Medical Assisting Certificate
This program is available at the Springfield - Leffel Lane and Xenia locations.Medical assistants perform clinical and administrative tasks in physicians and other health practitioners' offices and outpatient facilities. Specific duties vary from office to office depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner's specialty. Administrative duties include answering telephones, greeting patients, scheduling appointments and laboratory services, updating and filing patients' medical records, filling out insurance forms, and handling billing and bookkeeping. Clinical duties include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining procedures to patients, preparing patients for and assisting the physician during examinations, collecting and preparing laboratory specimens, sterilizing medical instruments, instructing patients on medications and special diets, preparing and administering medications as directed by a physician, drawing blood, taking electrocardiograms, removing sutures, and changing dressings.
The primary goal of the Medical Assisting Certificate program is to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession. Completion of this certificate will provide the student with the administrative and clinical skills needed for entry-level positions as a medical assistant. Students may fully apply this one-year certificate toward the completion of the Medical Assisting Associate Degree.
Embedded Certificates
This certificate program contains one or more embedded short-term certificates, which will automatically be awarded if the certificate requirements are met unless students contact Records and Registration and indicate they do not wish to have the certificate credential awarded.
Technical Standards & Occupational Risks
All students accepted into the Medical Assisting program must be able to perform the essential functions of the medical assistant with or without reasonable accommodations, as well as be aware of the occupational risks associated with the medical assisting profession. These essential functions, and occupational risks are linked to this program page on the College's web site and are also provided to students via the Medical Assisting Student Handbook. Students are required to sign a form indicating they have reviewed these requirements and submit it to the Medical Assisting Program Coordinator when they enter the program.
Liability Insurance
Students will be billed for liability insurance for the directed practice courses.
Certification
The Clark State Medical Assistant Certificate program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs/9355-113th St. N, #7709/Seminole, FL 33775/Telephone: 727-210-2350
Graduates of the certificate program successfully meet the eligibility criteria to apply for the national certification process through the American Association of Medical Assistants or another nationally recognized certification credential.
Student/Graduate Outcomes
The Medical Assisting Certificate Program at Clark State College has a five-year average of 94% for job placement for the years 2018-2022, and an exam passage rate of 100% for the 2021 graduates. Clark State provides support services to faciliate the successful completion of the program. Graduates and the employers who hire these graduates of the Medical Assisting Certificate Program at Clark State report a satisfaction rate of 100% for the past five years.
Explore CareersOutcomes and Curriculum
Upon completion of the Medical Assisting Certificate, a graduate will be able to:
- Communicate effectively with patients, families, and members of the health care team.
- Obtain vital signs
- Perform, assist, and follow-up on diagnostic tests and procedures.
- Instruct patients regarding health maintenance and disease prevention.
- Apply legal and ethical concepts.
- Apply basic billing, collection, insurance, coding, and manage care guidelines needed to maintain office bookkeeping.
- Perform clerical functions necessary to maintain medical office appointments, transcription, and medical records.
- Collect, transport, and process specimens.
Academic Requirements
Students must petition online (apply) for admission to the program. To be eligible to petition to the Medical Assisting program, students must meet the following academic requirements:
- Reading: Appropriate score on reading placement test (ACCUPLACER, ACT, or SAT) or completion of college preparatory reading (ENG 0980with a C or higher). Students are excused from reading placement tests if they have obtained a C or higher in a college-level English composition course or an appropriate recent high school senior English grade in accordance with College policy.
- Writing: Appropriate score on writing placement test (ACCUPLACER, ACT, or SAT) or completion of college preparatory writing, (ENG 0980 with a grade of C or higher). Students are excused from writing placement tests if they have obtained a C or higher in a college-level English composition course or an appropriate recent high school senior English grade in accordance with College policy.
- Math: Appropriate scores on math/algebra placement tests (ACCUPLACER, ACT, or SAT) or completion of MTH 0500 with a grade of C or higher within the past ten years. Students are excused from math/algebra placement tests if they have obtained a C or better in a college-level math course within the past ten years or an apprpriate recent high school Algebra II grade in accordance with college policy
- Grade point average (GPA): A minimum cumulative Clark State transcript GPA of 2.0 (college preparatory courses are not included in the transcript GPA) as well as a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the courses in the Medical Assisting curriculum.
Students who have met the petition requirements and submitted a petition are eligible to start the the Medical Assisting program's technical (MAS) courses. Students must contact the Medical Assisting Program Coordinator for academic advising and approval to enroll in the MAS courses. Students must maintain an overall C or 2.0 grade point average (GPA) for the courses in the Medical Assisting curriculum in order to be enrolled in MAS courses.
In order to progress through the program, students must maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 and a grade of C or better in BIO 1105 and all MAS and MST courses. Admitted students who drop out must complete and submit a request for reinstatement into the MAS courses. Students must have an overall GPA of 2.0 and may be required to retake technical courses that are more than one to two years old to be considered for reinstatement.
Health and Directed Practice Requirements
All Medical Assisting certificate students will complete 200 hours of supervised directed practice the final semester of the program.
All Medical Assisting students must meet health requirements, obtain a criminal background check, and have current Basic Life Support (BLS)/professional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification prior to entering the directed practice course. Other requirements may be necessary depending on clinical site placement.
Graduation Requirements
Student must pass all the required courses, have a Clark State cumulative transcript grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (college preparatory courses are not included) and have a C as a minimum grade in BIO 1105 and all MAS and MST courses.
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Kathy Harris Assistant Professor, Health Technologies