2021-2022 Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Comprehensive Medical Assistant Certificate of Achievement


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Degrees, Certificates, and Awards in Alphabetical Order

This Career Technical Education (CTE) certificate program includes instruction and skills training on competencies for entry level employment working in the front office or back office as a medical assistant. Students learn and demonstrate essential skills: medical office procedures, appointment scheduling, reception techniques, communication, medical records and electronic health records management, data entry, billing, coding, insurance reimbursement, laboratory procedures (including venipuncture, pharmacology, injections), electrocardiography, spirometry, public relations, and practice-building techniques. An externship in a physician’s office combining administrative and clinical experience helps provide the student with the clinical experience necessary to enter the workforce. All students complete a background check and drug screen three months prior to enrolling in MA 217C and are required to hold Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification (AHA approved with AED) and a certificate of medical malpractice, throughout the externship. During the externship students complete 150 hours of non-paid supervised training to demonstrate basic medical front office and clinical back office skills and competencies.  

The comprehensive medical assistant program meets the California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants requirements to sit for the California Certified Medical Assistant exam (CCMA) and the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification exam. Letter grade only. Students may begin the program in the Summer, Fall or Spring and there are no prerequisites to enroll in the program. Material fees are kept to a minimum, there is a fee paid to an outside vendor for the final HESI online examination during the externship. Students in the clinical area are required to purchase a stethoscope, sphygmomanometer for the physical examination procedure course and a uniform is required for the externship. All fees are less than $400.00 for the entire program.

Students in the comprehensive medical assistant program may meet the Associate of Science Degree in Health Sciences graduation requirements as outline in the catalog, students are encouraged to discuss these requirements with their assigned academic counselor.

Program Student Learning Outcomes


Students who complete this program will be able to:

  • Describe legal and ethical practices related to medical care
  • Demonstrate clinical patient skills
  • Demonstrate medical office employability skills
  • Demonstrate administrative medical skills

A minimum grade of “C” in all courses is required to receive the certificate.

Course ID Title Units
HSC 104   Medical Terminology 3
HSC 106   Legal and Ethical Aspects of Health Information 3
HSC 107   Human Body Fundamentals 3
MA 206   Introduction to Medical Assisting 3
MA 211B   Physical-Examination Procedures 3
MA 213B   Medical ASEPSIS and Surgical Procedures 3
MA 212B   Medical Office Laboratory Procedures 3
MA 214B   Medication Administration Procedures 3
MA 217C  * Medical-Assisting Clinical Experience Comprehensive 3
MA 218B   Electrocardiography for the Medical Assistant 3
MA 224A   Basics of Medical Insurance, Billing and Reimbursement 3
MA 280   Healthcare Organization Practices 3
MA 282   Fundamentals of Medical Practice Coding 3
  Restricted Electives 3

Total Units for the Certificate:


42

Restricted Electives:  Select one course from the following:
HSC 230   Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Exam Preparation 3
HSC 234   Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) Exam Preparation 3
CIM 112   Microsoft Office 3

*Course has a prerequisite, corequisite, limitation, or recommended preparation; see course description.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Degrees, Certificates, and Awards in Alphabetical Order