratory procedures, medical terminology, diagnostic testing, psychology and communication, medical reception and business practices, and risk management.

Candidates may go for a diploma, certificate, or associate degree.

Employment, Certification, & Continuing Education

Those who have completed their medical assistant training may proceed to secure employment. However, it is common for some students to dedicate time to receiving training on the job first.

They may do so, for instance, through an internship arrangement. They may then secure employment at the same medical establishment or elsewhere.

Furthermore, candidates must continually improve themselves through certification and continuing education. We explore this issue further below.

Explore trades with similar paths:

• How to become a home and building inspector in North Carolina

Licensure & Certification Requirements

As mentioned above, becoming certified can help medical assistants in North Carolina improve through continuing education. It also gives them more credibility and provides networking opportunities.

However, despite all these benefits, candidates must be legally mandated to become licensed or certified medical assistants in North Carolina. For those who would like to do so anyway, the American Association of Medical Assistants offers a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential that is among the best options in the country.

To earn this credential, they must pass an examination.

The American Medical Technologists and the National Center for Competency Testing offer other noteworthy alternatives to the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) and National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) credentials.

Top Medical Assistant Schools in North Carolina

The following are among the best training programs for aspiring medical assistants in North Carolina.

Explore medical assistant schools in North Carolina by city:

• Medical assistant schools in Charlotte

Salary & Career Outlook

Medical assistants in North Carolina usually start their careers earning an annual average salary of $43,530. This is the figure for the mid-range earners in the state.

Those who start from the bottom 10% take home an annual average salary of $32,897. Those among the highest-paid in the top 10% take home an annual average salary of $57,600.

Location, experience, and the nature of the professional’s employer determine where they will fall on the spectrum.

The best locations to work as a medical assistant in North Carolina to earn a high annual average salary include Concord, with an annual average salary of $45,721, and Charlotte, with an annual average salary of $45,549.

Also among the highest-paid are Winston-Salem, with an annual average salary of $45,310; Cary, with an annual average salary of $44,829; and Durham, with an annual average salary of $44,160.