Academic Catalog

Medical Assistant, Certificate of Proficiency (CMED)

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, 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, Emergency Services and Nursing Department 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.

Plan of Study Grid
First SemesterHours
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
 Hours12
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
 Hours14
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
 Hours12
Fourth Semester
AHM 199 Medical Assistant Externship 4
 Hours4
 Total Hours42

  .

1

BIO 150 and BIO 151 can be substituted for AHM 104 and AHM 105.

 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):

AHA 207Ethical/Legal Aspects of Health Care Management3
AHM 102Introduction to Health Care3
COMM 100Interpersonal Communication3
or COMM 111 Public Speaking
or BUS 130 Business Communication
MAT 120Modern College Mathematics3
or MAT 121 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
PSY 140General Psychology3
SOC 110Introduction to Sociology3
Total Hours18

HYBRID CERTIFICATE (online* and classroom)

60% online

The following courses may not be available online:

Classroom Only
AHM 107Medical Assistant Clinical II4
AHM 130Medical Coding Concepts for Allied Health3
AHM 220Applied Microbiology1
AHM 185Medical Office Management4
AHM 199Medical Assistant Externship4
*

Some online courses have field requirements or in person/proctored testing.  Online courses with these requirements have additional information posted under the COURSE DESCRIPTION section when you are registering.  Please make a note of it during registration.

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 (Certificate)

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