Information on this page is intended to accompany information featured in the Medical Assisting program planners. To access program planners for the Medical Assisting Certificate of Proficiency (COP), or Associate of Applied Science (AAS)/ Associate of Applied Science Transfer (AAS-T) degrees please see Health Science & Wellness Programs and select the 'Medical Assisting' tab.
Program information and resources
Getting Started
If you have not applied to Lower Columbia College and completed your prerequisite requirements for the Medical Assisting Program see how to get started on your Medical Assisting journey, click the button below:
Cohort
The program begins a new cohort of approximately 24 students every year in September.
Applications
Applications and related information are available on the Application Forms page.
The same documents are also available in a wall pocket outside of the Nursing and Allied Health offices located in the Health & Science Building.
Required completion before program admission
The following courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher to be considered for admission to the Fall Quarter Medical Assisting Cohort:
- AH 114: Health Care Communication Skills, 2 credits, prerequisite: ENGL 099 (or placement into ENGL& 101) or concurrent enrollment in I-BEST academic
 support or PSYC 200, 2 credits
- ENGL& 101: English Composition I, 5 credits or BUS 119: Business Communications, 5 credits
- Prerequisite: College level reading and writing skills or completion of ENGL 099, 5 credits, with a grade of C or better
You can be working on your prerequisites at the time of application.
Taking Classes before Admission to a Fall Cohort
In addition to the prerequisites shown above, each of the following classes can be taken before admission to a cohort:
- AH 100: Bloodborne Pathogens, 1 credit
- MATH 105: Math for Health Sciences, 5 credits (or other MATH 100 or higher, 5 credits)
- MEDA 101: Medical Vocabulary I, 3 credits (strongly recommended) or
BTEC 181: Medical Terminology I, 3 credits - MEDA 102: Medical Vocabulary II, 3 credits (strongly recommended) or
BTEC 182: Medical Terminology II, 3 credits - MEDA 120: Survey of Human Anatomy & Physiology, 5 credits or
BIOL 241: Human A&P 1, 5 credits and BIOL 242, Human A&P 2, 5 credits - MEDA 122: Law & Ethics for the Medical Office, 3 credits
- BTEC 171/172/173 (This sequence must be started with 171 in the fall.)
- BTEC 171: Medical Reception Procedures, 3 credits
- BTEC 172: Medical Office Procedures, 3 credits
- BTEC 173: Computers in the Medical Office, 3 credits
- CS 110: Microcomputer Applications, 3 credits
- PSYC& 100: General Psychology, 5 credits or
BUS 144: Management of Human Relations:DIV, 5 credits
If you plan to complete an AAS degree, there are additional requirements that may be completed before cohort admission:
- Diversity course (5 credits)
- Natural Sciences or Humanities course (5 credits)
- ENGL& 102 (5 credits) or CMST& 220 (5 credits), ENGL& 101 is a prerequisite for ENGL& 102; BUS 119 does not count as a prerequisite
- Electives (5 credits)
Program Orientation & Advising:
For Medical Assisting Program information and advising, please contact Vicky Soladey via email: vsoladey@lowercolumbia.edu.
Medical Assisting Program: A Brief Overview
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.
Medical Assisting Handbook
In-depth information on the Medical Assisting Program, including:
- Medical Assisting Program: History, Mission, and Outcomes
- Miscellaneous Information and Application Process
- Medical Assisting Course Descriptions and Sequence
- Medical Assisting Program Polices
- Social Media Policy
- Clinical Course Policies and Requirements
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
Vicky Soladey
Program Director and Academic Advisor for all Pre-MEDA and MEDA students
vsoladey@lowercolumbia.edu
(360) 442-2878
Bev Ylen
Program Coordinator
bylen@lowercolumbia.edu
(360) 442-2860
All graduates will receive the Certificate of Proficiency (COP). Some students will elect to work on the Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS) also, which is an additional 20 credits. The entire COP curriculum is included in the AAS curriculum. View the COP and AAS options on the Medical Assisting Programs page:
Clinical requirements
Students must pass a criminal background check and drug screen before beginning medical assisting coursework. Background clearance includes the State of Washington and all other states and counties which the student has lived in for the past seven years.
Disqualifying Crimes
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.
- Selected immunizations
- Social Security card
- Criminal background check
- Two (2) step tuberculin (TB) skin test, Quantiferon Gold blood test, or chest x-ray (with previous reaction to skin test)
- 2 MMR vaccination or titers for Rubella, Mumps, Rubella showing immunity
- Hepatitis B vaccination series and titer
- 2 Varicella vaccinations or titer for varicella showing immunity
- Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccination (adult) within 10 years (TDAP)
- Drug screen
- Current Healthcare Provider CPR certification (American Heart Association)
- Current First Aid certification
- Bloodborne Pathogens Certificate
- Personal liability insurance and/or health insurance (depending on clinical agency policies).
- Vaccination against COVID-19
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At this time, clinical agencies are recognizing full vaccination in the following ways:
- Completing a 2-dose original monovalent series, such as the Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax series, or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine. All monovalent options will be accepted if they were received in the past, but are no longer currently authorized for use by the FDA. On April 18, 2023, the FDA no longer authorized the monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 series, and on May 17, 2023, the Janssen monovalent vaccine expired and is no longer available in the US.
- If not previously vaccinated with one of the above, the current updated bivalent vaccine will be required (Pfizer or Moderna).
- This requirement may vary between healthcare organizations. For instance, some agencies may require the updated bivalent vaccine in addition to the original monovalent series.
Current CDC guidance to StayUp 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.
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