Medical Assistant

Medical Assistant

Technical Diploma

Medical assistants work primarily in physician offices or ambulatory care clinics. The medical assistant is trained in all aspects of the medical office, including clinical, laboratory, and administrative procedures. Responsibilities might include obtaining a health history, preparing the patient for physical examination, assisting with the exam, assisting with minor surgery, performing routine CLIA-waived tests, disinfecting, and sterilizing instruments. Other responsibilities may include managing the office, arranging and confirming appointments, registering patients, maintaining treatment records, sending bills, receiving payments, filing insurance forms, handling the mail, and maintaining inventory.

Program Outline

Term 1
Course # Course Title Credits
3150110100 Medical Terminology
Description

Focuses on the component parts of medical terms: prefixes, suffixes and word roots. You will 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.

3.00
3150930100 Medical Asst Admin Procedures
Description

Introduces Medical Assistant students to office management and business administration 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. Students apply introductory medical coding skills and managed care terminology.

2.00
3150930200 Human Body in Health and Disease
Description

Introduces students to basic anatomy and physiology of the human body. Focuses on wellness and disease prevention. Students identify diseases that are frequently first diagnosed and treated in the medical office setting. Students learn to recognize the causes, signs, and symptoms of diseases of the major body systems as well as the diagnostic procedures, usual treatment, prognosis, and prevention of common diseases. Prerequisite: 1050110100 Medical Terminology (C or better) (concurrent enrollment allowed).

3.00
3150930300 Medical Asst Lab Procedures 1
Description

Introduces Medical Assistant students to laboratory procedures commonly performed in a medical office setting. Students perform routine laboratory procedures commonly performed in the ambulatory care setting under the supervision of a physician. Students follow laboratory safety requirements and federal regulations while performing specimen collection and processing, microbiology, and urinalysis testing.

2.00
3150930400 Medical Asst Clin Procedures 1
Description

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. Prerequisite: 3150930200 Human Body in Health and Disease (C or better) (concurrent enrollment allowed).

4.00
3180130400 Applied Communications Writing
Description

Focuses on writing skills related to employment. Students write and edit letters, resumes, memos, and brief reports.

2.00
Term 2
Course # Course Title Credits
3150130800 Pharmacology for Allied Health
Description

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. Prerequisite: 3150930200 Human Body in Health and Disease (C or better) or 1080617700 General Anatomy and Physiology (C or better).

2.00
3150930500 Med Asst Lab Procedures 2
Description

Prepares students to perform laboratory procedures commonly performed in the ambulatory care setting under the supervision of a physician. Students perform phlebotomy, immunology, hematology, and chemistry laboratory procedures. Prerequisite: 3150930300 Medical Asst Lab Procedures 1 (C or better).

2.00
3150930600 Med Asst Clin Procedures 2
Description

Prepares Medical Assistant students to perform patient care skills in the medical office setting. Students perform clinical procedures including administering medications, assisting with minor surgery, performing an electrocardiogram, assisting with respiratory testing, educating patients/community, and maintaining clinical equipment in an ambulatory care setting. Prerequisites: 3150930400 Medical Asst Clin Procedures 1 (C or better) and 3150930300 Medical Asst Lab Procedures 1 (C or better).

3.00
3150930700 Medical Office Insurance and Finance
Description

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. Prerequisites: 1050110700 Digital Literacy for Healthcare (C or better) and 3150930100 Medical Asst Admin Procedures (C or better).

2.00
3150930900 Medical Law Ethics and Professionalism
Description

Prepares students to display professionalism and perform within ethical and legal boundaries in the health care setting. Students maintain confidentiality, examine legal aspects of the medical records, perform risk management procedures, and examine legal and bioethical issues.

2.00
3150931000 Medical Assistant Practicum
Description

Requires Medical Assistant students to integrate and apply knowledge and skills from all previous Medical Assistant courses in actual patient care settings. Learners perform administrative, clinical, and laboratory duties under the supervision of trained mentors to effectively transition to the role of a medical assistant. 200 hours of clinical practicum is required. Prerequisites: (1050110400 Culture of Healthcare (C or better) or 1080119500 Written Communication (C or better)) and 3150930500 Med Asst Lab Procedures 2 (C or better) (concurrent enrollment allowed) and 3150930600 Med Asst Clin Procedures 2 (C or better) (concurrent enrollment allowed) and 3150930700 Medical Office Insurance and Finance (C or better) (concurrent enrollment allowed) and 3150930900 Medical Law Ethics and Professionalism (C or better) (concurrent enrollment allowed).

3.00
3180130500 Applied Communication Listening Speaking
Description

Emphasizes effective listening and speaking skills required for job performance and satisfaction. Those skills include interviewing for a job, communicating in the work place, and securing a job promotion.

2.00

At A Glance

How You'll Learn

A highly flexible, comprehensive program offering open labs five days/nights per week. With theory based content online you can focus on skills practice and assessment during your lab time. Exams are scheduled and taken at the Assessment Center to simulate the National Certification exam taken to become a CMA (AAMA).

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On Campus

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OnLine

Start Date

  Fall 2023: September 5  

Enroll full-time or part-time to complete this degree. Contact the Welcome Center at 715-365-4493 for more information.

Program Tuition*

$5,208

Books & Supplies*

$380

*Total cost for degree completion is estimated by current course requirements, books, and supplies. Tuition and fees are set by the Wisconsin Technical College System and subject to change.

Financial Aid Eligible

What You'll Learn

  • Perform medical office administrative functions
  • Provide patient care in accordance with regulations, policies, laws, and patient rights
  • Perform medical laboratory procedures
  • Demonstrate professionalism in a healthcare setting
  • Demonstrate safety and emergency practices in a healthcare setting

Your Potential Careers

  • Medical Office Assistant
  • Laboratory Assistant
  • Medical /Surgical Office Assis
  • Phlebotomist
  • Optometric Assistant
  • Podiatric Assistant
  • Pharmacy Assistant
  • Chiropractic Assistant

Median Annual Salary

$40,994 $38,026 $37,082
Local State National

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Get Started

Your application can be submitted online, it takes just a few minutes to complete.

Additional Program Admission Requirements

  • Acceptable Caregiver Background Check
  • Physical examination and specified health requirements including immunization status.

Accreditation

The Nicolet Area Technical College Medical Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), 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
Fax:  727-210-2354

To prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.

Students graduating from the Medical Assisting program at Nicolet College are satisfied with the education that they receive at Nicolet College, as there is an average 100% graduate satisfaction rate over the past five years.
 
Employers hiring medical assistant graduates from Nicolet College are satisfied with the education that the graduates receive at Nicolet College, as there is an average 100% employer satisfaction rate over the past five years.

The 2019 American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) National Certification Examination pass rate of the Technical Diploma Medical Assisting program at Nicolet College, Rhinelander, WI was 100%, based on the most recent Annual Report Form submitted to the Medical Assisting Education Review board (MAERB).

The medical assisting program at Nicolet College has a retention rate of 90.48% for the admission cohort(s) that entered in 2020, and there are a number of support services available to students so that they can successfully complete the program.

Students will work directly under the supervision of licensed health care professionals.

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    Gainful Employment Disclosure

    This program is designed to be completed in 1 year.
     
    This program will cost $5,111.00 if completed within normal time. There may be additional costs for living expenses. These costs were accurate at the time of posting, but may have changed.
     
    Of the students who completed this program within normal time, the typical graduate leaves with $5,444.00 of debt.
     
    Program meets licensure requirements in the following States: Wisconsin
     
    For more information about graduation rates, loan repayment rates, and post-enrollment earnings about this institution and other postsecondary institutions please click here: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/search/?name=Nicolet%20Area%20Technical%20College&sort=salary:desc