Medical Assistant Program Course Description

This course covers the role of the medical assistant, including professionalism, duties and responsibilities, and working within various medical specialties.

Also covered in this course are communication skills, medical law and ethics, medical office management, and compliance and regulatory issues affecting the role of the Medical Assistant.

This course provides an overview to the anatomical structures and physiology of the human body. Each body system is discussed in terms of the major anatomical structures and function including how each system participates in homeostasis of the body.

In addition, the course discusses selected major pathologies, including disease definitions and causes, signs and symptoms, diagnostic procedures, and possible treatments. Finally, the course discusses common issues and changes that occur in each body system through the life span.

Additionally, this course covers medical terminology, symbols and abbreviations, and the application of this new language in the field of health care. While terms are covered as they relate to body structure and function, the main focus is on medical vocabulary and being able to construct terms using word parts such as roots, suffixes, and prefixes.

This course focuses on the knowledge and skills surrounding medical insurance policies and processes for the medical assistant.

The topics include medical insurance basics, insurance claim submissions, and medical billing and coding.

This course covers skills and knowledge required for the medical assistant to identify and practice clinical medical assistant duties in the medical office.

Topics include, but are not limited to assisting with minor surgery, physical and medical specialty exams; clinical laboratory testing procedures; radiology; electrocardiology and pulmonary function testing; and physical therapy and rehabilitation.

This course covers the skills and knowledge required to perform administrative tasks in the administrative department of a medical office.

Topics include, but are not limited to, receiving patients, scheduling appointments, patient triage, handling medical records, and processing insurance claims.

This course introduces general aspects of pharmacology, including terminology, concepts, and clinical applications.

The content presented in this course prepares students to effectively demonstrate an understanding of pharmacology, mathematical procedures, and drug administration.

Additionally, this course covers the skills and knowledge that are required by the medical assistant in order to provide patient education as well as learn to follow safety measures in the medical office environment.

This course covers concepts and information required for the medical assistant to obtain and successfully participate in a professional practice experience or externship related to medical assisting duties in the medical office or hospital environment.