Description

The Medical Assistant One-Year Certificate of Completion is a four-term program that trains individuals to assist with clinical and administrative procedures in outpatient medical settings under the direction of a health care provider. Program courses begin once per year in Fall term. All program courses offered each term must be taken together and in sequence. Upon successful completion of the program, students receive a one-year certificate of completion and are eligible to submit an application to sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) certification examination. Upon passing the AAMA exam, medical assistants earn the CMA.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Apply comprehensive medical assisting processes and critical thinking to achieve optimal patient care in ambulatory settings.
2. Coordinate and facilitate patient care throughout the ambulatory care setting within a medical team.
3. Accurately and safely perform a variety of administrative and clinical procedures within the MA scope of practice.
4. Demonstrate professionalism through confidentiality, diversity, and therapeutic communication within the medical patient-client relationship
5. Implement current concepts of infection control and occupational safety by maintaining industry standards of quality control within ambulatory care setting

Entrance Requirements

Academic Entrance Requirements

Required:

• A high school diploma, GED, or a high school transcript noting successful graduation

• Completion of all prerequisite classes with a grade of C or better

Recommended:

• Students expected to be computer literate and utilize different computer programs in their courses; CIS 120 Computer Concepts is recommended to enhance computer skills and usage if needed.

Other Entrance Requirements

Required:

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Criminal history check and 10-panel drug screen with vendor chosen by the College; see the program page for more information
• Documentation of current immunizations: TB blood titer, MMR, hepatitis B, varicella, Tdap, flu. While the COVID-19 vaccine is not required for entry into the Medical Assistant program, clinical sites for practicum courses may require the COVID-19 vaccine. Please contact the program director if you have any questions.
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers CPR and first aid training will need to be completed prior to entrance into practicum.
• Additional immunizations, tracking fees, or background checks may be required by practicum sites at the student’s expense
• Refer to program technical standards (physical, medical, safety, and other requirements that an individual must meet in order to be eligible for admission) for more information

Reentry

Students who leave or are dropped from the program may reenter the next Fall term with program director permission. In rare cases, a student may reenter at a different point in the program on a space available basis and with program director permission. Students may be required to repeat demonstrations of previous competencies to ensure they retained the required skills and knowledge to progress in the program.

Additional Program Costs (Beyond Standard Tuition/Fees and Textbooks)

Material Costs

Due to the rapidly changing nature of health care and associated costs, the following are only estimates and are subject to change.

• Stethoscope: $100
• Blood pressure cuff: $30
• Uniform and watch with second hand: $75
• Immunizations and titers: $0 to $685 (some may be covered by insurance or subsidized by other funding sources)
• Immunizations tracking: $10
• Criminal background check: $65
• Urine drug screen: $45
• Tracking fee for students rotating through St. Charles: $20
• AAMA National Certification Exam: $120
• Cengage Learning Management System and online textbooks: $179

Enrollment Fees

• Lab fees: $665 to $765

Course Requirements

¹

Will accept (BI 231 Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BI 232 Human Anatomy and Physiology II and BI 233 Human Anatomy and Physiology III) or (BI 121 Anatomy and Function I and BI 122 Anatomy and Function II).

Advising Notes

Program courses begin once per year in Fall term. Students wishing to register in the Fall term cohort must meet the basic prerequisite competencies and may register according to seat availability on a first-come, first-served basis determined by the priority registration schedule.

This certificate is designed for students planning to enter their chosen career upon graduation. Often only selected credits are considered transferable to public or private baccalaureate institutions.

Students are encouraged to choose the prerequisite pathway that best meets their goals from the following two options:

1. A rapid pathway for direct entry into the field. Prerequisites are condensed and focused on the needs of the students seeking career and technical education coursework. Total prerequisite credits: 11.
   1. AH 105 Calculations for Allied Health
   2. BA 214 Business Communications
   3. BI 105 Essentials of Human Biology
2. A pathway with more transferable credits for those pursuing advanced degrees or completing the COCC Nursing AAS prerequisites. Total prerequisite credits: 20.
   1. MTH 105Z Math in Society or higher
   2. WR 121Z Composition I
   3. BI 231 Human Anatomy and Physiology I, BI 232 Human Anatomy and Physiology II, and BI 233 Human Anatomy and Physiology III 

When possible, students opting for the rapid prerequisite pathway are encouraged to start prerequisite classes by Spring term versus trying to complete all prerequisites during Summer term.

Students who have time to complete the human relations requirement (AH 115 Cultural Responsiveness in Allied Health or COMM 115 Introduction to Intercultural Communication or COMM 218Z Interpersonal Communication or COMM 219 Small Group Communication) before entering core program classes are encouraged to do so. The human relations requirement can technically be completed any time before completion of the certificate.

Students can substitute:

• Math classes higher than MTH 105Z Math in Society to meet the math requirement.
• BI 231 Human Anatomy and Physiology I, BI 232 Human Anatomy and Physiology II, and BI 233 Human Anatomy and Physiology III OR BI 121 Anatomy and Function I and BI 122 Anatomy and Function II for BI 105 Essentials of Human Biology.

Performance Standards

• Academic Requirements:
  • Students must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA to earn a COCC certificate or degree.
  • All courses in the program must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
• Additional Requirements:
  • Students must maintain an average of 75% on tests and 75% overall in each class to progress to subsequent core program classes. Students must pass 75% of lab skills check-offs on the first attempt to progress to subsequent core program classes. Students must demonstrate medication administration proficiency through a high score on a drug calculation exam prior to entering practicum. Students must complete 100% of psychomotor and affective competencies as identified by the program’s accrediting body and complete a minimum of 160 hours of practicum to complete the program.

Sample Plan