Medical Assistant, Associate in Applied Science (MED)
Department website: https://www.dccc.edu/academics/academic-divisions/allied-health-emergency-services-nursing/medical-assistant-program
Effective: Fall 2023
The Medical Assistant program prepares students as multi-skilled health care workers who function as assistants to physicians and other health care professionals in a variety of ambulatory care settings. The responsibilities of the medical assistant include administrative and clinical duties.
A Medical Assistant, Associate Degree in Applied Science, will be awarded upon successful completion of the required program with a 2.5 G.P.A. and a “C” or better in all allied health courses (AHM and AHA).
Students may complete the Certificate of Proficiency (CMED) program first.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Medical Assistant applicants are required to take college placement tests in math, reading and English upon applying to the college. Any deficiencies should be remedied prior to registering for AHM 106 Medical Assistant Clinical I.
ACCREDIATION COMPLIANCE
Medical Assistant students must progress through the curriculum in the sequence required by MAERB, our program accrediting body. Required medical assistant competencies may not be assessed until the student has taken or is taking AHM 106 Medical Assistant Clinical I.
Divisional approval is required for Medical Assistant majors in the following four courses where competencies are assessed:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AHM 130 | Medical Coding Concepts for Allied Health | 3 |
| AHM 185 | Medical Office Management | 4 |
| AHM 106 | Medical Assistant Clinical I | 4 |
| AHM 107 | Medical Assistant Clinical II | 4 |
FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES
Certain functional abilities that will enable the student to competently perform required technical skills are necessary for completion of the program. A functional abilities inventory is required from each student prior to externship. Reasonable accommodations will be made on an individual basis.
STUDENT CONDUCT
Students may be removed from the program for violation of safety, confidentiality or for behavior that is incompatible with the DCCC Code of Conduct pending outcome of an appeal.
EXTERNSHIP
Selected clinical externship sites will be provided in local medical offices under the supervision of allied health instructors. The externship is a learning experience giving the student the opportunity to utilize learned skills in the medical office environment. The student may not receive monetary remuneration or other reimbursement. Students are required to carry liability insurance while in externship which is included in tuition.
In addition to normal tuition and fees, Medical Assistant students will have the following additional expenses for externship: uniform, name tag, stethoscope, personal insurance, cost of a physical exam, required vaccines, drug screen, PA background check, PA Child Abuse Clearance and FBI Background check including fingerprints, current CPR, and a program package form Castle Branch for collection of externship documents.
Documentation of the following must be on file by the provided deadline while student is enrolled in AHM 107 Medical Assistant Clinical II. Students will be unable to go on externship if there are missing documents.
- FBI Criminal Background Check (including fingerprints)
- Background Check and Child Abuse Clearance from state of residency.
- Complete physical examination including laboratory testing
- Seasonal flu vaccine
- Covid Vaccine
- Hepatitis B vaccine
- 10 panel drug screens
- Two-step Mantoux PPD or QuantiFERON test
- Current CPR for Health Provider:
- American Heart Association – "Basic Life Support" OR
- American Red Cross – "BLS/CPR for Healthcare"
Third-party entities, such as clinical sites, require criminal background checks as a condition participating in externship in a medical office. Even if you have chosen the Medical Assistant Program as your major, sites may refuse you access to the facilities if the criminal background check does not meet the facility’s standards. The Medical Assistant Program will attempt to make other arrangements for such students to fulfill clinical requirements but may not be able to do so.
Details will be provided, and documents will be collected in AHM 107 Medical Assistant Clinical II.
Medical Assisting Students are required to sit for the national certification exam offered by the American Association Medical Assistants (AAMA) during a designated time. The cost of the exam is included in the AHM 107 Medical Assistant Clinical II tuition. The exam is a requirement of AHM 199 Medical Assistant Externship
Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- Apply knowledge of the anatomical structure and physiological functioning of the human body and of medical terms descriptive of body systems.
- Perform the administrative and clinical duties necessary to serve as a medical assistant, assistant to a physician and other health care professionals.
- Discuss the ethical and legal issues associated with the medical assistant profession.
- Communicate effectively with patients and other health care professionals to provide care to patients in an outpatient setting.
- Apply clinical reasoning skills to accurately screen patients with acute and chronic disease processes in the clinical setting.
- Demonstrate how to safely prepare and administer proper dosages of medications.
- Identify issues and practices applicable to health information including electronic health records.
| First Semester | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| AHM 102 | Introduction to Health Care | 3 |
| AHM 104 | Body Structure and Function I 1 | 3 |
| AHM 105 | Body Structure and Function II 1 | 3 |
| AHM 233 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| ENG 100 | English Composition I | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| AHM 106 | Medical Assistant Clinical I | 4 |
| AHM 140 | Professional and Communication Issues in Health Care | 3 |
| AHM 208 | Pathophysiology and Pharmacology | 4 |
| CS 100 | Introduction to Information Technology | 3 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| AHM 107 | Medical Assistant Clinical II | 4 |
| AHM 130 | Medical Coding Concepts for Allied Health | 3 |
| AHM 185 | Medical Office Management | 4 |
| AHM 220 | Applied Microbiology | 1 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| AHM 199 | Medical Assistant Externship | 4 |
| Hours | 4 | |
| Fifth Semester | ||
| AHA 207 | Ethical/Legal Aspects of Health Care Management | 3 |
| COMM 100 | Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Business Communication | 3 |
| MAT 120 or MAT 121 | Modern College Mathematics or Introduction to Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| PSY 140 | General Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
.
- 1
BIO 150 Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BIO 151 Human Anatomy and Physiology II can be substituted for AHM 104 Body Structure and Function I and AHM 105 Body Structure and Function II.
Students have the option of integrating the fifth semester courses into the first, second, and third semesters. Courses cannot be integrated into the fourth semester as students are not permitted to take courses while participating in externship. If a student takes any of the fifth semester courses while pursuing the Medical Assistant, Certificate of Proficiency (CMED) , they must declare a dual major in Medical Assistant, Certificate of Proficiency (CMED) and Medical Assistant, AAS (MED).
Students may complete all courses in the Medical Assistant, Certificate of Proficiency (CMED) prior to taking courses included in the fifth semester. If a student chooses to complete the Medical Assistant, AAS (MED) after completing Medical Assistant, Certificate of Proficiency (CMED), they must change their major to Medical Assistant, AAS (MED).
The Delaware County Community College Medical Assistant program 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 N., Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
Student Outcomes
Delaware County Community College offers both Associate of Applied Science and a Certificate of Proficiency in Medical Assistant. Student and Employer Surveys collected in our most recent Annual Report demonstrate100% satisfaction.
Retention Job Placement Exam Participation
Program 2020 2020 2020
AAS 100% 53.33% 73.33%
Cert 90% 100% 66.67%
Career Information for this Program
Medical Assistant (Associate in Applied Science)
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