Overview
About the Program
Medical Assisting Certificate (CMA: Certified Medical Assistant)
The demand for Medical Assistants is expanding rapidly. MA’s are the only allied health professionals specifically trained to work in ambulatory settings, such as physicians’ offices, clinics, and group practices. As multi-skilled personnel, they can perform administrative and clinical procedures. Physicians value this unique versatility more and more, as managed care compels them to contain costs and manage human resources efficiently.
Medical Assisting continues to be one of the fastest growing occupations in healthcare. According to the latest Occupational Outlook Handbook the Medical Assisting field has a 23% growth, which is faster than average for all occupations. Physicians are hiring more MAs to perform routine administrative and clinical duties, allowing the physicians to see more patients.
Medical Assistants have a great amount of variety in their jobs and are cross trained to perform many administrative and clinical duties. Below is a quick overview of the types of tasks a medical assistant does during a typical workday:
Administrative duties may include the following:
- Greeting patients
- Updating paper and electronic medical records
- Coding (procedural and diagnostic) and filling out insurance forms
- Scheduling appointments
- Arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services
- Handling correspondence, billing, and bookkeeping
- Demonstrating professional, interpersonal, oral and written communications skills
Clinical duties vary, but may include the following:
- Preparing and administering medications (oral and injections)
- Taking medical histories and performing vital signs
- Explaining treatment procedures to patients
- Preparing patients for examination
- Assisting the physician during an exam
- Instructing patients about medication and special diets
- Collecting and preparing laboratory specimens including phlebotomy (blood collection)
- Performing basic laboratory tests
- Authorizing prescription refills as directed
- Taking electrocardiograms
- Removing sutures and changing dressings
Students are also eligible for RPT (Registered Phlebotomy Technician) certification exam with additional phlebotomy hours as part of the practicum experience.
Convicted felons or individuals pleading guilty to a felony are not eligible to sit for the Medical Assisting certification exam unless the Certifying Board (CB) grants a waiver based on accepted mitigating circumstances.
Certification
Students who complete MTC’s Medical Assisting certificate program are eligible to sit for the certification exam offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA, 20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1575, Chicago, IL 60606, 312-899-1500, www.aama-ntl.org). The credential awarded upon successful completion of the exam is the CMA (Certified Medical Assistant). Students are also eligible to sit for the certification exam offered by American Medical Technologists (www.americanmedtech.org). The credential awarded upon successful completion of the exam is RMA (Registered Medical Assistant).
Occupational Certification Opportunities
- CMA - Certified Medical Assistant
- RMA-Registered Medical Assistant
Application Requirements – Limited Enrollment
- MTC Application for Admission (nonrefundable application fee).
- Final high school transcript (or GED results) and college transcripts (if applicable).
- A minimum 2.0 accumulative grade point average (GPA) in high school or college-level courses (whichever is most recent).
- Successful completion of the ACT or Basic Skills Assessment (ACCUPLACER) in reading, writing, mathematics and Technical Skills Test (TST).
- Completion of Medical Assisting program application.
- Completion of successful criminal background check.
Career Opportunities
Curriculum
The following is a typical course sequence for completing this program. The actual time needed to complete the program will vary according to each student’s individual needs.
First Semester
| ALH1110 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| ALH1140 | Healthcare Issues:Medical Law and Ethics | 1 |
| MED1010 | Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures I | 4 |
| MED1021 | Medical Office Procedures | 4 |
| OIS1240 | Computer Applications | 3 |
| ENG1000 | English Composition I | 3 |
Second Semester
| ALH1160 | Pharmacology for Allied Health | 2 |
| MED1040 | Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures II | 4 |
| MED1050 | MA Lab Procedures | 2 |
| MED1061 | Medical Asst. Insurance and Billing | 3 |
| MED1070 | Medical Assisting Capstone | 1 |
| MED1091 | Medical Assisting Practicum | 2 |
| MED1080 | Medical Assisting Issues and Review | 1 |
Total Credit Hours: 33