Dec 07, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Catalog

Medical Assisting (certificate)


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Official Title of Certificate: Medical Assisting, Certificate

Award: Certificate

Code: CRT.MDA.MDA

Total Credit Hours: 32

Learn more about the Medical Assisting Certificate 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.

Anne Arundel Community College’s Medical Assisting Certificate program is accredited by the  Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).

Range of Occupations

  • Administrative medical assistant
  • Medical assistant to physician

Additional Program Requirements

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

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.

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.

Planning Tool: One-Year Sequence of Courses


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Certificate Requirements: 32 credits


Total credit hours: 13


Total credit hours: 5


Total credit hours: 10


Spring Term 2


  • 1 credit hour
  • 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


Certificate Graduation Requirements


To graduate with a certificate, students must have demonstrated eligibility for ENG 101  or ENG 101A . Refer to Academic Regulations on Graduation Requirements .

Program Outcomes


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

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

Career and Educational Advancement Resources


   

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