What can I do with this?
The Clinical Medical Assisting Certificate
- Prepares students for the State Exam for Medical Assistants (CCBMA).
- Provides the students with the opportunity to develop the necessary clinical skills needed to be an effective medical assistant.
- Focuses on the physician's back office including patient assessment, physician's laboratory, and medication administration.
You can use this to:
- Enhance career opportunities as a Medical Assistant
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical Assisting is one of the nation's fastest growing careers with an expected growth of 34% between 2012 and 2018. Approximately 62 percent of medical assistants work in physician offices; 13 percent work in public and private hospitals including inpatient and outpatient facilities; 11 percent work in other health practitioner settings, such as chiropractor's and optometrist's offices.
What will I learn?
- Research online and traditional reference materials effectively to stay informed about emerging trends and breakthroughs in healthcare issues related to the medical assistant's clinical role.
- Perform Clinical Medical Assisting procedures competently, such as OSHA standards, electronic technologies, and medical records.
- Achieve entry level Clinical Medical Assisting competencies, such as verbal communication, medical and surgical aseptic technique, and physical assessments which satisfy industry needs.
- Identify State of California regulations that govern the healthcare industry for Medical Assistants.
What courses do I take?
Note: Some courses within the major may have a required prerequisite. If you feel you have equivalent knowledge and skills to those included in the prerequisite course through professional experience, licensure, or certification, you have the opportunity to submit a Prerequisite Challenge to be reviewed by the faculty chair. For the Prerequisite Challenge to be considered, you must submit documentation/verification to substantiate the basis for the challenge. Please consult a counselor for more information regarding Prerequisite Challenge.
Complete all of the following courses:
Medical Assisting Core Courses
9 hours lecture/27 hours laboratory. This course is designed for those with little or no computer experience. Learners practice file management, email, instant messaging, and Internet browsing and searching. This course includes a brief introduction to industry standard word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation application programs. Computer terminology and identification of fundamental hardware and software applications are also introduced. (Formerly CSCI C070.)
Advisory: ENGL C101
36 hours lecture. This course is designed to prepare the student to recognize human behaviors and communicate effectively with clients and other healthcare providers in the workplace. Topics include verbal and non-verbal communication techniques, listening skills, therapeutic communication skills, and communicating with other healthcare providers. This course meets the competency standards for Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants (CCBMA) certification.
Advisory: ENGL C101
27 hours lecture. This course is designed to explore the theories, models, and principles that serve as guides for ethical behavior within the medical assistant context. The student explores the complexities of the ethical and legal aspects of patient care related to the medical assistant's practice, while learning the importance of principled behavior in personal and professional situations.
Advisory: ENGL C101
27 hours lecture. This course covers concepts and techniques for managing and maintaining manual and electronic health records (EHR). Topics include structure and use of health information including data collection and analysis, data sources/sets, archival systems, and quality and integrity of health care data. The focus of this course is system-wide clinical documentation guidelines and regulatory standards.
54 hours lecture. This course is designed to familiarize the student with the language of medicine. The components of medical terminology are highly beneficial for any individual with a healthcare employment objective. The course presents the components of medical works including word roots, combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes. Using medical terminology as a focal point, the instructor discusses the systems of the body.
Clinical Medical Assisting
Prerequisite: HCRS C150, HCRS C130, HCRS C131, HCRS C132
45 hours lecture/27 hours laboratory. This is an introductory course designed to provide basic education and training for the individual who is interested in working as a Clinical Medical Assistant in a medical or clinical back office. Topics include basic infection control, Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) regulations, principles of nutrition, vital signs and height/weight measurements, initial medical record documentation, and maintenance of the clinical facility. Common office practices, such as taking vital signs are discussed and practiced in the skills lab.
Prerequisite or Co-requisite: HCRS C138, HCRS C139
45 hours lecture/27 hours laboratory. This course is designed to provide advanced education and training for the individual who is interested in working as a Clinical Medical Assistant in a medical or clinical back office. Topics include patient history and interviewing, techniques of assisting the physician with patients, minor surgeries and sterile dressing changes, staple and suture removal, theory of x-ray examination and treatment, patient education, electrocardiographic methods, and first aid. Common office procedures are discussed and practiced in the Skills Lab. Emphasis is placed on the role of the clinical medical assistant.
Prerequisite or Co-requisite: HCRS C136, HCRS C137, HCRS C138
27 hours lecture/27 hours laboratory. This course provides basic education and training in medications and administration for the individual who is interested in working as a Clinical Medical Assistant in the medical back office environment. Topics include basic mathematics, terminology, medication orders, medication administration, including oral and intravenous, and documentation. Emphasis is on client education and the role of the clinical medical assistant.
Prerequisite or Co-requisite: HCRS C136, HCRS C137, HCRS C138
27 hours lecture/27 hours laboratory. This introductory laboratory course provides basic education and training for a clinical medical assistant in a physician's office laboratory. The focus of the training includes methods of specimen collection, principles of routine office laboratory tests, techniques for blood tests, microbiology office procedures, and blood withdrawal.
Prerequisite: HCRS C136, HCRS C137. Co-requisite: HCRS C137
90 hours volunteer work experience. The Clinical Externship is a practical application of the theory and skills learned in the classroom and lab. The student participates in physician's office or clinic providing patient care under the direct supervision of the physician and the office manager with indirect supervision of the classroom instructor.
All students must complete a Certified Background Check before participating in the program.
This program is authorized by California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants. To learn more about the agency or to submit a complaint about Cerro Coso Community College's program after trying to resolve the issue through the local Student Complaint Policy, contact the agency at ccbma.org.
Program Pathways
All classes needed for this certificate are available at the following campuses: Ridgecrest / IWV Bishop Mammoth Lakes
See Counseling for specific help with enrolling and completing this major.
How can I afford it?
This certificate requires 20.5 units and will likely take 2 semesters.
Approximate Total Costs
CA Residents
20.5 units
at $46 per unit
Equals $943 in tuition and fees
Plus approximately $1,230* for books and supplies
Total cost $2,173 for 2 semesters
Non-residents
20.5 units
at $388 per unit
Equals $7,954 in tuition and fees
Plus approximately $1,230* for books and supplies
Total cost $9,184 for 2 semesters
*This is an estimate. Actual costs will vary.
Need help? Financial Aid can help with fee waivers and scholarships and other aid. Make sure to fill out your FAFSA every January.
