Medical Assisting in Arizona
The medical assisting profession in Arizona is governed by the Arizona Medical Board (AMB) and there are certain educational requirements that must be met in order to work as a medical assistant in Arizona, although certification is not required and medical assistants aren’t licensed in Arizona. Medical assistants must have completed their training on an accredited program, or on a program offered by a licensed allopathic physician that meets the requirements of accredited programs.
However, this requirement is waived in certain circumstances. For example, if a medical assistant completed an unaccredited training program prior to February 2000 and has worked as a medical assistant since then, this requirement doesn’t apply. It is also not applicable if a medical assistant worked for the same healthcare employer for more than 2000 hours before February 2000, or completed their training in the US armed forces.
The Arizona Medical Board also has laws relating to the types of duties medical assistants can perform under supervision and those they can perform unsupervised.
The average annual salary for medical assistants in Arizona is $32,260. The average hourly wage is $15.51. There is not a great deal of variation in pay between areas, but medical assistants in Flagstaff earn an average wage of $16.26 an hour, or $33,830 per year, and those in the Pheonix area receive average pay of $33,070 or $15.9o hourly.
The Arizona state society of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), the Arizona Society of Medical Assistants (ASMA), is active throughout Arizona, although there are no local chapters. The society can provide advice on medical assistant training, scholarships and jobs.
Arizona Medical Assistant Schools and Programs
Central Arizona College
Central Arizona College offers both a medical assistant AAS degree and a certificate program. The certificate program is taught at the Superstition Mountain Campus and is accredited by the Medical Technologist (MT). Students can take the test to become a Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) after completing their training. The CAAHEP accredited degree program is available at the Signal Peak Campus and prepares students to become Certified Medical Assistants (CMAs).
Certificate
- Length: 37 semesters
- Cost: $77 per credit hour
- Job Placement Rate: 72%
Degree
- Length: 66 semesters
- Cost: $77 per credit hour
- Job Placement Rate: 72%
Northland Pioneer College
Northland Pioneer College offers two medical assistant training options; an Associate of Applied Science Degree or a Certificate of Applied Science. This program is offered at the Winslow and Slow Low campuses. Students will be taught to assist with various medical office tasks including phlebotomy and measuring vital signs. They will also complete classes on a range of subjects, such as insurance billing and coding, anatomy and physiology, and medical terminology.
Certificate
- Length: 36 credits
- Cost: $3,095
- Job Placement Rate: not available
Degree
- Length: 64 credits
- Cost: not available
- Job Placement Rate: not available
Pima Community College
Pima Community College offers a medical assisting certificate program at its Tucson campus, with classes at a number of locations in Pima County. Students can choose which concentration courses to take, depending on whether they want to specialize in administrative (front office) or clinical (back office) medical assisting, or whether they would prefer to work in both areas.
Certificate
- Length: 16 weeks
- Cost: $2,240
- Job Placement Rate: 59%
Brookline College
Brookline College offers a medical assistant diploma program at its campuses in Phoenix, Tempe and Tucson. Students will receive the training necessary to prepare them to work as entry level medical assistants. Courses include medical office administration, clinical medical assisting duties, pharmacology and practicum experience.
Diploma
- Length: 8 weeks
- Cost: $15,225
- Job Placement Rate: 68%
