The Medical Assisting Program supports the Lower Columbia College Mission by offering students a planned sequence of courses and other learning experiences designed to prepare individuals for employment in medical assisting.
The Medical Assisting Program was established in 1995. Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) has been ongoing since 1997.
We are committed to preparing students to meet the educational requirements for Washington State's MA-C credential, and for national testing at the highest standard.
Note: The entire COP curriculum is included in the AAS curriculum. All graduates will receive the Certificate of Proficiency (COP).
Certificate of Proficiency (COP)
Associate in Applied Science (AAS)
Associate in Applied Science - Transfer (AAS-T)
Make sure to apply for admission to Lower Columbia College before you submit the Medical Assisting Program Application Form.
LCC offers a one-year certificate and a two-year degree in Medical Assisting. Although you can take prerequisites and supportive classes anytime, students apply for the clinical portion of the program in winter quarter (to start in the fall).
The program begins a new cohort of approximately 24 students every year in September.
Complete the application form and mail or hand deliver it to Bev Ylen):
Bev Ylen, Health Programs Coordinator
Lower Columbia College
1600 Maple Street
Longview, WA 98632
This form is also available in a wall pocket outside of the Nursing and Allied Health offices located in the Health & Science Building.
For Medical Assisting Program Information and additional Advising, please contact Vicky Soladey via email: vsoladey@lowercolumbia.edu.
Applicants' transcripts will be scored as shown on the application, and ranked by score. If interviews are necessary (because of a high number of applicants), a representative of the Nursing and Allied Health Department will phone applicants to schedule interviews based on this ranking. Candidates will receive selection results via US Postal Service and must verify acceptance by a predetermined date, or the acceptance will be forfeited and the candidate will lose cohort placement.
Number of Credits (max. 3) x Course Grade = Score
Example: B- in MEDA 120
Support courses eligible for scoring:
Courses taken in the Spring Quarter before you apply to the cohort will not be scored.
Learn more about course grades.
Each of the following classes can be taken before admission to a cohort:
In addition to Tuition & Fees for 70 - 90 credits, the following student expenses are required:
Current CDC guidance to Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines.
Please contact the Nursing & Allied Health Programs office for current information about medical or religious vaccine exemptions and clinical placement.
The Lower Columbia College Nursing and Medical Assisting Programs endorse the Americans with Disabilities Act and in accordance with LCC's Non Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policies, reasonable accommodations may be provided for a student with a disability.
In order to be admitted and to progress in either program, students must be able to meet essential functions with or without accommodation.
Disability and Access Services (DAS) assists qualified students with disabilities by providing accommodations and equal access to academic programs and activities. For detailed information see Disability and Access Services Home.
To be eligible for services, students must have a disability defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and request to be accommodated. Under the ADA and Section 504, a person has a disability if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g. walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, standing, breathing, learning, and working).
Disability and Access Services provides academic accommodations to otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities, who without these accommodations would not be provided equal access, unless these would alter the fundamental requirements of the course or program.
In order to fully evaluate requests for academic accommodations, the DAS Office in most cases, needs documentation of your disability. These guidelines will help you and your professional understand what is needed. incomplete documentation may delay the beginning of service or could cause conditional services to stop.
It is the student's responsibility to provide needed documentation. See Disability-Documentation Guidelines for detailed information.
If a student is denied their request for accommodations, students can appeal to Disability and Access Services which will be explained in a letter to the student. To complete the program or to continue in the program, the student must be able to perform all essential functional abilities either with or without accommodation.
For an appointment with Disability and Access Services contact the Entry Center at (360) 442-2311, Disability and Access Services at (360) 442-2340, or see Disability and Access Services.
Functional abilities relate to the behavioral components of student competence. They are abilities identified by the Nursing Program and Medical Assisting Program as essential for safe patient care and are used as a guide in determining reasonable accommodations.
See Essential Functional Abilities - excerpt from Medical Assisting Handbook
Students must pass a criminal background check and drug screen before beginning medical assisting practicum. Background clearance includes the State of Washington and all other states and counties which the student has lived in for the past seven years.
Because LCC must comply with health care agency requirements, a positive finding or a pending charge in a background check may exclude the student from completing the medical assisting program. Some crimes disqualify a person from giving patient care. Clinical agencies retain the right to refuse placement to students with a history of certain offenses. For additional information, see Disqualifying Crimes.
Please Note:
As healthcare providers have a duty to protect those under their care, vaccination against several communicable diseases, including COVID-19, is a requirement for students admitted to a healthcare program at LCC.
Medical Assisting students must provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 prior to entry to the program. Fully vaccinated is defined by the CDC as 2 weeks following the second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer (3 weeks between doses) or Moderna (4 weeks between doses) vaccines, or 2 weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine. To find a free vaccine near you, visit Vaccine Finder.
Current Medical Assisting students who have begun the program must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to beginning clinical courses.
The following listed items are a requirement to participate in the Medial Assisting Clinical Program. The below expenses are the responsibility of the applicant.
At this time, clinical agencies are recognizing full vaccination in the following ways:
Current CDC guidance toStayUp to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines.
Please contact the Nursing & Allied Health Programs office for current information about medical or religious vaccine exemptions and clinical placement.
The Lower Columbia College Medical Assisting Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
The Medical Assisting Program at Lower Columbia College is known to meet the state education requirements for a Medical Assistant - Certified license in the state of Washington. Lower Columbia College has not determined if the medical assisting program meets the state education requirements of any other state. Those seeking Medical Assistant licensure in any state outside of Washington are advised to contact the state regulatory agency for the state in which this information is needed.
Lower Columbia College Medical Assisting Program
Submitted to Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) 05/10/2024
The Lower Columbia Colleges Medical Assistant program has a five-year exam passage rate of 87% for the years 2018-2022.
|
Year of Graduation |
Total # of persons who took an exam |
# passing CMA (AAMA) exam |
# passing RMA (AMT) exam |
# passing NCMA (NCCT) exam |
# passing CCMA (NHA) exam |
# passing CMAC (AMCA) exam |
# who passed more than one exam |
Exam passage rate % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 54 | 38 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
87% |
| 2022 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
88% |
| 2021 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
100% |
| 2020 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
70% |
| 2019 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
83% |
| 2018 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
93% |
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