Medical Assistant Program at Columbia Basin College

✔️ Page Updated: December 26th, 2025 | Current for 2026, learn more about our data 🛈

The Columbia Basin College Medical Assistant Certificate in Richland, WA, is a CAAHEP-accredited one-year program boasting a high 89.86% credentialing exam pass rate.

This page provides up-to-date program costs, graduation and employment data, accreditation details, contact information, and interactive resources including a Google map, student reviews, and official CBC video.

CMA AAMA: Medical Assistant Program Overview at CBC

The Medical Assistant program at Columbia Basin College (CBC) in Richland, Washington, provides a CAAHEP-accredited Certificate pathway crucial for entry into the high-demand healthcare field. Recognizing the essential role MAs play – from updating electronic medical records to providing injections and assisting with procedures – the curriculum is structured around three intensive quarters of instruction, culminating in a critical 198-hour unpaid externship with a local healthcare provider.

Admission Requirements

Admission requires completing several prerequisite courses, including Medical Terminology and General Psychology, all passed with a minimum 2.0 GPA. Furthermore, applicants must hold a current American Heart Association BLS Provider CPR card. This foundational knowledge ensures students are prepared for the rigorous academic and clinical demands.

Career Outlook and Success

CBC graduates have a strong local career outlook, reporting higher wages than those from competing regional programs. The program boasts a 5-year credentialing exam passage rate of 89.86%, demonstrating successful preparation for national certification.

Estimated Program Fees

While program fees are separate from tuition (which is N/A), students should anticipate costs for:

• Background check and drug screen (approx. $180)
• AAMA certification exam ($125)
• Washington State DOH licensing fee ($145)

Further Education

Graduates are also uniquely positioned to further their education through CBC’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management degree program.

CBC’s Medical Assistant Program Data

Our Data

Our Medical Assistant Program Data is carefully researched and curated from the following government and higher education organizations.

• CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) – CAAHEP is the largest programmatic accreditor for health sciences education and the official medical assisting program accreditor for the National CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam.
• IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) – A comprehensive database of U.S. colleges and universities.
• Peterson’s Database – Includes detailed college information and their Distance Learning Licensed Data Set.
• College Scorecard – A U.S. Department of Education tool offering key statistics on college costs, graduation rates, and student outcomes.
• NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) – The primary federal source for data and analysis on education in the U.S. such as cost of tuition. Our data shows average cost of tuition and fees for Public 2 year institutions per state.
• BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) – May 2024 Occupational Outlook Handbook Medical Assistants Data for Salary and Employment. Our data shows the mean annual salary and the total number of employed MAs per state.

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