Overview
Graduates will be able to perform a wide range of medical assisting duties in physicians’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and emergency medical centers after completing this academic certificate. You’ll gain clinical experiences through externships in a variety of outpatient settings.
Medical assistants perform a wide range of duties in physicians’ offices, clinics, and emergency medical centers. Clerical duties include screening and receiving patients, maintaining medical records, typing and transcribing medical reports, handling telephone calls and correspondence, entering data, filing insurance claims, and maintaining patient accounts. Clinical duties include preparing patients for examinations, obtaining vital signs, taking medical histories, assisting with examinations and treatments, performing routine office laboratory procedures (urinalysis, phlebotomy, CBC, specimen collection and shipment), performing electrocardiograms, and instructing patients for advanced procedures. Required clinical experience (externship) is provided in a variety of outpatient settings including physician offices, clinics, and emergency medical centers during the third semester of the program.
Third-semester students should plan to take a medical assisting certification examination. Upon successful completion of the examination, graduates will receive the Certified Medical Assistant, CMA (AAMA) or the Registered Medical Assistant, RMA (AMT) credentials.
Learning experiences for students in the Medical Assisting Certificate Program are provided in classrooms and laboratories on the Airport Campus in Lexington Hall. Student preclinical experience is provided in a simulated medical office adjacent to the classroom. Required clinical experiences externships are arranged through affiliations with local medical offices and other healthcare facilities.
Goals:
- To prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
- To provide students with a career that is easily articulated with other established health care careers, i.e., phlebotomy, nursing, paramedic, radiology, etc.
- To prepare graduates to pass the national exam for Certified Medical Assistant (AAMA) or Registered Medical Assistants (AMT) demonstrating entry-level knowledge of medical assisting.
The Medical Assisting Program at Midlands Technical College has a Retention Rate average of 91.67% for the 2019 admission cohort and Exam Pass Rate of 100% for the 2019 graduates.
Students who are admitted to the Medical Assisting program are required to purchase and maintain standard white laboratory coats at an approximate cost of $25. Students must maintain at least a “C” in all Medical Assisting courses. Students may repeat no more than two program courses. All classes are at Airport Campus and admitted only during the fall semester.
Accreditation
The Medical Assisting Certificate Program offered at the Airport Campus is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
25400 US Highway 19 North, Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
727.210.2350
caahep.org
Admission Criteria
In addition to the college’s placement test and the admissions requirements of the Health Sciences Department, there are other specific admission criteria to the Medical Assisting program.
- Education Level
-
High school diploma or equivalent (High school or college credits in science (recommended).
- Acceptable Admissions Criteria
-
- Current First Aid and CPR certifications at the time of program entry.
- Program interview.
- Acceptable criminal background check and drug screening results at the time of program entry.
How to Enroll
To pursue this degree, you must apply to MTC using our online application.
Questions?
Sample Program Plan and Costs
Class Delivery Methods
View current courses offered via our online course directory.
| On-Campus | Traditional. Classes meet on campus. |
|---|---|
| Virtual | 100% online. Meets with a live instructor and classmates on specific days, at specific times. Uses web conferencing software, like Zoom. |
| Hybrid | Some classes on campus. Some classes online or virtual. |
| Online | 100% online. Due dates for projects and assignments. Self-paced work on your time. |
Full Time
| Semester | Course ID | Course Title | Classroom | Online | Hybrid | Virtual | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 (13 Credit Hours) |
COL-106 |
Skills for College Success Skills for College Success ID: COL-106 Credit Hours: 1 This course is designed to enhance the skills of entering freshmen to facilitate their ability to succeed in the college environment. The course topics include student/instructor expectations, time management, library/computer orientation, listening/note-taking, studying for success, learning styles/personality types, and diversity and differences on campus. |
• | • | • | 1 | |
| ENG-160 |
Technical Communications Technical Communications ID: ENG-160 Credit Hours: 3 This course is a study of various technical communications such as definitions, processes, instructions, descriptions, and technical reports. |
• | • | • | 3 | ||
| AHS-102 |
Medical Terminology Medical Terminology ID: AHS-102 Credit Hours: 3 This course covers medical terms, including roots, prefixes, and suffixes, with emphasis on spelling, definition, and pronunciation. |
• | • | 3 | |||
| BIO-110 |
General Anatomy and Physiology General Anatomy and Physiology ID: BIO-110 Credit Hours: 3 This course is a general introduction to the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Emphasis is on the organ systems of the human and their interrelationships. |
• | • | 3 | |||
| MAT-155 |
Contemporary Mathematics Contemporary Mathematics ID: MAT-155 Credit Hours: 3 This course includes techniques and applications of the following topics: elementary number theory; algebra; geometry; measurement; graph sketching and interpretations; and descriptive statistics. |
• | • | • | 3 | ||
| Semester 2 (10 Credit Hours) |
MED-103 |
Medical Assisting Introduction Medical Assisting Introduction ID: MED-103 Credit Hours: 3 This course provides an introduction to the profession of medical assisting, including qualifications, duties, and the role of the medical assistant. It also covers law and ethics as they relate to the medical office, with emphasis on the medical assisting profession. |
• | 3 | |||
| MED-105 |
Medical Assisting Office Skills I Medical Assisting Office Skills I ID: MED-105 Credit Hours: 5 This course provides a study of receptionist duties, records maintenance, insurance form processing, and office machine use. |
• | 5 | ||||
| MED-141 |
Medical Office Clinical Skills I Medical Office Clinical Skills I ID: MED-141 Credit Hours: 2 This course provides instruction in examination room techniques, vital signs, interviewing, assisting with a physical examination, minor surgery and nutrition. |
• | 2 | ||||
| Semester 3 (9 Credit Hours) |
MED-107 |
Medical Office Management Medical Office Management ID: MED-107 Credit Hours: 4 This course provides a study of the principles and practices of banking and accounting procedures, billing methods, and office management. |
• | 4 | |||
| MED-113 |
Basic Medical Laboratory Techniques Basic Medical Laboratory Techniques ID: MED-113 Credit Hours: 3 This course provides a study of specimen collection and techniques for related laboratory procedures routinely performed in medical offices and clinics; including hematology and procedures related to body fluids. |
• | 3 | ||||
| MED-142 |
Medical Office Clinical Skills II Medical Office Clinical Skills II ID: MED-142 Credit Hours: 2 This course provides a continued study in medical assisting clinical skills with emphases on pharmacology, dosage calculation and administration, medical specialties and emergencies. |
• | 2 | ||||
| Semester 4 (8 Credit Hours) |
MED-170 |
Medical Assisting Professional Seminar Medical Assisting Professional Seminar ID: MED-170 Credit Hours: 3 This course covers selected topics applicable to the medical assistant profession and focuses on advancing knowledge while developing specialty skills in leadership and professionalism. |
3 | ||||
| MED-117 |
Clinical Practice I Clinical Practice I ID: MED-117 Credit Hours: 5 This course provides practical application of administrative and clinical skills in medical facility environments. |
• | 5 | ||||
| Total Credit Hours | 40 | ||||||
| Estimated Cost Financial Aid |
$7,520.00 Not including fees and equipment |
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