Aligned to meet industry standards and prepare workers to become credentialed, the Medical Assistant Associate Degree Program curriculum covers the concepts, procedures, and processes that are vital to providing quality care to clients.
Associate Degree
Accredited
Estimated completion time per semester:
The estimated completion times per semester are based on completion times for consumer learners enrolled in this program from November 2020 - October 2021, excluding withdrawals. Enterprise Solution rates may be higher but are highly dependent upon implementation choices.
(1 CREDIT)
In this course, your learners will develop the necessary skills to ensure their success in the program. They'll learn how they can improve their study skills, so they're able to use a number of tools that will help them to be successful. This course will also introduce them to healthcare, the healthcare industry in the United States, and the roles that healthcare workers play in that industry.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(1 CREDIT)
Information literacy is a fundamental skill of writing and recording research. In this course, your learners will learn what it means to formulate correct and effective research questions. They'll also learn how to go about conducting and refining that research for any given project.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
Microsoft Office 2016 allows people to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. This course will teach your learners how to use three popular tools from the MS Office Suite— MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint. In this course, they'll learn how to use MS Word 2016 to create and edit text documents, insert figures and tables, and format pages for a variety of uses. They'll then learn how to use MS Excel to organize and format data, including charts, formulas, and more complex tables. Next, they'll learn how to use MS PowerPoint to create and deliver slide shows. Finally, they'll complete a computer applications graded project, which will test the skills acquired in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
This course teaches the skills and techniques of effectively developing, drafting, and revising college-level essays toward a specific purpose and audience: active reading, prewriting strategies, sentence and paragraph structure, thesis statements, varied patterns of development (such as illustration, comparison and contrast, and classification), critical reading toward revision of structure and organization, editing for standard written conventions, and use and documentation of outside sources. Your learners submit two prewriting assignments and three essays (process analysis, comparison and contrast, and argumentation).
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
In this course, your learners will learn how law affects healthcare practitioners, the origin of law that affects medical professionals, the basics of the process of litigation and its alternatives, the common-law basis for the confidentiality of healthcare information, and the laws regulating healthcare information collected and maintained by government agencies.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
Your learners are taking this course because they're most likely interested in pursuing a health and science career, which entails proficiency in communicating with healthcare professionals such as physicians, nurses, or dentists.
As aspiring members of a healthcare team, accurate understanding, pronunciation, and spelling of frequently used medical terms are imperative. The textbook titled Quick and Easy Medical Terminology, 8th Edition, by Peggy C. Leonard will provide basic knowledge and understanding of medical terminologies. Competence in using medical language doesn’t happen instantaneously. A strong medical vocabulary is a product of excellent time management skills and fervent commitment to learning the terminology.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
Personal decision making about nutrition; nutrition science; water; exercise; human growth and aging; safety of the food supply; the global view.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
The anatomy and physiology of the human body is presented as an integrated science. Each major body system is described and analyzed to illustrate normal function as well as pathology. Topics include basic biochemical elements, skin, bone, muscles, the nervous system, the senses, and the endocrine system.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
This course will build on the knowledge your learners gained in completing Anatomy and Physiology 1. After completing this course successfully, they'll have a solid foundation in anatomy and physiology. This course is intended to accompany the textbook, Anatomy & Physiology for Health Professions, An Interactive Journey, Third Edition. Your learners won't rely solely on this course. It’s important to read the textbook. The course emphasizes critical information and explains difficult concepts in the assigned material.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
*Your learners will chose one out of the following Art & Humanities Elective options
(3 CREDITS)
Art Appreciation
In this course, your learners will gain an understanding of artistic media, historical periods and artistic movements, the roles of the artist and the viewer, and the principles of art criticism.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
Music Appreciation
In this course, your learners will understand how to appreciate music and learn about the roles of the composer and the listener, the principles of music theory and instrumentation, musically significant historical periods, and varying styles of music.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
Introduction to Literature
This course will allow your learners to develop their critical thinking skills and broaden your knowledge of the main genres of literature—fiction, poetry, and drama.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
This course provides an introduction to the various methods of organizing material for a professional setting. Your learners will compose business documents using the ABC method such as memos, emails, outlines, reports and proposals, descriptions, and organizing materials. They will also work on honing their grammar skills.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(1 CREDIT)
In this course, your learners will develop more effective personal communication skills to increase their chances for professional success. They'll identify the basic tenets of interpersonal communication, including diction, gesture, tone and facial expression, and practice methods for improving your skills in each area. They'll also improve their listening skills. The course also reviews the standards for professional communication, including making introductions, interviewing, and dressing professionally.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
This course is designed to introduce your learners to major reimbursement systems in the United States. The focus is on prospective payment system, third-party payers, and billing and insurance procedures. The course also covers additional information including prepaid health plans, fee-for-service methodologies, chargemasters, fee schedules, and managed care.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
This course begins with an overview of coding concepts, terms, and procedures. You’ll start by exploring the history of the ICD-10 coding system. You’ll code diagnoses in the ICD-10-CM and use the chapter specific coding guidelines to code diseases and conditions with specific and unique rules. You’ll then practice coding procedures in the ICD-10- PCS, and in the basics of coding with ICD-10.
You’ll also concentrate on procedures and their associated systems. You’ll learn about general coding guidelines for outpatient procedures and physician office coding using CPT, HCPCS Level I, and HCPCS Level II procedure coding.
(3 CREDITS)
This course is designed to help you understand the reimbursement process and the various methodologies involved. You’ll be introduced to billing cycles and how health information technology is used in medical offices, and learn about basic accounting transaction terminology and apply this information to enter patient charges and payments.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
(3 CREDITS)
This course covers biology and behavior, consciousness, memory, thought and language, intelligence, personality and gender, stress, and community influences.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
Algebra is the mathematical language used to interpret and represent patterns in numbers by using variables, expressions, and equations. Algebra is an essential tool used in business, science, and computer technology. Throughout this course, you’ll be introduced to algebraic concepts, along with real-world application problems from a variety of fields. In addition to providing a springboard to the discovery of underlying mathematical properties, these applications illustrate the importance of mathematics in your world.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
Pharmacology, a branch of medical practice and research, is the study of the use and actions of drugs. It is the study of the effects of drugs on the body (and living systems in general), but also the effect of the body’s processes on drugs. The practice of pharmacology depends on knowledge of how drugs act from the organism level to the molecular level. This branch of medicine covers not only the beneficial effects of drugs, but also their adverse, toxic effects. Pharmacology includes knowledge from other science disciplines including biology, chemistry, physiology, and other biomedical subject matter. This course will introduce your learners to the basic concepts of pharmacodynamics (action of drugs on the body) and pharmacokinetics (action of the body on drugs) and will provide a review of drug classes and categories related to their modes of action and the organ system-specific disease classes they’re used to treat.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
This course will provide your learners with the theoretical principles and clinical skills that are essential to working as a medical assistant. These tasks range from greeting patients and getting information from them to administering injectable medication and teaching patients about special procedures and their plan of care. An applied learning approach to the role of the medical assistant is threaded throughout each unit of the textbook. The specific tasks assigned to your learners as a medical assistant depends upon many different factors, including the following:
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
In this course, your learners will learn about assisting doctors and other healthcare professionals within an ambulatory care setting. They'll examine the role of a medical assistant within the major specialty areas and while helping with minor surgical procedures. The course is composed of four teaching modules, and they'll be expected to acquire the knowledge necessary to enable them to satisfactorily perform clinical tasks in a professional manner.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
This course focuses on clinical lab procedures. The first thing to take care of while working in a clinical lab is safety. The spread of infection and diseases can compromise the specimens and the people who work in the labs. As your learners plan on taking the responsibilities associated with the healthcare setting, they must understand that discipline is extremely important to analyze and perform the tasks related to labs. This course will not only provide your learners with tasks to practice your skills in the field, it will also help them understand the effective techniques used to ease the lab processes. Read the lessons carefully and apply the knowledge on completing the tasks assigned in the course to be a successful healthcare professional.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
(3 CREDITS)
The medical assistant externship provides your learners with hands-on training in a primary care clinic, an urgent care clinic, or a medical practice to develop their skills as a medical assistant. Your learners will practice under the direct supervision of a certified medical assistant, nurse, physician assistant, or medical doctor. This externship consists of 160 hours of clinical experience. Your learners are required to complete and submit weekly timesheets signed by their externship preceptor.
By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:
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