The STCC Medical Assistant program offers a one-plus-one option. All students who are accepted into the Medical Assisting department will enter the Certificate option for the first year. After successful completion of the certificate requirements students will be eligible to enter the workforce and/or transfer to the associate degree program for one additional year. The one-year Certificate of Completion prepares students to perform routine administrative and clinical skills in a variety of health care settings. Administrative responsibilities may include answering telephones, scheduling appointments, maintaining patient records, handling correspondence, billing and bookkeeping. Clinical duties can vary according to state law but typically include activities such as taking medical histories, performing vital signs, preparing and assisting with examinations and procedures, performing venipuncture, recording electrocardiograms and administering injections. Medical Assistants work in variety of settings including physician’s offices, clinics, laboratories and hospitals.
The Medical Assistant program prepares competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains. Medical Assistants are multiskilled health professionals specifically educated to work in ambulatory settings performing administrative and clinical duties. The practice of medical assisting directly influences the public’s health and well-being, and requires a master of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skill requiring both formal education and practical experience that serve as standards for entry into the into the profession.
A supervised, unpaid externship of at least 160 contact hours in an ambulatory setting must be completed. The 3 credit externship component of the program meets beyond the published end of the spring semester and continues to the end of June. Students must be aware that the externship period will require traveling and that they are responsible for their own transportation. Medical Assistant courses are planned in conjunction with the clinical agencies, and may deviate from the college hours. Students will be required to participate in all scheduled laboratory sessions. All students will be required to assume the role of “patient” as well as that of the “medical assistant.”
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). Information can be obtained from Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, 1361 Park Street, Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 210-2350.
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.
Students who complete this program may articulate into the two-year Medical Assistant associate degree program. Graduates of this accredited program are eligible to take the national certification exam administered by the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment and upon successful completion will earn the credentials; CMA-AAMAE. Graduates may also be eligible to take a national certification exam for Phlebotomists.
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Upon successful completion of the requirements for this program, a Certificate of Completion in Medical Assistant will be awarded.
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