2016-2017 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Paralegal - Medical Paralegal Certificate
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Program Description The Paralegal Program is approved by the American Bar Association and is designed to train students for a career as a paralegal (legal assistant) in law firms, governmental agencies, public service organizations, and corporate legal departments. 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. This certificate requires successful completion of a minimum of 35 credits as outlined. The Medical Paralegal Certificate is designed to provide paralegal education and skills training for students with a nursing degree or diploma background to expand their careers into the legal arena. Students will learn substantive law and legal procedures related to medical legal issues. This program allows graduates to meet the needs of the business community that require proficiency in medical and legal issues, including law firms, hospitals, insurance companies, consulting firms, government agencies, and healthcare organizations. To graduate with the certificate, students must have already earned, or will earn while enrolled in this program, a Bachelor’s or Associate’s Degree, plus a Registered Nurse degree or diploma.
| Advising Note This program requirement sheet is not a substitute for meeting with an academic advisor. Meeting the requirements to graduate with an Edmonds CC certificate or degree is ultimately the responsibility of the student. |
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Program Requirements (25 credits)
OUTCOMES: - 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.
- Career Management: Demonstrate the ability to research employment opportunities, prepare an effective employment package, and present oneself positively in a job interview.
Program Electives (10 credits minimum)
*See Program Electives Notes Program Notes
The program code for this certificate is 586D. For financial aid, advising, and other reasons, students should work with their advisor to ensure that this code is properly recorded on their academic record.
- Technology Skills Requirement As an American Bar Association approved program, students must demonstrate sufficient technology skills prior to graduation. This requirement is met by completing LEGAL 228 with a minimum grade of 2.0. Alternatively, students may seek wavier of LEGAL 228 by demonstrating existing competency to a faculty advisor.
- Transfer of Credits 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 transfer degree (DTA) will satisfy all non-paralegal requirements, including ENGL& 101.
- BA or AA/AS Degree plus Registered Nursing (RN) Requirement To graduate with the certificate, students must have already earned, or will earn while enrolled in this program, a Bachelor’s or Associate’s Degree, plus a Registered Nurse degree or diploma. This requirement will be verified by a credential evaluator. Official transcripts will be accepted in a sealed envelope if hand-carried, or via mail directly from the recording college sent to: ATTN: Transcript Evaluation, Edmonds Community College, 20000 68th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036. Students should make this request at least one quarter in advance; they will be notified of the results by email and via the GATE system. A Bachelor’s degree or an Associate of Arts/Sciences transfer degree (DTA) will meet all general education and liberal arts requirements of this Medical Paralegal Certificate program. Other associate degree or diploma academic records must be reviewed by a faculty advisor 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 two different discipline areas. These credits also may be completed at Edmonds CC to meet the overall credit requirements.
Degree and Nursing Requirements (choose two)
 Associate’s Degree OR
Bachelor’s Degree AND
Registered Nurse
Name of College | University:
RN Diploma Program:
Date Earned | Major:
Paralegal Advisor Review: 60 non-legal credit equivalency, including 30 liberal arts credits
 Requirement Met (Signature): _______________________________
- On-Campus Requirement As an American Bar Association approved program, students must complete a minimum of 15 legal credits in traditional, on-campus courses at Edmonds Community College. All on-campus legal courses count toward this requirement, except LEGAL 291 and LEGAL 299. Online courses do not count toward this requirement. A five (5) credit hybrid course counts as four (4) on-campus credits, and a three (3) credit hybrid course counts as two (2) on-campus credits. This requirement will be verified by an online form via the GATE system
On-Campus Course Taken: _____________________________ Credits: ______
On-Campus Course Taken: _____________________________ Credits: ______
On-Campus Course Taken: _____________________________ Credits: ______
*Program Electives Notes
- Although not required, and while credit may not be applied toward the Medical Paralegal Certificate, students may want to consider supplementing their required coursework with a Legal Internship (LEGAL 291) or some of the following electives offered by the paralegal program: LEGAL 214 (Legal Ethics), LEGAL 222 (Alternative Dispute Resolution), LEGAL 240 (Contracts), LEGAL 290 (Job Placement Strategies), LEGAL 292 (Paralegal Success Skills), LEGAL 295 (Advanced Legal Research and Writing), or LEGAL 296 (Legal Seminars on varied topics).
The advisors for this program are:
Scott Haddock | scott.haddock@edcc.edu | 425.640.1185
Daniel White | daniel.white@edcc.edu | 425.640.1552
Theresa Pouley | theresa.pouley@edcc.edu | 425.640.1688
Department website:
Paralegal | www.edcc.edu/legal
Certificate General Information
Credit/Grade Requirements A minimum of 30 credits or one-third of the required college-level (100-level or above) credits, whichever is less, must be earned at Edmonds CC. Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all college-level courses.
Program of Study Outcomes Student achievement is assessed in the general and program specific outcomes via the courses and course objectives that align with those outcomes. More information about program outcomes and course objectives can be found on the Using Program Requirement Sheets page.
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 an academic advisor and/or a faculty advisor.
Graduation Application A completed Graduation Application form must be submitted online by the 10th day of the quarter in which the student expects to graduate. Note: Applications for summer quarter are due by the 8th day of the quarter.
Common Course Numbering Please refer to www.edcc.edu/ccn for more information.
College Resources
Gainful Employment Information may be available for this program.
Signatures
| Dean’s Signature and Date |
Advisor’s Signature and Date |
| Eff: Summer 2016 |
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Internal Coding
EPC - 586D
TC - 35
CIP - 220302
Last revised - 2016/03/04 |
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