Medical Assisting, A.A.S. (A45400)

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Students who have successfully completed the one-year Medical Assisting diploma are encouraged to continue their education by completing the Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science degree. The Medical Assisting associate degree completion program is designed for Medical Assistants who desire an associate degree for career advancement or transfer purposes. After completion of the forty-eight credit hours required for the diploma, students pursing an associate degree will need to complete course work in the following areas: English, Student Success, Psychology, Humanities, Medical Assisting, and Biology.

The Medical Assisting curriculum prepares multi-skilled health care professionals qualified to perform administrative, clinical, and laboratory procedures.

Course work includes instruction in scheduling appointments, coding and processing insurance accounts, billing, collections, computer operations; assisting with examinations/treatments, performing routine laboratory procedures, electrocardiography, supervised medication administration; and ethical/legal issues associated with patient care.

Graduates of CAAHEP-accredited medical assisting programs may be eligible to sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants’ Certification Examination to become Certified Medical Assistants. Employment opportunities include physicians’ offices, health maintenance organizations, health departments, and hospitals.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates will:

Plan community health projects to encourage and enhance community health and wellness.
Plan, develop, and conduct patient education activities.
Function in the role of patient advocate to assist patients, survivors, and caregivers within the health care system.
Participate in and coordinate networking opportunities within the health care community.

Admission Information

Students applying for admission to this program MUST meet all Gaston College admission requirements for General Admission to the College. In addition, students will need to demonstrate college readiness for English and math as exhibited through the college placement test, a placement test waiver, or completion of the acceptable coursework. Your academic advisor will be able to assist you in determining your college readiness.

For students interested in applying to this program at Gaston College, please note that there is limited enrollment and participates in a selective admission criteria process to select the most qualified applicants for admission. Students will need to make an appointment with their Admissions Specialist/Advisor in order to review admission requirements and to verify if the student has met selective admission criteria in order to submit an application by the deadline. Students interested in participating in the selective admission process for this program can find additional information and program admission requirements under the subheading “limited enrollment/selective admission” in the College Catalog.

Prerequisite Courses

Total Credit Hours: 45

Required Courses

ACA 122 College Transfer Success (1 Credit Hour)
BIO 168 Anatomy and Physiology I (4 Credit Hours)
BIO 169 Anatomy and Physiology II (4 Credit Hours)
ENG 112 Writing/Research in the Disc (3 Credit Hours)
MED 276 Patient Education (2 Credit Hours)
PSY 150 General Psychology (3 Credit Hours)
Humanities/Fine Arts Elective (3 Credit Hours)

Total Credit Hours: 20

Humanities/Fine Arts Electives

Select one (1) course from the following: