Mar 29, 2024  
2016-17 Academic Catalog 
    
2016-17 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Medical Assistant - MAST.AS


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The STCC Medical Assistant program offers a one-plus-one program option. All students who are accepted into the Medical Assisting department will enter the Certificate option for the first year. This certificate offers on-campus classroom lectures, laboratory and simulation experiences. The curriculum is designed to teach students to assist in and perform administrative and clinical procedures in varied health care agencies.  Students will be required to participate in all scheduled laboratory sessions and assume the role of “patient” as well as that of Medical Assistant. In addition, Certificate students will be required to participate in 160 hours of a supervised and unpaid practicum.  The practicum for the Certificate option extends beyond the traditional academic calendar year and may deviate from the college hours. After successful completion of the Certificate requirements students will be eligible to enter the workforce, sit for the national certification exam offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants and/or transfer to the Associate degree program for one additional year. The Associate level provides the student with additional general education and program specific coursework and154 hours of supervised, unpaid clinical and administrative experiences. The additional affiliation time affords the students the opportunity to further expand and develop their entry-level competencies and apply theoretical knowledge. Students will be introduced to the responsibilities and duties of an office manager. In addition, students will be given the opportunity to explore ambulatory health care specialties such as pediatrics, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology. This will assist students to formulate career preferences and prepare for management positions in ambulatory health care settings. 

Professional Medical Assistants perform administrative duties such as word processing, recordkeeping, billing, electronic medical records and scheduling procedures. Clinical responsibilities include assisting the physician with patient care, performing electrocardiograms, assisting with physical examinations, performing phlebotomy, obtaining and processing specimens.  Graduates are qualified to accept positions in medical offices, clinics, health maintenance organizations, insurance companies, hospitals, ambulatory care centers, or any other area where their broad basic skills are needed.

Students graduating from the Medical Assisting Certificate Program at Springfield Technical Community College are satisfied with education they received, as there is an average 98% graduate satisfaction over the past five years.

 

Upon successful completion of requirements for this program, the degree of Associate in Science in Medical Assistant from STCC will be awarded.

Accreditation


Springfield Technical Community College’s Medical Assistant Certificate program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education programs (www.caahep.org) upon recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). 

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs
25400 US Highway 19 North, Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
727-210-2350
www.caahep.org

Program Goals


  1. Provide students with the most current, state of the art technology, equipment and supplies to best prepare them to meet the demands of the health care field.
  2. Prepare students to communicate effectively and work as part of a health care team in a professional, legal and ethical manner.
  3. Prepare graduates to find employment and to meet or exceed employer expectations of an entry level Medical Assistant.
  4. Provide the community and employers with an adequate number of qualified and credentialed graduates to meet the demands of the health care field.
  5. Prepare students to successfully pass the national credentialing exams, namely the CMA (AAMA),or RMA.
  6. Educate and encourage students/graduates to participate in their professional organization, seek and participate in continuing education opportunities and promote the career of Medical Assisting.  
  7. To foster an atmosphere of professionalism and competence as our students develop their professional values.

Applying to this Program


  • Students interested in Medical Assisting must apply to the Medical Assisting Certificate program first, the deadline for the Certificate program is March 1.
  • All applicants for the Associate degree program must successfully complete the STCC Medical Assistant Certificate program prior to applying to the Associate degree.
  • All applications for consideration for acceptance into the Associate program should be received by the Admissions Office no later than June 1 of the application year.

Applying for Re-Admission to this Program


Students who leave this health program before completing it may apply for re-admission.  Students reapplying to the program must resubmit an application, all supporting documents and essay with updated official transcripts. Click here  for information about the re-admission policy and process. 

Additional Requirements for Accepted Students


Deposit: If offered admission, a non-refundable $50.00 deposit will be required to secure your acceptance to this Program.

Mandatory Health Records:  All required health records, immunizations, and physicals MUST be filed in the STCC Health Services office by July 1 of the admission year. The Health Office is located in the Building 20 Suite, room 320 (third floor center) (413-755-4230). The college/program reserves the right to rescind the admission status of any student not meeting, as well as not submitting, all post-admission requirements in a timely manner. 

Background Check: Students enrolled in Health Professions Programs that involves  potentially unsupervised contact with children, the disabled, or the elderly, or which includes a clinical affiliation, internship, or field placement with a private or public health care provider, will be required to undergo state-wide and/or national criminal background checks, including but not limited to  Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and Sex Offender Record Information (SORI), Seven (7) year residential Search, and FBI Fingerprinting checks. Depending on the results of the background checks, a student may be deemed ineligible to participate in such academic or clinical activities, which may impact a student’s ability to complete program requirements. Furthermore, please be advised that eligibility to participate in College academic and/or clinical activities following a background check does not guarantee your eligibility to sit for a professional credentialing examination(s) or employment upon graduation.  It is your responsibility to contact the certification or licensure board for your particular health care profession to determine  the standards that must be met for credentialing, licensing and/or employment  in that field.

Drug Screening Policy for Clinical Placement: The School of Health & Patient Simulation is committed to high quality education and providing excellent clinical experiences to students in the health professions. Students are expected to perform at their highest functional level during all educational and clinical experiences in order to maximize the learning environment and ensure patient safety. Thus a student’s performance at all times must be free of any impairment caused by prescription or non-prescribed drugs or alcohol use. Students enrolling in Health Professions programs are required to undergo and pass a drug and/or alcohol screening analysis in order to be eligible for placement in a clinical facility. Students assigned to clinical education experiences at our contracted facilities may also be required to undergo and pass random drug screening analysis in order to remain at that clinical facility and in the program.  Students who fail a screening, or refuse to submit to a screening within the designated time frame will be ineligible for clinical placement, which will affect their status in the program. Students with a positive drug test may challenge the results of the test within five (5) days of notification of the drug test results. This challenge must be in writing and delivered to the college’s Director of Health Services. Students may re-apply for re-entry into a health program after one year.  Requests for re-admission will be considered on a case by case basis.

Students who are notified of a “negative-dilute” result will submit to a random drug test within 24 hours of the previous test in order to confirm the negative status of the screening. Additional random testing may also be required under the guidelines listed in your program’s handbook. A student who claims that he/she tested positive due to a prescription drug and was unable to clarify this matter with the medical review officer (MRO) from the drug testing lab shall be required to provide evidence from a health care provider of the type of prescription, dates of permissible use and dosage amounts within five (5) days of notification of the drug test results to the college’s Director of Health Services. Failure to complete this notification will result in the student being ineligible for clinical placement, which will affect their status in the program.

Students who test positive for marijuana are unable to continue in a clinical placement, which will affect their status in the health program. A student who has a prescription for Medical Marijuana and tests positive for marijuana will also be ineligible to participate in clinical placement due to the federal restriction on the use of marijuana. While the use of Medical Marijuana is permitted in Massachusetts, marijuana remains classified as a controlled substance under federal law and its use, possession, and/or cultivation at educational institutions remains prohibited.

Programmatic Technical Standards: Technical Standards reflect performance abilities that are necessary for a student to successfully complete the requirements of a specified program. Students with disabilities must be able to meet the technical standards of the program with reasonable accommodations as defined by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA.)  See the link below. Program Technical Standard forms found in your admission acceptance packet must be submitted to the Office of Health Services by July 1. Health Services office is located in building 20,  room 320 (413 755-4230)

Health Program Latex Policy  

Program Requirements and Advancement


  • Minimum Grade Requirements: To continue in the progression of courses offered in the Medical Assistant program, a student must obtain a grade of “C” (73%) or better in all courses. Students not meeting the minimum grade requirement of “C” (73%) will be withdrawn from the program.
  • Program Length and Hours: It should be noted that the clinical experience is scheduled during the first semester and may fall outside of traditonal school hours.
  • Programmatic Technical Standards: Students with disabilities must be able to meet the technical standards of the program with reasonable accommodations as defined by the ADA.”   Click on the link below for full program specific policy information.
  • Students must adhere to the strict attendance policy in lecture, lab and practicum in order to graduate.

(MAST.AS) Associate Degree Curriculum


Total (MAST.AS) Curriculum Program Credits: 60


Notes:


  1. MED-106 /MED-105   must be taken concurrently.
  2. MED-107 /MED-108  must be taken concurrently.
  3. This is a 7-week course consisting of 3 hours of lecture and 36 hours of clinical each week.

Department Personnel


Name Title Office Phone Email
Karolyn Ryan Associate Professor/Department Chair 20/302A 413-755-4951 kryan@stcc.edu
Robyn Ledwith Assistant Professor/Practicum Coordinator 20/302K 413-755-4871 RALedwith@stcc.edu
Shana Perez Instructor 20/302P 413-755-4975 scperez@stcc.edu

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