Medical Assistant Training Program

A medical assistant is a healthcare professional who plays a vital role in medical offices, clinics, and hospitals. They are trained to perform both administrative and clinical tasks to support the smooth operation of a healthcare facility. Administrative duties of a medical assistant include scheduling appointments, managing patient records, and coordinating billing and insurance processes. On the clinical side, medical assistants take patient histories, check vital signs, prepare patients for examinations, administering medications (under the supervision of a healthcare provider), and conduct basic lab tests. They also provide essential support to physicians and advanced practice providers during procedures.

Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED and be at least 18 years of age.  In addition to working full-time as a Patient Care Technician for WMCHC during training, acceptance as a student by the National Institute of Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) is required. NIMAA is a nonprofit educational institute which offers on-line learning and hands-on instruction at local community health centers. NIMAA and WMCHC work hand in hand to help you succeed. Questions? Contact us at  peregrian@wmh.org.

Yes, WMCHC employs their NIMAA students in the role of Patient Care Assistant enabling them to be paid a competitive wage for full-time work while completing their online education and on-site training.

29 weeks/8 months

NIMAA graduates receive an industry-recognized certificate. Additionally, NIMAA prepares students to take one of the following certification exams:

1. Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) 
2. Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) offered through the National Healthcareers Association (NHA) 

Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) offered through the American Medical Technologists (AMT)

WMCHC does its best to accommodate the preferences of our NIMAA students while simultaneously meeting the needs of our community health center locations. The following are taken into consideration:

• Where the student lives in proximity to our 20 health center locations
• Where we have current vacancies and the highest operational need

Please note, during this 8 months additional training in the form of a skills lab is held at the Hamlin Family Health Center in conjunction with externship hours students complete via on-site training at one of our health center locations.

Yes, graduates are placed in open MA positions post-graduation and certification. The office our students are placed in post-certification may be different then the office in which the student completed their training. 

NIMAA is a nonprofit educational institute that trains Medical Assistants to work effectively in today’s high-performing primary care settings. NIMAA was created by community health centers to provide education and employment opportunities in the communities they serve, while addressing a growing demand for medical assistants.

NIMAA has national healthcare leaders as instructors, the latest on-line teaching tools, and offers concurrent clinical practice and experience in carefully selected externship clinic sites around the country. Finally, NIMAA prepares students to take a national certification exam prior to graduation. Graduates are positioned to command jobs that provide a living wage and advancement in the healthcare field. Learn more about NIMAA here.