Examines proven strategies designed to help learners achieve greater personal, academic, and professional success. Learners will apply personal responsibility thinking and behaviors; self-management, awareness, and motivation strategies; as well as interdependence skills to develop a proactive life plan.

Focuses on the component parts of medical terms: prefixes, suffixes and word roots. Students practice formation, analysis and reconstruction of terms. Emphasis on spelling, definition and pronunciation. Introduction to operative, diagnostic, therapeutic and symptomatic terminology of all body systems, as well as systemic and surgical terminology.

Introduces contemporary healthcare practices for learners interested in a career serving diverse healthcare communities. Learners explore the essential skills required for equitable and inclusive person-centered interactions. Learners examine various health communities, mindful practices, professionalism, problem solving, and patient confidentiality.

Focuses on the use of technology in healthcare. Learners use common business software applications, including word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, and databases. Communication methods using technology are addressed. Learners gain experience with using the electronic health record (EHR). Healthcare EHR security issues, social media use, and digital healthcare resources are examined.

Students learn to recognize human body structure and function in health and disease states. Students explore the causes, signs, and symptoms of diseases of the major body systems as well as the diagnostic procedures, usual treatment, prognosis, and prevention of diseases commonly diagnosed and treated in the medical office setting.

Introduces medical assistant students to office management, business administration, and the electronic medical record (EMR) in the medical office. Students learn to schedule appointments, perform filing, record keeping, telephone and reception duties, communicate effectively with patients and other medical office staff, and keep an inventory of supplies.

Introduces medical assistant students to laboratory procedures commonly performed by medical assistants in a medical office setting. Students perform Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) waived routine laboratory procedures commonly performed in the ambulatory care setting. Students follow laboratory safety requirements and federal regulations while performing specimen collection and processing, microbiology and urinalysis testing.

Introduces medical assistant students to the clinical procedures performed in the medical office setting. Students perform basic examining room skills including screening, vital signs, patient history, minor surgery and patient preparation for routine and specialty exams in the ambulatory care setting. Learner explores communication principles and psychology theories related to patient care.

Introduces medical assistant students to health insurance and finance in the medical office. Students perform bookkeeping procedures, apply managed care guidelines and complete insurance claim forms.
Students use medical coding and managed care terminology to perform insurance-related duties.

Prepares students to display professionalism and perform within ethical and legal boundaries in the health care setting. Students maintain confidentiality, examine legal aspects of ambulatory healthcare, perform quality improvement procedures, examine legal and bioethical issues, and demonstrate awareness of diversity.

Introduces students to classifying medications into correct drug categories and applying basic pharmacology principles. Students apply basic pharmacodynamics to identifying common medications, medication preparation, and administration of medications used by the major body systems.

Prepares students to perform phlebotomy and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) waived hematology, chemistry, immunology and laboratory procedures commonly performed by medical assistants in the ambulatory care setting.

Prepares medical assistant students to perform patient care skills in the medical office setting. Students perform clinical procedures including administering medications, performing an electrocardiogram, assisting with respiratory testing, coaching patients, and assisting with emergency situations in an ambulatory care setting. Students learn preventive care and principles of nutrition.

Requires medical assistant students to integrate and apply knowledge and skills from all previous medical assistant courses in actual ambulatory health care settings. Learners perform medical assistant administrative, clinical, and laboratory duties under the supervision of trained mentors to effectively transition to the role of a medical assistant. This is a supervised, unpaid, clinical experience. AAMA required Practicum - 160 minimum hours (AAMA minimum) up to 216 hours.