Medical Assisting (Continuing Education)

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If you are interested in working in health care and have a strong attention to detail,
the medical assistant program may be the career path for you.

Medical Assisting at Dallas College

Want to train for one of the most in-demand entry-level healthcare certifications in Dallas? You could be done in as little as 6 months!

 

About Medical Assisting

As medical assistants, students will learn to perform administrative and clinical duties while under the supervision of a physician. Day-to-day responsibilities include but are not limited to maintaining medical records, recording vital signs, and preparing patients for examination.

The practice of medical assisting directly influences the public’s health and well-being and requires mastery of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skills. It requires formal education as well as practical experience that are the standards for entry into the profession.

 

Medical Assisting as a Career

  • Between 2020 – 2030, the medical assistant occupation will increase by 18%, much faster than average. (BLS MA Summary)
  • Career choice flexibility, part-time or full-time, small or large clinics, primary care, or specialized physicians.
  • Essential to the success and satisfaction of the patient experience.

What type of job can I get?

  • Certified Medical Assistant
  • Clinical Medical Assistant
  • Doctor’s Assistant
  • Health Assistant
  • Specialized Medical Assistant
Medical Assistant
$14.03
Entry Hourly Wage
 

What classes will I take?

Continuing Education Credit
CE Course Number CE Course Title Contact Hours CR Course Number CR Course Title Credits
MDCA 1013 Medical Terminology 64 MDCA 1313 Medical Terminology 3
MDCA 1043 Medical Insurance 64 MDCA 1443 Medical Insurance 4
MDCA 1021 Administrative Procedures 64 MDCA 1421 Administrative Procedures 4
HPRS 2000 Pharmacology 48 HPRS 2300 Pharmacology for Health Professions 3
MDCA 1052 Medical Assistant Laboratory Procedures 96 MDCA 1352 Medical Assisting Laboratory Procedures 3
CE Student Receives CESA.MED.ASST 336
MDCA 1060*+ Clinical Medical Assistant -OR- 180 MDCA 2361* Clinical - Medical/Clinical Assistant   3
CR Student Receives Level 1 Cert
Degree Plan Code: C1.MED.ASST.GEN
Total Hours 516 Total Hours 20
*In order to convert CE courses to CR, the final course must be taken as a credit course.
+In-person clinical. Those students enrolled as Dual-Credit are eligible to complete the clinical/externship after completing their high school diploma.

How do I sign up?

Because this program may lead to an occupational license for which a prior criminal history may make a student ineligible, for more information, please visit dallascollege.edu/hb1508.

Do you have 2 or more years of experience working in the medical field?

Do you want to jump-start your education using information that you’ve learned on the job? The Medical Assisting Prior Learning Assessment Portfolio Workshop may be able to help you get closer to completing a Medical Assisting Certificate faster!

If you are eligible, you can work with a faculty member to create a portfolio demonstrating what you’ve learned at work and you may be able to earn up to 12 college credits (approximately 4 college classes). That’s saving you time and money!

Want to learn more? Complete this interest form:

PLA Medical Assisting Interest Form

Student Interview: Tiffany Gardner

Tiffany Gard​ner

Dallas College Student

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I actually received an email from Dallas College. They were promoting the PLA program. I immediately applied for it and I was enrolled within the next week. I've been running a business for about 20 years in the past.

I actually created all the new patient paperwork for my current office. I set up the policies and procedure manuals, the payroll, I did all kinds of stuff.

So what I did is I actually took my experience and created these essays. You would just basically write about a 150 words about your concrete experience, your generalization of that experience, and then the theories of the experience. And then the last part is how you would take that experience and apply it and future settings. I'm already familiar with its material. And it's just kinda reaffirming what I've kinda already learned and I'm getting good grades because of it. Thankfully.

I'm working on the associates for Business Administration. If this course were not available to me, I would have had to take a full semester of those courses. I'm actually going to be able to get my degree early because of this course. It's going to make the time go by a little bit faster so I can start working on the next thing, which is, my business.

I want to get my bachelor's and my master's. So I'm really working towards that within the next ten years. I think it affects my daughter in a way that it makes her see that education is really important. It makes me feel very proud and I've worked really hard all my life and to be able to have this opportunity and have her see me. You know, it's just been it's been a blessing. It's a great opportunity to reflect on your own work history that you have and being able to apply it, you already have the knowledge.

Just feel confident that you can do it. Anybody can do this if they really, really put their mind to it.

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How can Dallas College help when it’s time for me to find a job?

The Career Services at Dallas College provides free career planning and job search services to current students, graduates, former students, and enrolling students. You can activate your Handshake account to begin exploring career opportunities.

 

Get training that opens doors

  • Earn an industry-recognized credential: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) through the National Healthcareer Association ® (NHA) that will allow you to work as a medical assistant in any state across the country
  • Gain experience as a medical assistant in a clinical setting
  • Develop in-demand skills that will prepare you to solve real-life challenges and make a lasting impression that shapes the patient experience

What you will learn

  • Practical application of medical vocabulary
  • Medical office procedures, appointment scheduling, coding, billing, and interpersonal communications
  • A study of drug classification and calculation of dosages
  • Application of governmental health care guidelines, including specimen collection and handling, and quality assurance

HB 1508 Notice

This program may lead to an occupational license for which a prior criminal history may make a student ineligible. 

For more information please visit dallascollege.edu/hb1508.

 


 
 
 

Looking to earn more? A career as a medical assistant can start you on the path to a great career in health care.

 
Learn More
About Health Care