Medical Assistant, Certificate of Proficiency (CMED)
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, Certificate of Proficiency 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).
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Medical assistant applicants are required to take college placement tests in math, reading and English. Any deficiencies must be remedied prior to registering for AHM 106 Medical Assistant Clinical I. This course requires departmental approval as students must progress through the curriculum in sequence.
Certain functional abilities that will enable the student to competently perform required technical skills are necessary for successful completion of the Medical Assistant program. Students may be removed from the program for violation of patient safety, confidentiality or behavior incompatible with acceptable standards pending outcome of the appeal process.
In addition to the normal tuition and fees, medical assistant students are required to purchase uniforms, miscellaneous supplies, personal health insurance and a program package from Castle Branch to be cleared for clinical site placement.
Selected clinical externships will be provided in local medical offices under the supervision of the allied health faculty. These externships are work/learning experiences for which the student receives no monetary remuneration or other reimbursement. Students are required to carry liability insurance during the externship period and the cost is included in the tuition.
Medical assistant students are required to sit for the national certification examination offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) at a designated time during enrollment in AHM 199 Medical Assistant Externship. The cost of the exam is included in the program’s tuition.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Documentation of completion of the following must be on file in the Allied Health and Nursing Division prior to entering AHM 199 Medical Assistant Externship. Additional fees are required to gain clearance for the above clinical site placement.
- All Medical Assistant applicants are required to submit a clear FBI Criminal Background check (which includes fingerprinting), a Criminal Background check and a Child Abuse Clearance form from the state of residency. Students who have been convicted of a prohibitive offense contained in Act 13 and/or Act 169 (a detailed list is available for review in the Admissions and Allied Health Offices) may not be able to complete their studies because clinical experiences needed for course/program success may be prohibited. Students must be free of all prohibitive offenses contained in the Act for 10 years prior to the beginning of the externship. Individual situations will be evaluated on a case by case basis. If a student cannot complete their clinical studies, they will not be able to complete the Medical Assistant program. Students who are in the Medical Assistant program are required to immediately divulge any misdemeanor or felony convictions or pending charges [any criminal charges as yet unresolved by the courts] that may occur while in the program to the Medical Assistant Program Director.
- All medical assistant students will need to have on file the results of a complete physical examination including: laboratory tests, seasonal influenza vaccine, a 10-panel urine drug screen and a two-step Mantoux PPD prior to beginning the clinical externship component of the program. Please refer to the pre-entrance medical record health form requirements from the Program Director.
- Additionally, students must have medical health insurance for the duration of the externship and be in compliance with recommendations for the Hepatitis B vaccine.
- Full CPR Certification is required and you must submit a photocopy (both sides) of the CPR Certification Card. For example, an acceptable CPR course is the “BLS” (Basic Life Support) from the (American Heart Association) which is renewable every two years.
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 the issues and practices applicable to health information including electronic health records.
The College will award a certificate of proficiency to students who complete 30 credits of an approved career program. These credits will not normally include physical education, developmental, basic and/or continuing education courses and will usually consist of 24 credits in the career specialty and six credits in general education. At least 50 percent of the credits must be earned at Delaware County Community College. The student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. At least six credit hours must be in courses that are awarded grade points.
| First Semester | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| AHM 104 | Body Structure and Function I | 3 |
| AHM 105 | Body Structure and Function II | 3 |
| AHM 233 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| ENG 100 | English Composition I | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| 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 | |
| Total Hours | 42 | |
.
Notes:
Students wishing to complete the Medical Assistant Associate in Applied Science (MED) after completion of the Medical Assistant, Certificate of Proficiency (CMED), will need to complete the following six courses (18 credits):
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AHA 207 | Ethical/Legal Aspects of Health Care Management | 3 |
| AHM 102 | Introduction to Health Care | 3 |
| COMM 100 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| or COMM 111 | Public Speaking | |
| or BUS 130 | Business Communication | |
| MAT 120 | Modern College Mathematics | 3 |
| or MAT 121 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | |
| PSY 140 | General Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
| First Semester | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| AHM 104 | Body Structure and Function I | 3 |
| AHM 105 | Body Structure and Function II | 3 |
| AHM 233 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ENG 100 | English Composition I | 3 |
| AHM 106 | Medical Assistant Clinical I | 4 |
| AHM 140 | Professional and Communication Issues in Health Care | 3 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| AHM 208 | Pathophysiology and Pharmacology | 4 |
| CS 100 | Introduction to Information Technology | 3 |
| AHM 107 | Medical Assistant Clinical II | 4 |
| Hours | 11 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| AHM 130 | Medical Coding Concepts for Allied Health | 3 |
| AHM 185 | Medical Office Management | 4 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Fifth Semester | ||
| AHM 220 | Applied Microbiology | 1 |
| AHM 199 | Medical Assistant Externship | 4 |
| Hours | 5 | |
| Total Hours | 42 | |
Students wishing to complete the Medical Assistant Associate in Applied Science (MED) after completion of Medical Assistant, Certificate of Proficiency (CMED) will need to complete the following six courses (18 credits):
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AHA 207 | Ethical/Legal Aspects of Health Care Management | 3 |
| AHM 102 | Introduction to Health Care | 3 |
| COMM 100 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| or COMM 111 | Public Speaking | |
| or BUS 130 | Business Communication | |
| MAT 120 | Modern College Mathematics | 3 |
| or MAT 121 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | |
| PSY 140 | General Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
HYBRID CERTIFICATE (online* and classroom)
60% online
The following courses may not be available online:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom Only | ||
| AHM 107 | Medical Assistant Clinical II | 4 |
| AHM 130 | Medical Coding Concepts for Allied Health | 3 |
| AHM 220 | Applied Microbiology | 1 |
| AHM 185 | Medical Office Management | 4 |
| AHM 199 | Medical Assistant Externship | 4 |
- *
Some online courses have field requirements or in-person or proctored testing. Online courses with these requirements have additional information posted under the COURSE DESCRIPTION section when you are registering. Please note these requirements when registering.
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%