(Also see Basic Nurse Assistant Training, Nursing, and Person-Centered Elder Support)
The Medical Assistant Certificate prepares students for careers in a medical office or ambulatory care setting. The medical assistant performs a variety of administrative and clinical skills to assist physicians or other health professionals. Students will learn skills in accordance with the standards and guidelines recommended by the Medical Assistant Education Review Board. Upon successful completion of the program, the graduate is eligible to take a national certification exam.
Admission Requirements:
- High school graduation or High School Equivalency Certificate 1.
- Overall GPA of 2.0 or better.
- Placement in EGL 090 or EGL 097 or higher
- Placement in MAT 060 or higher
- Limited Enrollment Health Career Reading Assessment test, taken at Oakton’s Testing Center, with a minimum score of 250. Please contact a health career specialist for more information.
- Foreign high school graduates or students with foreign college credits need to send English translated copies of their transcripts to Education Perspectives, www.edperspective.org/oakton. Students with foreign college credit should request a catalog match.
This is a limited enrollment program. For more information, contact the health career specialist at 847.635.1844.
Health Career curricula are governed by specific objectives, rules and regulations formulated by the College, accrediting bodies and participating clinical facilities. Students should familiarize themselves with these standards. Students should also be aware that failure to maintain satisfactory progress in technical courses may significantly delay completion of the curriculum or may result in the student being dropped from the curriculum. Each student’s right to participation in the clinical portion of the curriculum is also contingent upon compliance with the rules of the clinical facility. The clinical facility has sole discretion to determine when its rules have been violated.
Clinical placements require a health assessment, certain immunizations, yearly vaccines, substance abuse testing, criminal background check, specific skill certification (i.e., CPR/BLS) and health insurance. The requirements represent an additional cost to the student.
All Oakton College Health Career students in a program with a clinical component must have “clear” criminal background checks and drug screens in order to participate in any and all clinical components of any health career program courses.
To comply with state statutes and clinical affiliation agreements, and to provide a safe environment for students, employees, and patients cared for by students, those accepted into Oakton’s health career programs will be required to complete a criminal background check and drug screening through a company contracted by the College. Health Career students will be charged a fee for this service.
Timelines for completing criminal background checks and drug screens may vary among the various programs. Deadline dates for each program will be provided by the individual department chairs at the time of a student’s acceptance into a health career program.
Students without a clear criminal background check and/or clear drug screen will not be allowed to enroll in clinical practicum courses or attend clinical programs. This would further necessitate that the student withdraws from the health career program at that time.
Students who refuse a criminal background check and/or drug screen will not be considered “clear” and will not be authorized to participate in the clinical component of the health career program, necessitating withdrawal from the program at that time. Individual results of student background checks and drug screens are considered confidential.
Determination of whether or not a student can participate in the clinical component of a particular health career program will be communicated to the respective department chairs by the Background Check/Drug Screen vendor. Students may view their personal results on the vendor’s website.
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As of January 1, 2023, the High School Equivalency Certificate became the State of Illinois High School Diploma. High School Equivalency credentials received prior to that date remain valid.
Medical Assistant Certificate
17 Semester Credit Hours; Curriculum: 0329
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses for a Certificate | ||
| HIT 104 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| MAP 120 | Basic Healthcare Skills For The Medical Assistant | 2 |
| MAP 180 | Healthcare Office Procedures for the Medical Assistant | 3 |
| MAP 230 | Clinical Skills for the Medical Assistant | 6 |
| MAP 260 | Medical Assistant Practicum | 3 |
| Total Hours | 17 | |
Medical Assistant Certificate Pathway
The following pathway is recommended for students pursuing the Medical Assistant Certificate.
For more information on recommended courses or program specific advising, contact the Health Career Specialist at 847.635.1266 or the Division of Health Careers at 847.635.1684.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester One | Hours | |
| HIT 104 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| MAP 120 | Basic Healthcare Skills For The Medical Assistant | 2 |
| MAP 230 | Clinical Skills for the Medical Assistant | 6 |
| Hours | 11 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| MAP 180 | Healthcare Office Procedures for the Medical Assistant | 3 |
| MAP 260 | Medical Assistant Practicum | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 17 | |
Program Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate entry-level clinical and administrative skills based on the recommended standards and guidelines of the Medical Assistant Education Review Board (MAERB).
- Practice legal and ethical standards within the scope of a medical assistant.
- Model professionalism and cultural sensitivity when interacting with patients, staff and healthcare providers.
- Apply principles of effective communication when interacting with patients, staff and healthcare providers.
- Employ time management and prioritization skills in an ambulatory healthcare setting.
- Compose electronic health record documents following legal guidelines and using appropriate terminology.
- Utilize standards and best practices for office accounting and insurance billing in an ambulatory healthcare setting.
- Be eligible to apply for and take a national certification exam.
Medical Assistant Courses
Course introduces basic techniques and knowledge required to perform fundamental healthcare skills. Topics to include infection control, hand hygiene, vital signs, body mechanics, patient transfers, and oxygen therapy. Professional communication to obtain health history/ patient information and medical documentation will also be included.
Fee: $25
Course introduces the Medical Assistant student to administrative and general healthcare office functions. Topics included are patient reception, appointment scheduling, clerical functions and bookkeeping procedures, phone etiquette, professional communication and correspondence, preparation and maintenance of medical records and an EHR, confidentiality, and cultural sensitivity in client interactions.
Fee: $25
Course concentrates on application of guidelines and requirements for accurate medical diagnosis and procedure coding for medical office along with efficient and compliant healthcare claims filing. Course provides instruction in insurance processing procedures in the medical office as well as bookkeeping, collection, banking, and financial procedures vital to medical office.
Fee: $10
Course combines lecture and clinical skill instruction for the medical assistant student. Emphasis is on practical application of all clinical aspects in the medical/ healthcare office setting. Topics will include patient assessment and documentation, medical and surgical asepsis, assisting with minor office procedures, performing an EKG, injections, specialty office and first aid procedures. Includes an observational clinical rotation at a health care office/ ambulatory facility.
Fee: $75
Course provides the Medical Assistant student 160 supervised hours of unpaid externship at an affiliated clinical site. Emphasis will be on achieving competency of entry-level administrative and clinical skills in a healthcare office setting.