Program Overview

Medical Assisting, Certificate of Proficiency

The Medical Assisting Program of Lake Washington Institute of Technology will provide instruction to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession. 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.

The Lake Washington Institute of Technology Medical Assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (upon recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB)).

Program Outcomes

Medical Assisting certificate of proficiency 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 Quantitative Reasoning, Social Science, and Written Communication general education distribution area outcomes

Prerequisites

All prerequisite courses must be successfully completed prior to enrolling in Quarter One.

• BIOL& 175 Human Biology with Lab (5 credits)
• ENGL 99 Intro to Essay Writing II (5 credits) (or ENGL& 101 English Composition I)
• MATH 87 Quantitative Literacy (5 credits) (or AHSE 66 or any MATH&/MATH 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 130 Admin: Billing & Coding (5 credits)
  • MEDA 115 Law and Ethics (4 credits)
  • MEDA 119 Intercultural Communication in Health Care (5 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 PSYC/PSYC& course or SOC& 101)
• 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)

General Education Requirements

The following courses from the Program Requirements meet the General Education requirements for this program.

• ENGL 99 Intro to Essay Writing II (5 credits) (or ENGL& 101 English Composition I)
• MATH 87 Quantitative Literacy (5 credits) (or AHSE 66 or any MATH&/MATH course)
• PSYC& 100 General Psychology (5 credits) (or any PSYC/PSYC& course or SOC& 101)

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

Total Program Credits: 80