Program Overview

Medical Assisting, AAS

The Medical Assisting AAS degree prepares students for high demand medical office positions including front and back-office positions. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the Certified Medical Assistant examination offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants. The program will provide students with a knowledge base that includes anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, pharmacology, medical billing and coding, medical office assessments and procedures, patient care and education. Medical Assistants are highly versatile professionals in both clinical and administrative realms. Medical Assistants need to effectively communicate with a wide variety of people including doctors, nurses, clients, medical billing staff, insurance representatives, and pharmacists. The program will culminate the theory, clinical and lab skills in an intern experience in a physician’s office.

Medical Assisting AAS degree graduates will:

• be prepared to obtain an entry-level position in their field
• be prepared to work in ambulatory settings performing administrative and clinical duties
• meet CAAHEP Standards in the areas of cognitive and psychomotor skills
• be prepared to pass the CMA (AAMA) exam
• demonstrate communication, critical thinking, cultural humility, information literacy, and teamwork skills
• meet Humanities, Quantitative Reasoning, Social Science, and Written Communication general education distribution area outcomes

Prerequisites

In addition to a high school diploma or GED, students must complete the following courses with a 2.0 or higher before Quarter One:

• BIOL& 175 Human Biology with Lab 5 credits
• ENGL& 101 English Composition I 5 credits
• MATH& 107 Math in Society 5 credits (or any college-level, transferable Quantitative Reasoning course)

Program Requirements

Required Course Sequence

• Quarter One
  • MEDA 116 Medical Terminology 5 credits
  • MEDA 118 Clinical Skills: Ambulatory 5 credits
  • MEDA 121 Admin: Front Office/EMR 5 credits
• Quarter Two
  • MEDA 119 Intercultural Communication in Health Care 5 credits
  • MEDA 130 Admin: Billing & Coding 5 credits
  • MEDA 115 Law and Ethics 4 credits
  • IFAD 216 HIV/AIDS Training 1 credit
• Quarter Three
  • MEDA 207 Disease & Pathology I 5 credits
  • MEDA 219 Clinical Skills: Medication Administration 5 credits
  • PSYC& 100 General Psychology 5 credits (or any course with PSYC&/PSYC as the prefix)
• Quarter Four
  • MEDA 208 Disease and Pathology II 5 credits
  • MEDA 221 Clinical Skills: Phlebotomy & Diagnostic Skills 5 credits
  • MEDA 222 Office Management & Practicum Preparation 5 credits
  • IFAD 162 First Aid/CPR for Health Care Providers 1 credit
• Quarter Five
  • MEDA 297 Medical Assistant Practicum 9 credits
  • CMST& 210 Interpersonal Communication 5 credits (or any Humanities course)

General Education Requirements - 20 Credits

• ENGL& 101 English Composition I 5 credits
• MATH& 107 Math in Society 5 credits (or any college-level, transferable Quantitative Reasoning course)
• CMST& 210 Interpersonal Communication 5 credits (or any Humanities course)
• PSYC& 100 General Psychology 5 credits (or any course with PSYC&/PSYC as the prefix)

Diversity and Social Justice Requirement

Within the degree requirements, students must complete a 3-5 credit course that meets the college’s Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) requirement. DSJ courses are designated in the college schedule and are designed to meet other general education or technical requirements simultaneous to meeting the DSJ requirement.

Total Program Credits: 90