Medical Assistant, Certificate
Certificate—45 credit hours
Curriculum Code 1455
The Medical Assistant Certificate Program prepares graduates to begin careers as members of a multidisciplinary health care team within an ambulatory care setting. Students develop skills in accordance with the American Association of Medical Assistants entry-level competencies to perform administrative and clinical procedures. Additionally, the program will instill a code of professional ethics coupled with a foundation in skills that are needed to assist physicians in caring for patients. Graduates are eligible to take a national certification exam upon course and externship completion.
Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, chiropractors and other health care practitioners running smoothly. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, greeting clients, maintaining medical records, coding and filling out insurance forms, arranging for diagnostic testing and referrals, handling correspondence, performing billing and bookkeeping procedures, and using computer applications.
Clinical duties vary by state. They may include conducting medical histories, explaining treatment procedures, preparing clients for examinations, and assisting the physician during the exam. Medical assistants also may collect and prepare laboratory specimens for testing and may perform basic laboratory testing. They instruct clients about medication and diets, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy as directed, take electrocardiograms, and change dressings. They help patients feel at ease in the health care setting. They respect the confidential nature of medical information and promote patient privacy.
The Medical Assisting Externship consists of 160 hours of unpaid training at one of the Moraine Valley affiliated clinical sites. Most externship sites require that students have a completed health/physical form, required immunizations, current CPR certification, HIPAA understanding, health insurance, and a criminal background check and/or drug screening. Students must be 18 years old to begin their externship. They must be prepared to travel to the assigned externship site. Students must achieve a minimum grade of “C” in all prerequisites and required courses to advance within the program.
Required General Education Course
5 credit hours as follows:
Required Career Courses
40 credit hours as follows:
| IMS-115 | Microsoft Office I | 3 |
| MOA-115 | Clinical Laboratory Procedures | 4 |
| MOA-130 | Law and Ethics in Healthcare | 2 |
| MOA-140 | Medical Office Administration | 3 |
| MOA-142 | Medical Office Finance Systems | 3 |
| MOA-144 | Pharmacology-Principles/Applications | 5 |
| MOA-147 | Medical Assistant Clinic Procedures | 6 |
| MOA-155 | Medical Assistant Externship | 3 |
| MOA-156 | Medical Assistant Seminar | 2 |
| MRT-110 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| PHB-110 | Principles & Practice of Phlebotomy | 6 |
(Note: MOA-155 Must be completed within one year of completing the clinical courses MOA-115, MOA-144, MOA-147. The 160 unpaid hours of clinical externship is at an affiliated ambulatory care site, usually completed within four to six weeks.)
Suggested Schedule
Semester 1 (16 credit hours)
Semester 2 (18 credit hours)
| MOA-115 | Clinical Laboratory Procedures | 4 |
| MOA-142 | Medical Office Finance Systems | 3 |
| MOA-144 | Pharmacology-Principles/Applications | 5 |
| MOA-147 | Medical Assistant Clinic Procedures | 6 |
Semester 3 (11 credit hours)
| MOA-155 | Medical Assistant Externship | 3 |
| MOA-156 | Medical Assistant Seminar | 2 |
| PHB-110 | Principles & Practice of Phlebotomy | 6 |