Martinsburg College

Due to the increase in retail pharmacy services across the country, a growing ageing population, and expanded healthcare due to the Affordable Care Act, the need for pharmacy technicians is increasing. This program prepares students for a career as a pharmacy technician, providing support to the pharmacist. Students learn pharmacology, medical terminology and abbreviations, pharmacy law and ethics, pharmacy math and dosage calculations, medication preparation, prescription processing, inventory, insurance billing, communication, and customer service skills. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be eligible for employment in a variety of pharmacy settings. Additionally, this program will prepare students to take a national certification examination to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician either through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). The program has candidate status with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Pharmacy technicians perform a variety of roles including ensuring patients’ medical needs are met and prescriptions are accurate. Pharmacy technicians also perform other functions such as filling prescription requests, prepacking bulk medicines, responding to patient questions, maintaining proper storage and security conditions for drugs, establishing and maintaining patient profiles, and maintaining adequate supplies of medications. In the Pharmacy Technician Certificate program, students will learn pharmacology, medical terminology and abbreviations, pharmacy law and ethics, pharmacy mathematics and dosage calculations, medication preparation, prescription processing, inventory, insurance billing, communication, and customer service skills.

The overall program goal is to provide students with the knowledge of pharmacy practices and familiarize them with pharmacological concepts and processes including using math to perform pharmacy calculations when preparing prescriptions.

The Associate of Science in Healthcare Administration degree program provides students with the foundational skills required for healthcare administration using up-to-date information and technology. Students will gain experience using the practice management software, Medisoft, to learn how to manage patient billing, apply ICD-10, CPT, and HCPCS codes, and use an electronic health records software to learn how to manage patient health records.

After students complete the core courses, they can focus on professional tracks in the fields of billing and coding, pharmacy technician, and surgical instrument processing to further develop their skills.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment in several healthcare occupations is projected to grow 14% between 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. There is expected to be an increase of 23% in the need for Medical Assistants which is much faster than the average for other occupations. The demand for Pharmacy Technicians and Medical Records and Health Information Technicians is expected to be faster than the average for other occupations. This growth is expected due to an aging population and because federal health insurance reform should increase the number of individuals who have access to health insurance.

A typical healthcare environment, whether it be a clinic, a doctor’s office, or hospital, will employ individuals to perform administrative duties, including greeting and checking in patients, scheduling, answering phones, and managing patient records. In the Healthcare Administrative Specialist Certificate Program students develop skills in office applications and procedures related to the healthcare environment, learn medical terminology, and develop skills related to the billing and coding process. Upon completion of this certificate program, students are expected to able to:
Answer phones, schedule appointments, and take messages
Compile and maintain patient’s electronic medical records, and ensure completeness, accuracy and compliance with regulations
Identify the meaning of medical terms
Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained
List and describe the steps in the medical billing cycle
Use business software applications to create and manage documents, spreadsheets, and email communications

Medical billing and coding skills are essential to the economic viability of the healthcare industry. The increasing demands on providers with decreasing reimbursement requires medical offices to ensure they invest in accurate medical billing. Medical coding is the process of translating the results of a patient’s healthcare visit into a code that is then used to create a bill or claim that gets submitted to the insurance company. In this program, students will learn how to process patient data, such as treatment records and insurance information. They will learn the medical reimbursement cycle, to ensure that healthcare providers are accurately and efficiently paid for the services they perform.

Students will learn how to review clinical documentation to translate billable information into medical codes using CPT, ICD-10, and HCPCS classification systems. These medical code sets help medical coders document the patient conditions and describe the healthcare procedures performed to treat their conditions. Students will also learn how to submit claims to health insurance companies and the importance of follow up to ensure payment to the provider. Medical billing translates a healthcare service into a medical billing claim. Students will learn how to gather patient information, enter charges, verify health plan coverage, and secure prior authorizations, when required, and collect copays. The program also teaches students how to review claims carefully to ensure that procedure, diagnosis, and modifier codes are accurate before transmitting claims to payers.

Learn the skills required to perform administrative functions in a medical office environment. Generally, medical offices are not managed by doctors and nurses directly. They hire medical office administrators who manage a variety of tasks such as greeting patients, providing customer service, managing general business processes of the office, and managing health records. A big part of this role is helping patients to feel at ease, answering administrative questions, and ensuring the accuracy of health records. In the Medical Office Administration program, students develop skills in medical office procedures, anatomy and related terminology, medical billing, professional communication, business software applications for the medical office, electronic health records, and general business office administration.

Medical assistants work alongside physicians, nurses, and other senior medical professionals in outpatient or medical offices, hospitals, and clinics. Medical Assistants are trained to perform both administrative and clinical duties, including helping with patient exams, taking vital signs, such as blood pressure, preparing samples for lab tests, and updating patients’ medical records.

The ageing population of the United States, in combination with changing roles of professionals in healthcare, has resulted in an increased need for medical assistants. These trends will support the growth of this occupational area for the foreseeable future. (Source: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm)

The responsibilities of medical assistants may vary depending upon location, specialty, and practice size, and usually involve recording patient history and information, taking vital signs, assisting with examinations, giving patients injections or medications, scheduling appointments, preparing samples for lab tests, and entering patient information into medical records. The Medical Assisting program prepares students to perform both administrative and clinical tasks, including patient reception, health records management, billing, and payment processing. In addition, students gain skills to perform clinical tasks such as assisting with minor surgery, taking vital signs, preparing patients for examinations, performing EKG’s, obtaining health history, specimen collection, administering first aid, and other related tasks commonly performed in a physician’s office or other outpatient healthcare setting.

The Medical Assisting program is a Stackable Credential program with all credits transferring into the A.S. in Healthcare Administration. Entrance requirements: Students must have earned either a H.S. Diploma or GED and complete an admissions interview.

The world of technology is constantly changing. Consumers have become accustomed to having unlimited information at their fingertips. As technology continues to advance into all facets of society, the working knowledge required to operate and maintain computer hardware and software is also steadily increasing. The Computer Support Technology Certificate program teaches students how to repair and upgrade hardware, install software and operating systems, and perform network administration duties. Students will learn to diagnose and troubleshoot common hardware and network issues while developing strong customer support and service management skills. The broad goal of this program is for graduates to be able to support, troubleshoot, repair, and upgrade hardware and software, implement network security, and perform network administrative duties.

This program is designed to provide students with the technical skills and knowledge required to work in a broad range of fields providing technical support, services, and products for a range of technologies utilized in modern homes and businesses. This includes networking, computer support and maintenance, wiring installation, systems administration, and telecommunications.

Martinsburg College is dedicated to serving all branches of the military, including the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, We are equally dedicated to serving the broader military community including veterans and military spouses. Our associate of science degree in integrated technologies is an ideal choice for students seeking to improve their technical skills and pursue opportunities in a wide range of technology fields.

Eleven days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was appointed the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security in the White House. This office oversaw and coordinated comprehensive national strategies to protect the United States against terrorism and effectively respond to future attacks. In November 2002, the Department of Homeland Security became a formal department with the passage of the Homeland Security Act. Since September 11, 2001, there has been a cultural shift in the United States for individuals to take ownership of ever-present security issues by being aware of the history, theoretical, and practical applications of homeland security. This includes studying ways to minimize attacks and the damage they cause. The Homeland Security Certificate program offers students an introduction to the security environment from a skills-based perspective. This program introduces the history and mission of the Department of Homeland Security at the federal level and provides a local perspective of the role of the criminal justice system including courts, corrections, security, police, and social services. Students will also study tactical communication, technology, patrol procedures, security operations, and investigations. This program will give students an overview of the intelligence and counter-intelligence functions in homeland security.

Human resource professionals are responsible for overseeing an organization’s employees. In this role, their duties include recruitment, training, assessment, employee benefits and retention programs while ensuring the organization’s compliance with various federal and state employment and labor laws. The Human Resources program provides students with the knowledge, strategies, and competency requirements of a human resources professional. Students will develop skills in professionalism, communication, workforce management, and ethics. Concepts and strategies for leadership, relationship management, critical evaluation, team building, and working with virtual teams will also be explored.

In addition, students will gain insight into the world of lean thinking and practice, Six Sigma and the DMAIC – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control method. Understanding Six Sigma is essential for HR professionals in working as part of the team in building an effective workforce and improving internal processes. In addition, the program focuses on developing skills in professionalism, communication, and ethics.