Overview

Narrative

Health care continues to be a growth area of our economy. Varied and satisfying employment opportunities exist, even for individuals with a minimum of science education.
Northampton developed its Medical Assistant specialized diploma program in response to requests from physicians who were looking for workers educated in administrative and clinical skills.

Students develop their skills in the academic setting prior to experiencing hands-on clinical instruction in ambulatory care. This program progresses sequentially. In the first semester, students will master the basic theory and skills and then move on to more challenging procedures in the second semester. The program concludes with a capstone clinical externship during the third semester when students will complete volunteer hours in a medical office under the supervision of a clinical preceptor.

The specialized diploma is part of a career ladder that allows successful students to gain employment at the earliest point in the medical assistant career. Students may choose to continue their studies with a full or part-time schedule through direct articulation with other Medical Office Administration programs.

Features

Students will learn clerical skills such as coding and the fundamentals of health care reimbursement. Clinical skills include obtaining patient history, vital sign measurement, medication administration, phlebotomy, lab specimen collection, and ECGs.

Students can elect to attend the program on a part-time or full-time basis however, the Medical Assistant Techniques courses must be taken in sequence and are only offered once each year. This program is offered at the Fowler Southside Center and Monroe Campus.

After completing the program, students are eligible to take the Registered Medical Assistant certification exam through American Medical Technologists to become RMA certified. The program faculty will distribute information about the exam to students at the conclusion of the program.

Career Potential: Medical Assistant in the office of physicians, dentists, podiatrists, urgent care centers, chiropractors, and ambulatory surgical units.