How to Become a Medical Assistant in South Carolina

Who can apply

• To be a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) under South Carolina law you must complete a qualifying program (an accredited medical assisting program, an SC Department of Education CTE Health Sciences program, a military medical assisting program, a DOL Registered Apprenticeship, or an employer training program aligned to a nationally accredited certification exam).
• You must also keep current certification from a certifying body approved by the Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Nursing and accredited by the NCCA or another recognized accreditor (S.C. Code 40-47-20(58)).
• Medical assistants who have kept certification from an approved certifying body continuously since January 1, 2020 also count as CMAs, even without one of the listed programs. The separate transition period for medical assistants already employed ended July 15, 2026.

Step by step

1. Complete one of the program types listed in S.C. Code 40-47-20(58)(1).
2. To work as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) and receive delegated clinical tasks, hold current certification from a national body approved by both boards. Without it you are treated as unlicensed assistive personnel with a narrower task list.
3. Work under delegation from a physician, PA or APRN who is close enough to be immediately available.
4. Wear a badge showing you are a CMA, clearly visible to patients.
5. If you will take x-rays, get a South Carolina Radiation Quality Standards Association certificate (limited practice radiographer) first.

Training and exam

Training: The CMA definition requires a program that includes anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, pharmacology, medical laboratory techniques and clinical experience (the clinical part can be met through work experience), or one of the other listed pathways (CTE, military, Registered Apprenticeship, or employer training aligned to a nationally accredited certification exam).

Exam: CMA status requires current certification from a certifying body approved by the Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Nursing and accredited by the NCCA or another recognized accreditor. Without it you are treated as unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) with a narrower task list. X-ray work needs separate SCRQSA certification; ARRT-certified technologists get it without exam (S.C. Code 44-74-40).

What it costs in South Carolina

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Keeping your credential

Renewal: No state registration to renew, but CMA status depends on keeping your national certification current.

Good to know in South Carolina

What a medical assistant can do in South Carolina: A physician, or a PA or APRN if their guidelines or practice agreement allow it, may delegate specific tasks to a CMA. The task must be delegated directly, the delegating provider must be immediately available, it must be within your training and competency and not a significant risk if done wrong (S.C. Code 40-47-196(B)). Medical assistants without CMA status count as UAP and may be delegated nursing tasks such as vital signs, specimen collection (urine, stool, sputum), point-of-care testing, hygiene, nutrition and ambulation help, and recording information (40-47-196(C)); UAP must not give medications except as otherwise provided by law (40-47-20(59)).

What a medical assistant cannot do: A PA or APRN may not delegate to a CMA: controlled, IV, contrast or chemotherapy drugs; neurotoxin, neuromodulator or filler injections; lasers or tissue-destroying instruments; sutures; x-rays unless the CMA is also a certified limited practice radiographer; analyzing or interpreting symptoms or tests; triage; or clinical decision-making by telemedicine (40-47-196(A)). A CMA may not pass a verbal order to a licensed person who needs it in writing.

X-ray: No one other than a licensed practitioner may operate x-ray machinery in a health care setting, including a physician's office, without a current certificate from the South Carolina Radiation Quality Standards Association (S.C. Code 44-74-30(E)). The registrant must display operators' certificates in public view, and employers who let uncertified people operate x-ray equipment must be reported to the state.

Sources

• S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 47 - 40-47-20(58)-(59) and 40-47-196
• S.C. Code Title 44 Chapter 74 - Medical Radiation Health and Safety Act