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Medical Assistant -- Associate Degree Program

Link to website maintained by the School of Health

This two-year program of study prepares students to become health care providers and patient educators who have multiple skills, qualities, and abilities, and are able to meet the rigorous demands of our health care delivery systems. Graduates are capable of functioning in the hospital, clinic, neighborhood health center, health maintenance organization, insurance company, group practice or single physician’s office. Springfield Technical Community College's, Medical Assistant Certificate program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation Of Allied Health Education Program, (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation fo the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program, 1361 Park Street, Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 210-2350

A supervised, unpaid externship of at least 160 contact hours in an ambulatory health care setting must be completed prior to graduation. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the national certification examination for Medical Assistants, and may also be eligible to take a national certification exam for Phlebotomists.

The curriculum is designed to teach students to assist in administrative and clinical procedures in varied health care agencies. During the externship period, students perform such duties as word processing; recordkeeping; billing; blood, urine and diagnostic tests; and specimen processing. In addition, students assist the physician in carrying out the techniques of patient care such as performing electrocardiograms, assisting with physical examinations, and performing phlebotomy. STUDENTS MUST BE AWARE THAT THE EXTERNSHIP PERIOD WILL REQUIRE TRAVELING TO THE VARIOUS SITES, AND THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN TRANSPORTATION. Graduates are qualified to accept positions in medical offices, clinics, health maintenance organizations, insurance companies, hospitals, ambulatory care centers, or any other area where their broad basic skills are needed.

The Medical Assistant student must be able to meet the following technical standards: possess motor skills, manual dexterity, vision/hearing normal or device-corrected, eye/hand coordination, and skill in the art of oral and written communication.  Students will be required to participate in all scheduled laboratory sessions.  All students will be required to assume the role of "patient" as well as that of the "medical assistant".

Applicants must be high-school graduates or hold a certificate of equivalency. High school courses in biology, algebra, and keyboarding are preferred. On the STCC placement tests, students must demonstrate competencies for math at the level of ALGB-081, English at ENGL-100, and reading at level DRDG-092.  MAST-101, Medical Terminology 1, is a program prerequisite.  All accepted students must undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information or other check. Depending on the findings, the student may not be allowed to continue in the program of study. For further information, please contact the Office of the Dean, School of Health.

Minimum Grade Requirements: To continue in the progression of courses offered in the Medical Assistant program, a student must obtain a grade of “C” (73%) or better in all Medical Assistant courses. Students must maintain an average grade of “C” or better in all other courses. ENGL-100 English Composition 1 and OFFS-230 Medical Computer Apps must be completed before entering the senior year. Medical Assistant courses are planned in conjunction with the clinical agencies, and may deviate from the College hours.

These goals are based on the standards and guidelines established for the program by the Curriculum Review Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment (CRB-AAMAE):

1. The Medical Assistant program will produce students who are prepared as entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective learning domains.
2. The Medical Assistant program will produce students who have demonstrated competencies in administrative and clinical skills.
3. The Medical Assistant program will produce students who will successfully complete the strict standards established by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Curriculum Review Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment (CRB-AAMAE) in order to meet eligibility requirements to take the national certification exam.
4. The Medical Assistant program will produce students who have demonstrated professionalism, interact well with members of the health care team, and perform within legal and ethical boundaries.
5. The Medical Assistant program will produce students who will be able to compete in the workforce and procure employment in a health care setting.
6. The Medical Assistant will produce students who are computer literate.

Programmatic Technical Standard (PDF)

MAST-101 Medical Terminology is required and OFFS-100 Basic Keyboarding is recommended prior to entry into the program.

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Notes:

1. MAST-122 / MAST-160 / MAST-161 must be taken concurrently.
2. MAST-260 / MAST-261 must be taken concurrently.

Upon successful completion of requirements for this program, the degree of Associate in Science in Medical Assistant will be awarded.

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