Medical assistants are multi-skilled health professionals educated to work in ambulatory settings performing administrative and clinical duties. The practice of medical assisting requires mastery of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skills requiring both formal education and practical experience that serve as standards for entry into the profession. Our nationally accredited Medical Assistant (MA) programs emphasize the skills and knowledge needed for employment in doctors’ offices, clinics, insurance companies, and other medical facilities.

Students may choose the professional certificate, which focuses mainly on the medical courses, or the associate degree, which includes advanced training in clinical procedures and the choice of electives that will enhance your education and training.

Program Mission

The program's mission is to prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains, incorporating values, ethics, and professionalism. The program promotes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of medical office administration, clinical procedures, and the ethics and values associated with such a career. The program’s foundation provides a basis for analytical skills leading to national certification, life-long learning, and a successful career.

Program Goals/Objectives

The successful graduate will:

• Be eligible to sit for the national certification exam for medical assistants (CMA-AAMA).
• Demonstrate proficiency in administrative medical office procedures, such as processing insurance claims, scheduling appointments, and completing referrals.
• Demonstrate proficiency in clinical procedures such as patient intake, taking vital signs, giving injections, administering EKGs, drawing blood, and assisting with patient exams, clinical procedures and office surgeries.
• Demonstrate proficiency in electronic medical records management.

Admission Requirements

• In addition to college-wide admission requirements, applicants must interview with a member of the full-time faculty to determine appropriateness for admission to the program.
• Sufficient speech and language ability to express, comprehend, and exchange information and ideas in English verbally, non-verbally, and in writing, and to interact clearly and logically with patients, family members, physicians, peers and other ancillary medical personnel. Potential MA students will be assessed by the program director at the time of their interview. Those not meeting program standards may be referred to classes to improve their diction, vocabulary, and/or writing skills.
• Submit a report of a current physical exam including all required health screening and immunizations (as indicated on physical exam form).

Program Policies

Students must abide by the following policies in order to be accepted and stay in the Medical Assistant Program.

• Students must place into College Composition based on Accuplacer scores before registering for any AH or MEDA courses.
• A grade of C is required in all AH, MEDA, and BIOL106/107 courses to continue in the program. Students may retake a course once if the minimum grade is not earned.
• All MEDA, AH, and BIOL106/107 courses must be taken within three years of Practicum.
• Students will be required to repeat a course if they do not demonstrate sufficient maturity to conduct themselves in a professional manner in the performance of clinical procedures.
• Students must demonstrate the emotional intelligence to exhibit empathy and compassion, to maintain productive relationships in the classroom and clinical settings, and to integrate direction, instruction, and constructive criticism into behavior.
• Criminal background checks are required of all students within 30 days of starting the Medical Terminology course. Drug screening may be required upon Practicum placement; this is dependent on the clinical setting. No student will be exempt from either process. Any student found to be chemically impaired at any time will be dismissed from the program. The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and/or medical facilities may restrict candidates from certification, practicum, or employment if involved in civil or criminal legal proceedings.
• Students must possess and maintain both personal health insurance and professional liability insurance (both available through the college) while enrolled in MEDA125, MEDA218, AH115, and MEDA223.
• Students must acquire and maintain CPR for the Health Care Provider while enrolled in MEDA125, MEDA218, and MEDA223. Students must provide proof of CPR/AED and First Aid certification prior to starting MEDA125 Clinical Lab Procedures I.
• Students who place into MATH070 or MATH080 based on the Accuplacer test must successfully complete MATH080 and successfully pass a basic math test prior to registration for MEDA123 or MEDA125.
• Students who do not possess verifiable touch keyboarding skills of 30-35 cwpm must take ADMN111 prior to ADMN122 Executive Keyboarding.
• Students enrolled in MEDA125 Clinical Lab Procedures I, must purchase required scrubs, shoes, stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and watch. (Consult faculty for more information.)
• Associate degree students must enroll in MEDA218 immediately following MEDA125. MEDA223 must immediately follow MEDA218.

Transfer Policy

Students transferring from another college or from another program within MCC must have a 2.0 CGPA to be accepted into the Medical Assistant program. This includes developmental courses.

Transfer courses must have been taken within the past three years for AH110, BIOL 106/107, MEDA122, MEDA123, MEDA124, and MEDA126. Exceptions may be made for those with continuous work in the medical field. Transfer credit will not be given for MEDA125, MEDA218, or MEDA223.

Technical Standards

MCC must ensure that patients/clients are not placed in jeopardy by students during learning experiences. Therefore, students in practicum must demonstrate sufficient emotional stability to withstand the stresses, uncertainties, and changing circumstances that characterize patient/client care responsibilities. Furthermore, the student is expected to have the emotional stability required to exercise sound judgment, accept direction and guidance from a supervisor or faculty member and establish rapport and maintain sensitive interpersonal relationships with employees, patients/clients and their families.

• Applicants must be in good physical and mental health. Standards have been established to provide guidance to students as to skills and abilities required to function successfully in the profession.
• Applicants who think they may not be able to meet one or more of the technical standards should contact the department chairperson or faculty to discuss individual cases.
• Good manual dexterity and sufficient tactile ability to assess pressure temperature, position, vibration, and movement.
• Sufficient hearing to assess patient needs and to understand instructions, identify emergency signals and engage in telephone conversations.
• Sufficient visual acuity to observe patients, manipulate equipment, and interpret data; visual acuity sufficient to ensure a safe environment, identify color changes, read fine print/writing and calculate fine calibrations.
• Sufficient strength to perform CPR and the ability to stand for extended periods of time.

Accreditations

MCC’s MA programs are 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, 1361 Park Street, Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 210-2350.

Employment Opportunities

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, “employment of medical assistants is expected to grow 34 percent over the 2008 – 2018 decade, much faster than average for all occupations particularly for those with formal training or experience, and certification.” MCC's programs are competency based; graduates are comprehensively prepared to enter any medical office with confidence.

Medical Assitant Degree Program

Medical Assistant Professional Certificate

See Associate Degree Admission and Program Policies.

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Medical Coding Certificate

Health care in the United States has undergone unprecedented changes in the recent past and even more changes are imminent. These changes have created an overwhelming and unmeant demand for qualified medical coders. The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 51% increase in the need for medical coders during the next five years. This national shortage has increased the salary for the coding occupations, and salaries will continue to rise in the future. In addition to medical reimbursement, coding is used for planning and research, to track diseases, and by hospital administrators to determine if hospital facilities are being used effectively and meet the needs of the community.

Medical coding requires the coder to abstract information from the patient record and combine it with their knowledge of reimbursement and coding guidelines to optimize physician payment. This coding curriculum will train participants to code for medical offices, clinics, mental health facilities, and hospitals. Successful completion of this certificate will prepare you to sit for the national Certified Coding Specialist exam.

Students must achieve a minimum grade of C (73.33) in all courses in order to receive Medical Coding Certificate.

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Medical Secretary Certificate

Medical secretaries perform a variety of tasks necessary to make an office operate smoothly. They are responsible for scheduling patient appointments, completing referrals for inpatient/outpatient procedures, keeping patient charts updated, accepting and documenting payments, processing insurance claims, typing correspondence, and interacting with health care facilities on a routine basis.

This certificate program provides the essentials needed to work in a medical office. Students will build a strong foundation of medical terminology, human anatomy, and prescription drugs before continuing on to courses requiring their application. Computer courses/applications will prepare graduates to feel comfortable with all types of clerical duties associated with a doctor’s office, hospital, or insurance company.

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Phlebotomy Certificate

Phlebotomists (PBT) are essential members of the health care delivery team who are primarily responsible for collecting blood specimens from patients for laboratory testing. Qualified phlebotomists may be employed in hospital laboratories, private laboratories, doctors’ offices, clinics, emergency rooms or blood donor centers.

Students may register for AH115 while completing the requirements for the Phlebotomy Internship if they meet the speech, health, character, and technical standards noted below.

Classroom learning is combined with a 120-hour internship that is performed in a clinical laboratory or other health care facility to provide the skills required of a certified PBT. Internships are limited and offered as sites become available.

Fine motor skills are required to successfully perform in most clinical facilities: drawing patient’s blood in the inpatient and outpatient settings, processing specimens including operating mechanical and computerized equipment, and performing clinical duties. Good communication skills are critical in dealing with patients, clients, physicians, nurses, and other health care workers.

Students must have complete documentation of physical exam, immunization records, TB testing, health insurance coverage and liability insurance in effect prior to registering for AH135. Students who participate in the internship must be available on a full-time basis for three 40-hour weeks. There are no evening or weekend internships. Only the Phlebotomy Coordinator may register students for AH135, Phlebotomy Internship.

Students possess and maintain personal health insurance and professional liability insurance while in both AH115 Phlebotomy and AH135 Internship (available through the college). Documentation will be required at the first class.

Students who successfully complete this program and are qualified for immediate employment at independent labs, hospitals, clinics, and are eligible to sit for a national certification examination offered by several professional organizations.

National certification boards, internship sites, and employers may restrict candidates who have been involved in civil and legal proceedings.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the college in addition to program requirements.

Health and Character Standards

MCC must ensure that patients/clients are not placed in jeopardy by students during learning experiences. Therefore, students in internships must demonstrate sufficient emotional stability to withstand the stresses, uncertainties, and changing circumstances that characterize patient/client care responsibilities. Furthermore, the student is expected to have the emotional stability to exercise sound judgment, accept direction and guidance from a supervisor or faculty member and establish rapport and maintain sensitive interpersonal relationships with employees, patients/clients and their families. MCC believes patient and student safety is of utmost importance. Therefore, if the instructor believes that actions demonstrated by a student in class or on internship jeopardize either the student's own safety or patient safety, that student will be dismissed from the class/program. Applicants must be in good physical and mental health to qualify for positions in the health care field. Standards have been established to provide guidance to students as to skills and abilities required to function successfully in the program and ultimately in the phlebotomy profession. Applicants who think they may not be able to meet one or more of these health, character or technical standards should contact the department head or faculty to discuss individual cases.

Applicants should have sufficient emotional intelligence to exhibit empathy and compassion to maintain productive relationships in the classroom and clinical settings.