Medical Assisting

Introduces pharmacological terminology, symbols, abbreviations, spelling, and pronunciation of medications. Covers drug names, classifications, and commonly used medications in medical offices, including their usage, actions, dosages, adverse reactions, contraindications, and routes of administration.

This course together with AH151 is designed to enable Allied Health students to build a foundation for an understanding of the human body. For anyone planning to work in the healthcare field, this class will be the background to a deeper understanding about yourself, as well as your patients. Human Anatomy and Physiology encompasses the structure and function of selected organ systems and systems of the human body. The focus of this course is on the organization of the human body, the chemistry of human life, various bodily tissues, the integumentary system, the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system (including sensory organs) and the endocrine system.

This class will provide a comprehensive look at legal and ethical issues faced by the healthcare professional on a day-to-day, real-life basis. By providing critical thinking exercises, real-life scenarios, discussion, references for further investigation, and up-to-date terminology, this class will allow the healthcare professional to better handle the legal and ethical decisions that arise while managing their professions.

Using a clear and concise word-building approach will guide the student step-by-step through the parts of the medical words. Learning the roots, prefixes, suffixes and combining forms will allow the student to break down medical words for understanding instead of using memorization.

This course introduces the electronic health records as well as administration of the medical office; reception (answering the telephone, scheduling appointments and referrals), patient records and insurance, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) compliance in the medical office, and basic keyboarding.

This course together with AH111 is designed to enable Allied Health students to build a foundation for an understanding of the human body. For anyone planning to work in the healthcare field, this class will be the background to a deeper understanding about yourself, as well as your patients. Human Anatomy and Physiology encompasses the structure and function of selected organ systems and systems of the human body. The focus of this course is on the cardiovascular, lymphatic/immune, respiratory, urinary, digestive, human microbiome, and reproductive systems, as well as pregnancy and human development.

Using a clear and concise word-building approach will guide you, the student, step-by-step through the parts of the medical words. Learning the roots, prefixes, suffixes and combining forms will allow you to break down medical words for understanding instead of using memorization.

This course includes basic information about common medical conditions, human diseases, and the disease process. Emphasis will be placed on indicative symptomatology, patient assessment, and case management – including diagnostics, treatments, prognosis, the client teaching required and implementing those teachings in a way that validates the patient’s understanding of their illness and treatment plan. Course content includes major conditions organized by body system and works in conjunction with AH151 to deepen students’ understanding of how healthy anatomy and physiology can be disrupted by a variety of diseases and disorders. ICD-10-CM coding systems are briefly discussed, and codes are listed in the textbook for each disease, which reinforces the importance of coding for reimbursement and research.

This course introduces the student medical assistant to both theory and practical applications of the Medical Assistant profession, business communications, written communications, front office responsibilities, vital signs, height/weight, Snellen vision screening, interviewing the patient, positioning the patient for examinations, electrocardiography, capillary punctures, infection control, autoclaving instruments.

This course introduces the student medical assistant to the distinct types of correspondence used in the medical office and identifies when each is used, and components of a business letter, personal letter, chart note, and history and physical. The students will learn to compose these documents using electronic technology. Students will learn to recognize elements of fundamental writing skills, including spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and capitalization.

This course builds on the techniques and skills the student medical assistant has previously learned. Advancing the student to learn specimen collection and processing, Phlebotomy, Diagnostic testing, preparing for and assisting with minor surgeries performed in the clinical office, perform urinalysis, and occult stool sample, administration of medications (injections) as well as Professional-Level CPR.
Students must come to campus to test their psychomotor competencies at the end of this class. Competency weekend consists of 4 days (Thursday through Sunday).

Professional Development is a course designed to enhance the skills of allied health students in the areas of verbal communication, nonverbal communication, barriers to effective communication, oral communication, self-boundaries, adaptive and non-adaptive coping mechanisms, subjective and objective information, resume building, interview skills, and diversity (cultural, social, and ethnic). This course will also introduce students to key elements of leadership and personal management. The information provided is designed to guide the student into making good choices in communicating and interacting with patients, coworkers, and providers.

An extension of the classroom through 160 hours of hands-on experience in a doctor’s office, clinic, or other healthcare setting. This externship is unpaid for the entirety of the 160 hours.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of all previous courses in the Core Curriculum, including cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains.