2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Nov 21, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Allied Health Education – Medical Assistant Certificate


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Degrees and Certificates by Type

Program Description Medical Assistants are valuable members of the healthcare  team, combining clinical training and administrative skills to support good patient outcomes in a variety of settings including medical clinics, physician offices and hospital outpatient areas. The Medical Assistant program will prepare students with the necessary patient and clinical care skills, diagnostic testing skills, and administrative skills to support patients and other medical professionals in the delivery of medical care. 

Developed under the standards and guidelines of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP), the Medical Assisting Certificate program is 3 quarters in length with a minimum of 44 credits for completion. Graduates will be eligible to apply for the Medical Assistant - Certification credential through the Washington State Department of Health.

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

Program Requirement (44 credits)


OUTCOMES:

On completion of the program as outlined, the student will be able to: 

  1. Perform entry level medical assisting clinical, diagnostic, and office administrative procedures competently and safely within their scope of practice.
  2. Effectively engage in written and oral communication as demonstrated through charting and communication with patients from different age groups, cultures and other health professionals.
  3. Demonstrate the knowledge and practice of appropriate behavior in the workplace related to medical law, healthcare ethics and professionals in the context of the role of a medical assistant.
  4. Apply appropriate protective practices for the Medical Assistant including aseptic technique, infection control, environmental safety techniques and basic elements of emergency planning.

*See Program Requirement Notes

Program Notes


The program code for this certificate is MLAMAC20 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.

  • Students with limited computer skills are encouraged to consider taking HCA 129 - PC Basics.
  • BSTEC 104 is an acceptable course substitute for HCA 104, BSTEC 115 is an acceptable course substitution for HCA 115 and BSTEC 153 is an acceptable course substitute for HCA 153. 
  • Participation in externship classes requires documentation of current vaccinations, TB status, and criminal background status prior to registering for those classes. Students are advised that clinical placement may be denied if vaccination records, and CPR are not current or if there is a criminal history that the facility considers unacceptable.
  • All students will be required to set up an account with CastleBranch (www.castlebranch.com, package code “EE78”) to store vaccination documentation and complete a criminal background check for a fee.
  • Students may be placed in a Clinical Placements Northwest (CPNW) consortium site, which requires an extra fee.
  • Students may be required to complete additional facility-specific onboarding documents. Failure to do so may result in denial of clinical placement.

The advisors for this program are:
Cathy Dominguez | cathy.dominguez@edmonds.edu | 425.640.1242
Elizabeth Patterson | elizabeth.patterson@edmonds.edu | 425.640.1061
Terri Glazewski | terri.glazewski@edmonds.edu | 425.640.1691

Department website: Allied Health | www.edmonds.edu/ahe

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 College. 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.edmonds.edu/ccn for more information.

College Resources

Internal Coding


PLAN/STACK - MLAMAC20
TC – 44
CIP 510801
Last Revised Date: 2024/03/05

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Degrees and Certificates by Type