Medical Assistant Program

Medical Assistant Administrative (Front Office)

This course provides students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for successful entry into the front office position in a medical clinic, health care agency, or physician’s office as a medical assistant. Administrative duties include welcoming patients, maintaining medical records, scheduling appointments, and bookkeeping.

Prerequisite: Must be 18 years or older and speak, read and write English.  Applicants must pass the reading and math assessments. Intermediate computer literacy skills are required. The applicant must be able to type 25 WPM or more. Free typing test available at OAS by appointment. 

Medical Assistant Clinical (Back Office)   

This course provides students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for a successful entry into the back office position in a medical clinic, health care agency, or physician’s office as a medical assistant. Clinical duties include recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, assisting the physician during an exam and administering medications as directed.

Prerequisite: Must be 18 years or older and speak, read and write English.  Applicants must pass the reading and math assessments.  A physical exam with (proof of Hepatitis B, Tdap immunizations, and proof of negative TB Test) is required, at the student’s expense, and is due by the third week of class.

*Orientation will be on January 19th in room S-129 from 6-8:30 PM.

Medical Terminology 

Learn the language of medicine. This course is an introduction to medical terminology in an easy and straightforward manner. Lessons include how to build medical terms and how these terms relate to different body systems. Learn basic anatomy and physiology as you develop your list of terms. This course is exactly what you need to begin your medical career, improve your knowledge for your current job, or develop the vocabulary you need to communicate with doctors or other medical professionals. This course is strongly recommended for students planning to sit for the California Certified Medical Assistant Exam.

Medical Assistant Externship –  Please contact Valeria Balderrama for the Spring 2023 Schedule. 

This valuable class will give you experience working as an extern in the medical field. The first two weeks will be in the classroom and online; the next 10 weeks will be assigned to an externship site.  The externship provides supervised directed practice in a physician’s office or medical clinic and meets California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants certification examination requirements. This experience will emphasize the development of medical front-office and clinical back-office skills with consideration for ethical and legal concepts.  After completing this class, the student will be prepared for an entry-level position in the medical field with basic job skills and professional experience. 

Prerequisites: To be eligible to intern a student must have successfully completed both Medical Assistant Administrative (front office) and Medical Assistant Clinical (back office).  Also, completion or concurrent enrollment in Medical Terminology is strongly recommended for students preparing for the optional California Certified Medical Exam*. Students must have a current CPR card, TB clearance, Hep B series, current immunizations and flu vaccines prior to clinical training. 

*CERTIFICATION FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANTS
The State of California does not require that medical assistants be certified. However, most employers are requiring proof of certification, especially if they are using electronic health records systems. It is highly recommended that all medical assistants obtain certification. Certification is available through the California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants or the National Center for Competency Testing. More information is available at www.ccbma.org or www.ncctinc.com.