Paralegal - Medical Paralegal Certificate

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PGM Code – 586D

Program Description The Paralegal Program is an American Bar Association approved program designed to train students for careers as paralegals (legal assistants) in law firms, corporate legal departments, and agencies. Paralegals work under the supervision of attorneys to provide non-clerical professional support in the delivery of legal services to clients and the community. Paralegals are not licensed to practice law.

The Medical Paralegal Certificate is designed to provide the paralegal education and skills necessary for students with a medical background to expand their careers into the legal arena. These students will graduate with a certificate that recognizes that they also have a degree or diploma in Nursing. Students will learn substantive law and procedural practices relating to medical-legal issues. This program is designed to allow the graduates to meet the needs of that sector of the business community which requires expertise in medical as well as legal issues, including law firms, hospitals, insurance companies, consulting firms, government agencies, and health care systems. The successful graduate will be able to bring specialized medical training and experience to the legal field, particularly in litigation-related practice, and will be able to apply legal knowledge and skills to health-care related occupations such as risk management.

A Bachelor’s Degree or an Associate of Arts and Sciences Transfer Degree will meet all general education and liberal arts requirements of the Paralegal Program. Other Associate degree or Diploma academic records must be reviewed by a faculty adviser to establish the equivalency of 60 non-legal college quarter credits, 30 of which must be liberal arts credits, including ENGL& 101 and either CMST& 101 , 210 or 220 with courses selected from at least three different discipline areas. These credits also may be completed at Edmonds Community College to meet the overall credit requirements.

Computer Skills and Traditional/On-Campus Course Requirement To graduate from the program, all students are required to obtain and demonstrate certain minimum computer skills and take 15 paralegal credits in traditional, on campus (face-to-face) courses. Students must have the Paralegal Program Computer Skills and Traditional/On-Campus Course(s) Verification form signed by their adviser and submitted to the Enrollment Services prior to or at the time of applying for graduation.

Common Course Numbering Please refer to www.edcc.edu/ccn for more information.

Credit/Grade Requirements This certificate requires successful completion of a minimum of 30 credits as outlined. A minimum of 15 legal credits must be earned in traditional, on-campus classroom instruction. Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all college level courses and must have a minimum 2.0 grade in LEGAL 200, 205, and 210.

Transfer of Credits A nursing degree or diploma is required for graduation. Up to 10 paralegal credits can be transferred into this certificate program with faculty approval. Transfer of legal credits will be allowed only from other ABA-approved paralegal programs. Any paralegal course transfer approval must be in writing and signed by your Paralegal Program faculty adviser. A Bachelor’s degree or an Associate of Arts/Science degree will satisfy all non-paralegal requirements, including ENGL 101 .

Students Are Advised To

Plan their schedule several quarters in advance in order to accommodate courses that are offered only once or twice a year,
Review the college catalog for required course prerequisites and include these in schedule planning, and
Communicate with a faculty adviser.

Graduation Application A completed Graduation Application form must be submitted to Enrollment Services by the 10th day of the quarter in which the student expects to graduate. Forms are available online or at Enrollment Services located in Lynnwood Hall. Note applications for summer quarter are due by the 8th day of the quarter.

Gainful Employment
Gainful employment information is available for this program.

Advising Note

This program requirement sheet is not a substitute for meeting with an academic adviser. Meeting the requirements to graduate with an Edmonds Community College certificate or degree is ultimately the responsibility of the student.

I. Program Requirements (30 credits)

LEGAL 200 - Introduction to Law and the Legal Process:CD 5.0 Credits
LEGAL 205 - Civil Procedure 5.0 Credits
LEGAL 210 - Legal Research 5.0 Credits
LEGAL 224 - Medical Paralegal Law 5.0 Credits

Additional Requirements (select 10 credits)

LEGAL 225 - Litigation Practice and Procedure 5.0 Credits
LEGAL 226 - Torts - Personal Injuries and Liability 5.0 Credits
LEGAL 230 - Interviewing and Investigation Techniques 5.0 Credits

Additional Note

Although not required, and credit may not be applied toward Medical Paralegal Certificate, students may want to consider supplementing their required paralegal courses with an internship or some of the following electives also offered by the paralegal program: LEGAL 222 - Alternative Dispute Resolution , LEGAL 265 - Consumer Protection , LEGAL 291 - Legal Internship , or LEGAL 296 - Legal Seminars (seminars on topics such as ethics, elder law, or law office technology).

Program Requirements Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Program Learning Requirements for this degree, students will be able to:

Demonstrate and apply legal knowledge and practical skills necessary to perform substantive legal work under the direction of an attorney.
Identify and apply the procedural rules and practical skills necessary to perform tasks, under the direction of an attorney, in preparation of judicial, administrative and alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
Demonstrate the ability to use a variety of print and electronic resources to research and update primary and secondary legal authority.
Apply effective writing, speaking and listening skills to work collaboratively with others involved in the delivery of legal services to the public.
Prepare legal correspondence, legal memoranda, transactional and operative documents, and litigation-related documents in appropriate format and tone to effectively communicate the necessary information.
Demonstrate the ability to use computers and technology necessary to perform paralegal tasks.
Demonstrate an awareness of legal ethics, the Rules of Professional Conduct, the role of paralegals in the delivery of legal services to the public, and how social, economic, cultural and ethnic factors affect equal access to the justice system.
Demonstrate awareness of medical ethics, medical terminology, and the role of paralegals in accessing medical records.

II. Degree and Nursing Requirements

choose two:

Associates Degree OR

Bachelor Degree AND

Registered Nurse

Name of College | University:
R.N. Diploma Program:

Date Earned | Major:

Paralegal Adviser Review: 60 non-legal credit equivalency, including 30 liberal arts credits

Requirement Met:______________________________________________________

Signatures

____________________________________________________________
Adviser’s Signature and Date

____________________________________________________________
Dean’s Signature and Date

Eff: summer 2012 | Rev: 06/12