Medical Assistant Diploma

A Dynamic, Growing Healthcare Career


As a medical assistant, you take vital signs, prepare patients for exams, and assist doctors with procedures. You handle paperwork and schedule appointments, keeping the office running smoothly. You also interact with patients and help them feel comfortable. Each day is both varied and exciting!

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Medical Assistant Diploma at a Glance

Degree
Diploma
Length of Study
1 ½ years
Course Format
Face-to-Face
Classes Meet
Daytime or Evening
Program Start
Fall (Evenings), Spring (Daytime)
200+

Hours Work Experience

$0

Tuition for Eligible Students

2

Class Options (Daytime, Evening)

100%

Exam Pass Rate

Your Medical Assistant Career

Graduates work under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional in a variety of settings:

  • Doctor’s offices
  • Speciality clinics
  • Hospitals
20%

Work in Hospitals

60%

Work in a Physician's Office

Succeed at Hawkeye

Program Spotlight Medical Assistant

Hear from students and instructors why Hawkeye’s hands-on approach to education makes you career ready on day one.

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Success Story Kim Connor

Kim wanted to take her career further than being a CNA. Now, as a Certified Medical Assistant, she feels a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that’s even better than she expected.

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Success Story Desi Perez

Desi Perez loves helping people. After working as a patient care tech, she wanted to move her career forward. At Hawkeye Community College, she found a supportive community that is invested in her success.

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Success Story Brooke Stephens

Brooke decided she wanted to work in healthcare after helping her grandma. She discovered that being a medical assistant was a great choice, and now she has many exciting opportunities ahead of her.

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Success Story Cassie Krull

Cassie Krull started out wanting to be a nurse, but after a year, she realized it wasn’t right for her. She still wanted to work in healthcare and be in a clinic, so she found that medical assisting was the perfect fit.

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Program Overview

You graduate with skills and experience with:

  • Taking vital signs
  • Collecting and preparing lab specimens and performing diagnostic tests
  • Administering medication and injections
  • Collecting and recording data
  • Educating patients
  • Office management and procedures
  • Scheduling and billing practices

Gain over 200 hours of real-world experience working in a local healthcare facility,  ensuring you have the skills you need to succeed in your future career.

Graduates are eligible to take the RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) or CMA (Certified Medical Assistant), national exams recognized by all states for practice as a Medical Assistant.

See our State Licensure Google Sheet to identify the states in which Hawkeye's Medical Assistant program requirements fulfill the state guidelines for professional licensure and certification.

Licensure and Certification Disclosure

This program qualifies for the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship and will pay up to 100% of your tuition.

You must apply for, be awarded, and meet the ongoing eligibility requirements for the Last-Dollar Scholarship.

Hawkeye has set up a new Blackhawk chapter of the Iowa Society of Medical Assistants (ISMA). Students, graduates, and local medical assistants can join this group to share their experiences and keep up with the latest trends. By attending the bi-monthly meetings, students and members can also earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Explore Courses, Details, and Costs

The Future of Healthcare Education

A High-Tech Learning Lab Grundy Hall

A $21 million renovation transformed Grundy Hall into a state-of-the art healthcare and science education center. The building was redesigned from the ground up to meet the ever-changing needs of modern healthcare careers.

State of the Art Van Gerpen Patient Simulation Center

Practice with high-tech equipment in realistic hospital setups. Advanced simulators help you learn how to care for patients and prepare for real medical jobs with confidence.

Explore the Sim Lab

A Community Resource Dental Clinic

Work under the supervision of experienced faculty and a dentist to provide high-quality dental care to the public.

Visit the Dental Clinic

How to Get Started

It’s simple! Complete these steps:

  1. Apply for admission at Hawkeye.
  2. Send official transcripts to Admissions.
  3. Demonstrate college readiness.

Check the status of your application at any time by logging into your admissions account.

Program Admission Requirements

You can take your prerequisite courses either at Hawkeye Community College or at any other accredited transfer institution. See the suggested sequence of study for a list of prerequisite courses.

The Medical Assistant program accepts 20 students each fall for the evening option and 20 students each spring for the day option.

Once you meet all the admission requirements and finish the prerequisite courses, you’ll get what’s called an "Eligible-Start Date to be Determined" (ETBD) status. This status is based on when you complete your prerequisites. If more than one student finishes on the same day, the registration date for the final prerequisite course is used to figure out who’s ahead in line.

Getting ETBD status doesn’t guarantee program admittance—it depends on how many seats are available.

The Admissions Office admits students with ETBD status until all seats are filled. Any remaining ETBD students will stay on the list and be contacted if a spot becomes available.

Make sure to keep your contact info updated and check your Hawkeye email regularly to stay on top of everything!

As a Health student at Hawkeye, you’ll need to complete the same background checks as hospital employees. This check will include fingerprinting and look into databases like the sex offender registry, child abuse and dependent adult registries, and Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Depending on the results, it could affect your ability to take part in clinical experiences.

Program Goals & Outcomes

The Hawkeye Community College Medical Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
25400 US Highway 19 North, Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
727-210-2350

www.caahep.org

  2019 2020 2021 2022
Students entering the program 12 17 11 13
Admission cohort retention rate 91.6% 100% 90.91% 92.31%
Exam passage rate 100% 100% 100% 100%

2019–2022 Averages

  • Retention Rate: 94.34%
  • Exam Passage Rate: 100%

The mission of the Hawkeye Community College Medical Assistant program is to develop educated students and lifelong learners that enter the field as entry level productive and valuable members of the health care team in an ambulatory healthcare facility performing both administrative and clinical tasks within their scope of training.

The goal of the Medical Assistant program is to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.

Program Contacts

Admissions

Main Campus
Hawkeye Center 134
319-296-4000
Email Admissions

Regular Hours — Spring 2025

Monday – Friday 8 AM – 4:30 PM

Academic Advisor

Kelly Kobliska
Main Campus
Hawkeye Center 208
319-296-4014 ext.1624
Email Kelly Kobliska

Faculty Advisor and Program Director

Gwen Mahloch
Main Campus
Grundy Hall 110E
319-296-4025Email Gwen Mahloch