Information regarding the hybrid Medical Assisting program can be found by clicking on Medical Assistant Specialist, Certificate (Orlando) or Medical Assisting, Certificate (Knoxville, Asheville, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Nashville, Pittsburgh).
Online Delivery
The Medical Assisting online curriculum is designed for completion in 2 quarters (full-time) that covers a wide range of topics including medical insurance and coding, clinical laboratory procedures, patient care, and administrative office procedures to ensure students gain a strong foundation in essential medical assistant skills needed to excel as a vital member of any healthcare team. The online delivery utilizes interactive learning modules, virtual labs, and simulations that replicate real-world medical scenarios, allowing students to develop through virtual patient interactions, which mimic the actual medical assistant role.
Program Learning Outcomes (Online)
- Prepare competent entry-level Medical Assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains;
- Produce graduates that have the competence to perform in entry-level positions as a Certified Medical Assistant within the community;
- Prepare graduates that can successfully become employed within the community health care market.
Goals for the program include:
- Establish a firm base of knowledge in medical science and medical office routines which provides entry-level competencies in the fundamental concepts and theories applicable to medical assisting practices and procedures. (Cognitive)
- Engender the development of skills in clerical/administrative, clinical, and laboratory/technical areas pertinent to entry-level competencies of a medical assistant and the needs of the community and employment market. (Psychomotor)
- Foster the growth of students into competent medical assisting professionals who will demonstrate superior principles of legal, ethical, and moral integrity. (Affective)
- Expect and provide for the continued professional development of the medical assisting faculty to assure excellence in the program’s curriculum.
Program Requirements (Online)
All students admitted in the Medical Assisting program must recognize that various occupational hazards exist in the medical laboratory and the clinical setting. All Medical Assisting students are responsible for understanding health requirements and general safety procedures and precautions.
Students will be required, during the course of the program, to demonstrate their physical and/or emotional fitness to meet the essential requirements of the program. These requirements include maintaining a state of good health, achieving a comprehensive knowledge base (cognitive ability), achieving procedural proficiency (psychomotor skills), and demonstrating suitable behavioral and emotional fitness (affective domain). Any appraisal measures used to determine such physical and/or emotional fitness will be in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990.
All major courses must be completed with a grade of C or better within 2 attempts. Readmission to the program is limited to one-time on a space available basis.
Upon successful completion of the curriculum (16 quarter credit hours) for the certificate and satisfaction of all graduation requirements, the student is awarded the Certificate in Medical Assisting and is eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination administered through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
Students enrolled in the MA Online Certificate program cannot transfer to the Medical Assisting, Certificate program offered at the ground campuses because of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) accreditation requirements. Students completing the MA Online Certificate cannot choose to continue and complete the Associate of Science in Medical Assisting program at the ground campuses.
Certification Credential
Although no state licensure exists for medical assistants, students graduating from the South College Medical Assisting program are qualified to sit for national certification. All campus locations/modalities utilize the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Clinical Medical Assistant Certification (CCMA) as part of the program tuition.
Graduates are qualified to sit for certification through the specific organizations below, based on the graduating campus location;
Campus locations: Knoxville, Asheville, Atlanta, Indianapolis, or Nashville program graduates (CAAHEP accredited program locations)
- American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) | Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)
- American Medical Technologists (AMT) | Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)
Campus locations/modalities: Online, Orlando, and all other campus locations listed above.
- National Healthcareer Association (NHA) | Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
- National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) | National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA)
- American Medical Certification Association (AMCA) | Clinical Medical Assistant Certification (CMAC)
Specific information regarding certification will be provided to the student in the MAS 1300 Medical Assisting Exam Preparation course.
The following curriculum for the Certificate in Medical Assisting program is offered Online.
