Medical assistant certification in South Carolina

South Carolina law gives you five ways to train for the CMA title. Finish any one of them:

• A medical assisting program with accreditation
• A health science program at the high school level that the SC Department of Education has signed off on
• Military training
• A Registered Apprenticeship through the Department of Labor
• Employer training that matches up with a certification exam holding national accreditation

Going through an accredited medical assisting program is one of the five training routes South Carolina accepts. We list 484 accredited medical assistant programs nationwide, and you can browse the ones in South Carolina on our state programs page.

Completing training alone is not enough. You also need to maintain active certification through a certifying body approved by the state's medical and nursing boards, under state law.

That certifying body has to hold accreditation from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or from another organization the 2 boards accept.

After you start working as a CMA, wear your status badge where it remains easy for patients to spot.

A doctor can assign specific duties to you. Delegation simply means a doctor or another provider assigns you a task to carry out.

A physician assistant (PA) or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) may also assign you tasks, but only when their practice agreement or scope of practice guidelines permit it. Scope of practice means the written description of the limits on what that provider may do.

The person delegating has to assign the task to you directly. They also must stay close by, ready to step in right away while you carry out the task, which the state code calls for.

Certain duties are never allowed when the person delegating is a PA or APRN. South Carolina law bars them from passing any of these to you:

• Administering controlled drugs, IV drugs, contrast agents, or chemotherapy
• Injecting neurotoxin or dermal fillers
• Placing sutures
• Handling triage
• Reading or interpreting test results

Not as a CMA alone. The Medical Radiation Health and Safety Act limits patient exposure to ionizing radiation to licensed practitioners and radiologic technologists certified through South Carolina's Radiation Quality Standards Association. Ionizing radiation is the type of energy behind x-rays.

The state x-ray regulation, Regulation 61-64, says the same. A limited practice radiographer holding a current certificate from that association may operate x-ray equipment. A CMA can do x-ray work only with that extra certificate.

If you do not meet the CMA definition, state law treats you as unlicensed assistive personnel. Routine nursing tasks under supervision are still allowed for you.

You can't give medications unless another law allows it. Becoming a CMA opens up more of the tasks a provider can hand you.

Among career schools nationwide that report program length, the median is 9 months, and programs range from 2 to 32 months.

At career schools nationwide that publish a full program price, the median posted total is $17,257 for the combined cost of tuition, required fees, and books. At public colleges, IPEDS data put median in-district tuition and required fees for a full-time year at $4,346. Most schools we list take part in federal student aid, so ask the school what help you may qualify for when you send your request.

That equals $21.97 an hour for medical assistants nationwide, drawn from BLS wage figures.

With online programs, your classes happen remotely. Supervised clinical practice, often called an externship, always takes place in person.

We list 30 programs nationwide with coursework offered remotely; 14 hold accreditation.

Many career school programs take about 9 months, so the sooner you reach out, the sooner you can be working. Open our South Carolina programs page, choose the accredited program that fits your life, and send that school the short Request information form below the program table.