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.
Our Mission
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.
Programs Offered
Medical Assisting
Certificate of Proficiency (COP)
Program Map(s) for this program
Medical Assisting
Associate in Applied Science (AAS)
Program Map(s) for this program
Medical Assisting for LCC BAS-OLTM
Associate in Applied Science - Transfer (AAS-T)
Program Map(s) for this program
Not a current LCC student?
Make sure to apply for admission to Lower Columbia College before you submit the Medical Assisting Program Application Form.
Apply to the Medical Assisting Program (cohort)
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
Health & Science Building (HSB) #202
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.
Program Admission Requirements
- See the program Degree Requirements for program admission prerequites
- Minimum cumulative grade point of C (2.0) or above
Application Selection Process
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.
Scoring Method for Prerequisite & Support Courses
Number of Credits (max. 3) x Course Grade = Score
Example: B- in MEDA 120
- B- is equivalent to 2.7
- MEDA 120 is 5 credits, apply a maximum of 3
- 2.7 x 3 = 8.1 points
Support courses eligible for scoring:
- MEDA 101 (or BTEC 181)
- MEDA 102 (or BTEC 182)
- MEDA 120 (or average of BIOL 241/242 grades)
- MEDA 122 (or average of BTEC 154 & MEDA 298 grades)
- BTEC 171
- BTEC 172
- CS 110 (or BTEC 145)
- PSYC& 100 (or BUS 144)
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:
- HEALTH 105 First Aid, CPR and Bloodborne Pathogens, (1 credit) or
HEALTH 100: Occupational Safety and Health, (3 credits) - 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
The following student expenses are required for all Medical Assisting programs:
- Uniforms $189
- Required equipment (BP cuff, stethoscope, watch) $121
- LCC Name Pin $19
- Background screening $70
- AHA BLS for the Healthcare Provider $100
- First Aid Certification $37
- Proof of Immunization $642
(based on LCOH pricing without insurance) - Urine Drug Screen $46
See Clinical Requirements for details. Please review the Important Notes section below.
Medical Assisting COP Costs
- 76 credits Tuition & Fees: $11,044
- Books: $1,840
- Student expenses (detailed above): $1,224
Grand Total: $14,108
Medical Assisting AAS Costs
- 91 credits Tuition & Fees: $12,144
- Books: $2,164
- Student expenses (detailed above): $1,224
Grand Total: $15,532
Medical Assisting AAS-T Costs
- 91 credits Tuition & Fees: $12,243
- Books: $2,356
- Student expenses (detailed above): $1,224
Grand Total: $15,532
Important notes:
- All costs are estimates and based on program maps (see: https://lowercolumbia.edu/program-maps/health/).
- There may be additional expenses.
- Cost of preparatory and support courses, including CPR/First Aid certification for the healthcare provider are not included in this total.
- Students may take preparatory and prerequisite courses prior to official program admission
- Clinical Clearance Fees (drug screen, immunizations, etc.) will be required before April 1 of the cohort year. Background check and drug screen are not to be completed before May 1 of the cohort year.
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 Nursing and Medical Assisting Handbook
The following listed items are a requirement to participate in the Medial Assisting Clinical Program. The below expenses are the responsibility of the applicant.
- Criminal background check
- Vaccinations
- Social Security card
Background Check
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
the student has lived in for the past seven years.
Vaccinations
- 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*
COVID-19 Vaccination
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.
*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 beaccepted 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 currentupdated bivalent vaccinewill 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.