Indian River State College (IRSC) offers one CAAHEP-accredited medical assisting curriculum through two tracks:
- Medical Assisting Certificate (900 clock hours)
- Medical Assisting Apprenticeship (2,900 clock hours)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Cost | Est. Duration | Clock Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | ~$3,549 (Florida resident) | 9 months | 900 |
| Apprenticeship | ~$1,245 (tuition-exempt, est.) | ~16 months (est.) | 2,900 |
Both tracks share the same seven courses and lead to CMA (AAMA) exam eligibility. The certificate is a full-time, daytime cohort with one Fall start each year. The apprenticeship adds about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job learning with a sponsoring employer. The certificate estimate sums IRSC’s published expense sheet plus the CMA exam fee. The apprenticeship estimate removes tuition, which Florida law waives for approved apprentices, and assumes four terms of on-the-job learning.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| School type | Public state college |
| Campus | Pruitt Campus, Port St. Lucie, FL |
| Format | Campus, Monday through Friday, daytime |
| Programmatic accreditation | CAAHEP, on recommendation of MAERB |
| Institutional accreditation | SACSCOC |
| Exam eligibility | CMA (AAMA); outcomes also report RMA (AMT) results |
| Practicum | 190 hours, school-assigned, unpaid, daytime only |
| Start term | Fall only; apply January 11 to June 14, 2027 |
| Admission | Selective; age 18+, high school diploma or GED |
Medical Assisting Certificate
The certificate costs about $3,549 for Florida residents and takes about nine months, from a Fall start to June completion. See the official program page.
Certificate Curriculum
Structure. Students attend Monday through Friday, about 6 to 8 hours a day, and move through courses in a fixed sequence with their cohort. Courses are web-enhanced through Canvas, and some may run fully online, but campus attendance is required on assigned days.
- HCP 0750C Basic Concepts of Phlebotomy: 75 hours
- MEA 0200C Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures I: 250 hours
- MEA 0201C Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures II: 130 hours
- MEA 0254C Medical Office Laboratory: 80 hours
- HCP 0720C Electrocardiograph Technical Skills: 75 hours
- MEA 0334C Medical Office Procedures: 100 hours
- MEA 0800 Medical Assisting Practicum: 190 hours
Distinctive elements. Phlebotomy and EKG are full courses, not short modules, which gives graduates more venipuncture and electrocardiography practice than a generalist curriculum. See the full catalog listing.
You Should Know
- The program was restructured for 2026-2027. The prior catalog listed 1,300 clock hours and a 170-hour practicum. IRSC’s program page FAQ still shows those older figures. The current catalog and August 2026 handbook both state 900 hours and 190 practicum hours.
- A course grade below C (76%) requires withdrawal and reapplication with a future cohort.
- 20 absence hours in a course fails that course. 60 cumulative absence hours ends enrollment, with no readmission.
Certificate Practicum
- 190 hours, completed in the Summer A term, 30 hours above the 160-hour CAAHEP minimum
- Assigned by the program; specific sites are not guaranteed
- Sites in Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee counties, within 100 miles of the Pruitt Campus
- Daytime only, roughly 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and not arranged around outside jobs
- Unpaid
- Students must pass 100% of MAERB psychomotor and affective competencies before placement
- No excused absences; all missed hours must be made up
The school handles placement, which removes the most common externship headache for MA students. The trade-off is rigidity. The daytime-only rule makes this program hard to finish while holding a weekday job.
Certificate Admissions
Applicants complete these steps by the deadline:
- Age 18 or older
- Standard high school diploma, GED, or home school affidavit, with official transcript received
- Online program application and $30 non-refundable fee
- Meeting with an academic advisor
- TABE testing unless exempt; completion requires scores of 581 math, 584 reading, and 572 language, an A.A. or A.S. degree, or an exemption
- After provisional acceptance: AHA BLS CPR, physical with immunizations, drug screen, FDLE fingerprint background check, and proof of personal health insurance
You Should Know
- The application booklet is inconsistent on selection. One section says students are selected competitively. Another says provisional acceptance is first-come, first-served. Apply early in the window to be safe.
- The program page FAQ still cites a May 11, 2026 deadline. The current window is January 11 through June 14, 2027, for Fall 2027.
- Students without health insurance cannot attend clinical rotations, which ends enrollment.
Medical Assisting Apprenticeship
The apprenticeship totals 2,900 clock hours. It costs an estimated $1,245 and takes about 16 months. IRSC does not publish either figure. See the apprenticeships page.
Apprenticeship Curriculum
Structure. Apprentices take the same seven courses as the certificate (900 hours), plus MEA 0821 On-the-Job Learning, taken four times. The 2,900-hour total implies about 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning. Each OJL enrollment carries 300 to 880 hours.
- Same 900-hour course sequence as the certificate, including the 190-hour practicum
- MEA 0821 On-the-Job Learning for the Medical Assisting Apprentice: 300 to 880 hours per enrollment, four enrollments
See the full catalog listing.
Apprenticeship Admissions
- Selective admission
- IRSC apprenticeships typically require employment with a participating employer
- MA-specific entry steps and employer partners are not clearly stated
This track suits someone already working in a clinic, or an employer looking to upskill staff. It reaches the same CAAHEP-accredited credential while the apprentice earns wages. Contact apprenticeship@irsc.edu to confirm how a new apprentice enters.
You Should Know
- Florida law (s. 1009.25(1)(b)) exempts students in approved apprenticeship programs from tuition and fees, including lab fees. The ~$1,245 estimate keeps only the non-tuition items from IRSC’s certificate expense sheet: books, uniforms, supplies, compliance tracking, the admission and graduation fees, and the CMA exam. The ~16-month estimate assumes the four On-the-Job Learning enrollments run in consecutive terms. Confirm both with IRSC before enrolling.
Tuition
IRSC’s September 2026 expense sheet lists Florida resident tuition of $2,304 for the 900-hour certificate, about $2.56 per clock hour. Adding every fixed item plus the $250 non-member CMA exam fee gives a derived total of about $3,549.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition, Florida resident (approximate) | $2,304 |
| Books (approximate) | $393 |
| Uniforms (approximate) | $200 |
| Complio compliance tracking | $181.80 |
| Supplies (approximate) | $125 |
| Graduation fee | $65 |
| Health Science selective admission fee | $30 |
| CMA exam (non-member) | $250 |
| Total (derived) | ~$3,549 |
- AAMA membership ($31, optional) lowers the CMA exam fee to $125, for a total near $3,455.
- Financial aid is available through the FAFSA for eligible students.
Be aware that:
- Out-of-state tuition is an estimated $9,200 for the 900-hour certificate. IRSC does not publish it. The estimate applies Florida’s 2026-27 workforce rate structure, where non-resident cost is four times resident tuition, to IRSC’s $2.56 resident rate.
- CPR certification, the physical exam, immunizations, and health insurance are required but listed as “cost varies.”
- Students also buy a blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, analog watch, and a program patch; these are not itemized.
- Transportation to clinical sites up to 100 miles away is the student’s responsibility.
- IRSC advertises a tuition money-back guarantee for eligible workforce programs if a graduate is not employed within six months. Whether medical assisting qualifies is not clearly stated.
Outcomes
| Graduating class | Graduation rate | CMA/RMA pass rate | Employment rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 95.00% | 77.78% | 88.89% |
| 2023 | 75.00% | 66.67% | 72.00% |
| 2022 | 89.29% | 87.50% | 100% |
| 2021 | 88.89% | 66.67% | 81.25% |
| 2020 | 94.12% | 85.71% | 73.33% |
| Cumulative | 89.53% | 74.63% | 79.45% |
Source: IRSC Medical Assisting Graduate Outcomes, revised January 2026. Employment counts graduates working as medical assistants nine months after graduation.
Completion stayed near or above 89% in four of five years, with a dip to 75% in 2023. Exam pass rates swing from 67% to 88%, which points to small cohorts where a few results move the percentage. All five classes graduated before the 900-hour curriculum took effect.
Why Choose This Medical Assistant Program?
IRSC fits a Treasure Coast resident who can commit to nine months of full-time daytime study and wants the CMA (AAMA) at a public-college price.
Cost. About $3,549 covers tuition, books, uniforms, fees, and the CMA exam for Florida residents.
Placement support. The program assigns every student a 190-hour practicum site, so students do not have to find their own.
Drawbacks. Classes and the practicum run on weekdays during the day, with one Fall start each year. Students who must keep a weekday job will struggle to finish.
Apprenticeship option. For those already employed in a clinic, the apprenticeship track reaches the same credential while earning wages, for an estimated $1,245 over about 16 months.
Accreditation
The IRSC Medical Assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) on the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). The college catalog lists both the certificate and the apprenticeship under this accreditation. IRSC is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). CAAHEP accreditation makes graduates eligible for the CMA (AAMA) exam. The exam costs $125 for AAMA members and $250 for non-members, paid by the student. IRSC’s licensure disclosure confirms eligibility for Florida only, so students planning to move should check the target state’s rules.