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Medical Assisting

The Medical Assisting program is on hiatus and not enrolling students for the 2024-25 academic year.

The Medical Assisting program prepares students for a variety of careers in the medical profession. A Medical Assistant is a professional, multi-skilled person who assists in all aspects of medical care and is primarily employed in a medical office setting.  Medical Assistants help physicians with patient care management. They also execute administrative and clinical procedures and perform managerial functions.

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Degree Description

This three-semester degree program will help prepare students for the medical field. 

Administrative duties may include using computer applications, answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patient medical records, coding and filling out insurance forms, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services, and handling correspondence, billing, and bookkeeping in a medical office setting.

Clinical duties may include taking medical histories, taking vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patient for examination, assisting the physician during the exam, collecting and preparing laboratory specimens, performing basic laboratory tests, instructing patients about medication and special diets, preparing and administering medications as directed by a physician, and taking electrocardiograms.  Medical Assisting is a rapidly growing and expanding career.

This program is approved by the SD Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners. For more information about accreditation, click here.


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Application Process

The Medical Assisting program is on hiatus and not enrolling students for the 2024-25 academic year.

To gain acceptance into the WDT Medical Assisting program, applicants must:

1. Complete WDTC application online at www.wdt.edu
2. Submit high school transcript or GED scores.
3. Submit immunization records verifying two doses of MMR vaccinations.
4. Submit official college transcripts if you have previously attended a post-secondary institution.
5. Schedule an Admissions Advising Session (can be completed on campus or by phone).
6. Complete the ACCUPLACER test ($15.00 fee). Call 605-718-2565 to schedule an appointment.

The ACCUPLACER test will be waived if you have an ACT sub-score of 18 or better in English, Math, and Reading.  To waive the ACCUPLACER with SAT scores a student will need a 500 on the MATH subsection of ACT and a composite of 970 to waive Writing and Reading. To place into MATH 114 a student will need a 520 on the MATH subsection.  

To continue into Medical Assisting clinical, students must submit the following to:

Western Dakota Technical College

Attn: Medical Assisting Instructor

800 Mickelson Dr.

Rapid City, SD 57703

1. Provide a copy of current American Heart Association Healthcare Provider BLS CPR certification*
2. Provide a copy of immunization records (Hepatitis B Series, TB Test, COVID-19)*
3. Annual Flu shot*

*Students are responsible for additional costs.

The program lead instructor will assist students with any clinical or internship site requirements.

Note: If you are or have been convicted, pleaded guilty or no contest to, or received a suspended imposition of sentence for a felony or certain misdemeanors, you are advised that you may not be able to complete all course requirements for your chosen program, you may be prevented from taking required certification/licensure examinations in your chosen program field, and you may be prevented from gaining employment in your program field.

Students that sit out for a spring or fall semester or longer, will return under a new Catalog and may be required to repeat courses or successfully complete new or revised skills or competency assessments. Before readmittance, the program may need to determine if a student is eligible to continue in technical courses. Program sequencing and cohort size may prevent enrollment in technical courses.

Clinicals, practicums, and internships may include, but are not limited to, differential shifts (evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays) to meet industry expectations. This may require travel outside the Rapid City Area.

Download Application Process Checklist

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Career Description

A Medical Assistant is a professional multi-skilled person who assists in all aspects of medical care and is primarily employed in a medical office setting. Medical Assistants help the physician with patient care management, execute administrative and clinical procedures, and perform managerial functions.

Administrative duties may include using computer applications, answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patient medical records, coding and filling out insurance forms, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services, and handling correspondence, billing, and bookkeeping in a medical office setting.

Clinical duties may include taking medical histories, taking vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing the patient for examination, assisting the physician during the exam, collecting and preparing laboratory specimens, performing basic laboratory tests, instructing patients about medication and special diets, preparing and administering medications as directed by a physician, and taking electrocardiograms.

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Licensure and Certification

Professional licensure and certification requirements often vary from state to state. If you are not planning to locate and work in South Dakota and are considering an academic program that leads to a professional license or certification, it is highly recommended that you first seek guidance from the appropriate licensing agency in the state you plan to work before beginning the academic program. If you need assistance locating a state licensing agency, please contact the Vice President for Teaching and Learning: Tiffany.Howe@wdt.edu or 605.718.2905.

Current as of May 1, 2023:

  1. The program curriculum meets educational requirements for licensure/certification in the following states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY 
  2. The program curriculum does not meet educational requirements for licensure/certification in the following states:
  3. WDT has not determined whether the program curriculum meets educational requirements for licensure/certification in the following states: American Samoa, Guam, The Republic of the Marshall Islands, The Federated States of Micronesia, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, The Republic of Palau, The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands



General Education EMT

After Earning Your Degree

Job opportunities in all these areas are growing, and that growth is expected to continue. Labor market information shows the demand for workers in these fields is strong now and in the future.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 2022, the average wage in western South Dakota was $35,380.

Meet Your Faculty & Staff

Western Dakota Technical College has a low student-to-faculty ratio, meaning more one-on-one learning. Individual attention from your professor can make your college experience more fulfilling.


  • Jennifer Bonner

Financial Aid

Continuing your education is crucial and Western Dakota Technical College wants to make sure that any student who wants to attend school, has the opportunity to do so. For this reason, WDTC is dedicated to administering the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IV Financial Assistance Program fair and consistently to anyone who needs it.

Build Dakota Scholarships

The Build Dakota Scholarship at Western Dakota Technical College will pay all your tuition and fees and prepare you for a career that is in-demand and growing in South Dakota. Build Dakota Scholarships will be awarded to students entering high-need workforce programs at South Dakota’s technical institutes to fill the state’s technical careers with skilled professionals.


Student Housing

Finding affordable housing during school can be a challenge for students. Western Dakota Technical College currently does not have on-campus housing, but partners with a Rapid City VRBO to offer a limited number of apartments for full-time students in the fall and spring semesters.


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Child Care

Finding child care during school is a challenge for many students. Western Dakota Technical College currently does not offer on-campus child care, but here are some resources that may help you in your search.

Youth & Family Services is an organization dedicated to helping children in Western South Dakota. They offer a variety of services, including child care at multiple locations.

The Y of Rapid City offers child care and other services.

Disclaimer: Western Dakota Technical College provides these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation, endorsement or adoption by Western Dakota Technical College of any site or any information contained therein. When you leave wdt.edu, you should be aware that our terms and policies no longer govern. Western Dakota Technical College makes no claim or representation regarding, and accepts no responsibility for, the quality, content, nature or reliability of third-party websites or vendors.

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