The Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) Program at Saint Joseph's College equips students with the foundational skills necessary for roles in the field, with care and guidance from our instructors along the way. Earning our certificate establishes you as a caring, responsible professional who has undergone a broad assessment program that validates your credentials. You’ll graduate as a qualified professional prepared to work in any type of healthcare environment.


Upon completion of this course, students will be eligible to sit for their CMAA national certification. The certification is through the National Healthcareers Association (NHA).

You can excel as a Medical Administrative Assistant if you are a dependable multi-tasker and if you're someone who is attentive and enjoys interacting with people!

This career is a natural fit for friendly and personable people who are solution-oriented. 

A Medical Administrative Assistant is the face of the healthcare facility. They’re often the first person a patient interacts with. Your goal is to keep the facility running smoothly and provide an exceptional and friendly experience to all patients. You’ll be tasked with scheduling appointments, maintaining patient files, relaying patient messages, and answering phones, among other duties.

The healthcare environment thrives on professionalism, precision and dedication to patient welfare. Your duty as a Medical Administrative Assistant is to ensure everything is running smoothly, while providing clerical support to doctors, nurses and other health professionals .

Daily tasks include:

• Greeting and checking patients in
• Scheduling appointments
• Filing documents
• Coordinating and preparing operation reports
• Answering phones
• Updating electronic medical records
• Operating computer systems, equipment and software to accomplish office tasks

Medical Administrative Assistants can work in a variety of healthcare settings, including more specialized facilities. Employment locations are commonly physician offices, health clinics, chiropractic offices, dentist offices and ob/gyn offices. Other job titles could include unit secretary, medical office assistant, patient coordinator or admissions coordinator.

Medical Administrative Assistants can advance their career by going back to school for a clinical or administrative degree, or be promoted into a supervisory or leadership position. Often, medical administrative assistants will continue their education to obtain certifications as a medical assistant, phlebotomist, or patient care tech to perform more clinical tasks in direct patient care.