For health care employers struggling to find medical assistants (MAs), recent data spells out the extent of the problem.
According to a 2025 Medical Group Management Association survey, 47% of medical practice leaders say MAs are the most difficult role to recruit. Meanwhile, a study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found the annual MA turnover rate is 59%, with the estimated cost per turnover $14,200.
Health care facilities need a more sustainable strategy for hiring and retaining MAs. MedCerts, a HASC human resources partner, offers a medical assistant program with a proven track record of addressing that problem. Through upskilling and train-and-hire partnerships, the MedCerts Medical Assistant program uses asynchronous online learning to successfully expand the pool of qualified candidates.
The 28-week program costs $4,000 per learner and, through a combination of video instruction and interactive, engaging online content, teaches students the administrative and medical responsibilities necessary to be job-ready. Students who successfully complete the program will earn designation as both a certified medical administrative assistant (CMAA) and certified clinical medical assistant (CCMA) from the National Healthcareer Association.
Case Study: Training Medical Assistants Faster
UnityPoint Health (UPH), a hospital network of 36 hospitals, 400-plus clinics and home care services across the Midwest, needed a significant influx of qualified medical assistants, UPH partnered with MedCerts to create the UnityPoint Health Medical Assistant Career Pathways Program, an opportunity for existing employees to transition into a clinical role.
Through August 2025, six cohorts, totaling over 150 students, have completed the Medical Assistant Career Pathways Program. All were promoted to medical assistants at UPH. A year after the program began, only one participant had left UPH — translating into a 97% employee retention rate.
“We’ve tried other medical assistant programs, but they typically took around two years as students balanced work and their studies. With the new program and MedCerts, employees can advance to medical assistant positions in just 14 to 16 weeks.”
— Taurie Curry, Navigator, Career Pathways Unity Point Health
Case Study: Solving The Scale Problem
In May 2021, a Midwestern hospital network with 40 locations and 1,900 employees faced a dramatic staffing issue, with 36 unfilled medical assistant positions. Despite the immediate need, the system only had the capacity to offer 10 to 12 externships on its own. So it partnered with MedCerts, offering employees an upskilling opportunity to become MAs. In exchange, employees agreed to stay at their hospitals at least two years following training.
The initiative was an unequivocal success. Interest in the upskilling program far exceeded expectations, with 35 to 40 applications in the initial June 2021 cohort. After the initial launch, a new cohort of seven to eight students started every two months. By 2022, there was a waiting list of 246 upskilling candidates. The program had an 81% completion rate, with students promoted to MAs at the hospital once certified.
“The MedCerts partnership has increased our student flow, allowed us to promote internally and increased our knowledge pool of clinical applicants. The program has been a great eye-opener for us as an organization that this is what we have to do to be sustainable.”
— Senior Recruiter, Hospital System
Want to learn more about how MedCerts Partner Solutions can address your medical assistant shortage? Visit the HASC-MedCerts partnership website or contact [email protected].