Medical Assisting (A.A.S.)

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Official Title of Major: Medical Assisting, A.A.S.

Award: Associate of Applied Science degree, A.A.S.

Code: AAS.MDA.MDA

Total Credit Hours: 60

Learn more about the Medical Assisting Degree program

Purpose: Prepares students for employment in physicians’ offices, hospital administrative offices, clinics, medical departments of industry and government and wherever basic office and clinical skills are required. Graduates are eligible to sit for certification examinations given by the American Association of Medical Assistants to become a Certified Medical Assistant, the American Medical Technologists to earn a Registered Medical Assistant Certification, and the National Healthcareer Association exam for Certified Medical Assistants and/or Medical Administrative Assistants. Persons who already are employed in this field may enroll in this program for career development.

Additional Program Requirements

All Medical Assisting Program students must receive a minimum grade of C in each medical assisting and general education course. Students who receive a final grade below C in any medical assisting course will be awarded a grade of F in that course.

Range of Occupations

Administrative medical assistant
Clinical medical assistant
Medical office management

Special Conditions

Health Manpower Shortage: This program of study may be designated a Health Manpower Shortage Tuition Reduction Program. This means that some residents of Maryland (see the Tuition, Fees and Payments section of this catalog) enrolled in this program of study by the first day of the term may be eligible for in-county tuition rates for courses required for program completion. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm that this program still maintains a Health Manpower Shortage Program status before enrolling. Please refer to the college’s Accounts Receivable Office to confirm this designation.

Anne Arundel Community College and/or the School of Health Sciences reserves the right to revise requirements for admission into the Health Sciences programs, the selection criteria and procedures, and the required courses for programs of study as deemed necessary without prior notification.

Approximate Cost

Entrance/Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements

Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening

This program requires the satisfactory completion of a criminal background check and possible drug screening. For complete details, see Health Sciences Criminal Background & Drug Screening.

Honors Program Courses

If you qualify for the Honors Program, you may take honors versions of some courses (such as ENG 101H , ENG 102H , etc.).

Graduation Requirements

Refer to Academic Regulations on Graduation Requirements for college-wide graduation requirements.

Planning Tool: Two-Year Sequence of Courses

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Medical Assisting Program Sequence

Program Requirements

First Year - Term 1

ACA 100 - Student Success Seminar 1 credit hour
MDA 111 - Laws and Ethics for Health Professionals 2 credit hours
MDA 113 - Medical Terminology 3 credit hours
MDA 115 - Administrative Medical Assisting 1 3 credit hours
MDA 117 - Administrative Medical Assisting 2 3 credit hours
MDA 200 - Electronic Health Records 3 credit hours

Total credit hours: 15

First Year - Term 2

MDA 112 - Pharmacology for Health Professions 3 credit hours
MDA 140 - Clinical Medical Assisting 1 6 credit hours
MDA 142 - Clinical Medical Assisting 2 4 credit hours

Total credit hours: 13

First Year - Term 3

MDA 274 - Professional Seminar 1 credit hour
MDA 275 - Medical Assisting Practicum 3 credit hours
Practicum (MDA 275 ) internship requires 160 hours of unpaid supervised work experience in a physician’s office or wherever medical office administration with clinical skills is required. Eligibility: Completion of all courses required for the MDA certificate with a minimum of 2.0 GPA; meeting the technical standards of the Medical Assisting department.

Total credit hours: 4

Second Year - Term 1

BIO 230 - Structure and Function of the Human Body 4 credit hours
ENG 101 - Academic Writing and Research 1 3 credit hours OR
ENG 101A - Academic Writing and Research 1 3 credit hours
COM 111 - Fundamentals of Oral Communication 3 credit hours OR
COM 116 - Fundamentals of Oral Communication for Non-Native Speakers 3 credit hours
PSY 111 - Introduction to Psychology 3 credit hours

Total credit hours: 13

Second Year - Term 2

SOC 111 - Introduction to Sociology 3 credit hours
CTA 100 - Computing and Information Technology 3 credit hours OR
CTP 103 - Theories and Applications of Digital Technology 3 credit hours
MDA 114 - Diseases of the Human Body 3 credit hours
ENG 102 - Academic Writing and Research 2 3 credit hours

Mathematics: 3 credits

MAT 100 - The Nature of Mathematics 3 credit hours OR
MAT 133 - Finite Mathematics 3 credit hours OR
MAT 135 - Statistics 3 credit hours OR
MAT 145 - Precalculus 1 3 credit hours

Total credit hours: 15

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

Describe structural organization of the human body across the life span
Solve mathematical computations related to patient care and medication administration
Define the principles of Infection Control practiced within the ambulatory patient care setting
Identify the specific dietary needs related to maintaining health and disease prevention
Identify styles and types of effective communication techniques utilized in the healthcare setting
Explain the administrative functions performed in a health care setting
Describe basic practice finances performed by the medical assistant in the health care setting
Apply third party reimbursement methods related to health care operations
Describe how to use the most current procedural and diagnostic coding
Describe the legal implications related to the medical assistant scope of practice
Describe the ethical considerations of the medical assisting profession
Apply the principles of protective practices in the health care setting

This program aligns with the college’s core competencies.

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