Associate in Applied Science (AAS)

Medical Assisting

About The Program

Students develop knowledge and skills necessary for employment in clinical and administrative-support areas of medical clinics. See Learning Outcomes for details.

The Lower Columbia College Medical Assisting Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). This assures the highest standards in a medical assisting curriculum and qualifies the successful graduate to sit for the national Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam administered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

For a roadmap that identifies the preferred sequencing of courses and other specific recommendations from faculty, please see the corresponding program map(s):

Medical Assisting - AAS

Degree Requirements

Communications:

10 credits - **ENGL& 101 English Composition I AND ENGL& 102 Composition II OR CMST& 220 Public Speaking.
Quantitative Skills:

5 credits – MATH 105 Math for Health Sciences OR Any College Level Math.
Human Relations / Social Science:

5 credits – PSYC& 100 General Psychology (counts for Human Relations and Social Science) OR BUS 144 Management of Human Relations:DIV (counts for Human Relations, Social Science, and Diversity).
Natural Science/ Humanities:

5 credits from the Distribution List.
Diversity:

5 credits - From the Diversity Course List. Diversity courses are listed in the quarterly schedule and identified by ‘DIV’ attached to the course title. Example: ART& 100 Art Appreciation:DIV.
Strongly Advised:

MEDA 205 Certification Review for Medical Assisting, 2 cr.
Electives:

5-6 credits – choose courses numbered 100 or above from the Distribution List OR HLTH OR PHED (up to 5 cr) OR AH 166.

Program Requirements

AH 114 OR PSYC& 200	Healthcare Communication Skills OR Lifespan Psychology	2 OR 5
CS 110 OR BTEC 145	Intro to Microcomputer Apps OR Introduction to MS Word	3 OR 5
BTEC 171	Medical Reception Procedures	3
BTEC 172	Medical Office Procedure	3
BTEC 173	Computers in the Medical Office	3
MEDA 101 OR BTEC 181	Medical Vocabulary I OR Medical Terminology I	3
MEDA 102 OR BTEC 182	Medical Vocabulary II OR Medical Terminology II	3
MEDA 120 OR BIOL& 241 AND BIOL& 242	Survey of Human A & P OR Human A & P 1 AND 2	5 OR 10
MEDA 122 OR BTEC 164 AND MEDA 298	Law & Ethics for the Medical Office OR Medical Office Law & Ethics AND Special Topics in Medical Assisting	3 OR 2 AND 1
MEDA 145	Medical Laboratory Techniques	6
MEDA 161*	Exam Room Procedures I	4
MEDA 162*	Exam Room Procedures II	4
MEDA 165	Medications in Medical Assisting & Diseases	5
MEDA 190	Medical Assisting to Preceptorship	6
MEDA 195	Medical Assisting Seminar	1

Diversity and Distribution Lists are available in the Lower Columbia College Catalog located at lowercolumbia.edu/catalog.

Total minimum credits required to earn this degree: 90. For any course to count toward this degree, a grade of C or better is required.

**NOTE: AH 114 OR PSYC& 200, and ENGL& 101, all with a grade of C or better must be completed before MEDA 161.

*MEDA 161 or MEDA 162 fulfill the Health requirement.

Students completing this program should acquire the following skills and abilities:

Demonstrate critical thinking by applying objective, valid methods of inquiry and problem-solving to draw rational, ethical and coherent conclusions in medical assisting practice.
Process and utilize quantitative data in professional medical assisting practice.
Communicate effectively in professional medical assisting practice.
Incorporate professional interpersonal skills and caring behaviors in medical assisting practice.
Demonstrate competencies in the following domains, according to CAAHEP accreditation standards, for employment as a medical assistant in clinical and administrative-support areas of ambulatory health-care settings:
- cognitive (knowledge)
- psychomotor (performance)
- affective (attitude and behavior)
Be prepared for the national certification exam sponsored by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).
Be prepared for state credentialing as a "Medical Assistant-Certified" according to educational requirements in the law relating to Medical Assistants, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1515.

Revised October 2022 (Effective Summer 2023)

Notes:

*MEDA Program Director permission required to enroll.

To comply with health care agency requirements, students must provide documentation of the following before MEDA 190: Current first aid card, current healthcare provider CPR, negative urine drug screen (must be within 30 days of beginning MEDA 190), all required immunizations or titers, current TB test or chest Xray, a criminal and fraud background check.

This advice for program planning is based on the information available at the time of preparation. It is always advisable to check with your LCC advisor and with the LCC catalog for LCC graduation requirements.