Associate of Science Medical Assisting Program
 Medical assistants are multi-skilled health professional that work in tandem with medical staff in clinics and physician's offices. Medical assistants will be trained to provide patient care through administrative tasks as well as taking vital signs and preparing patients for examinations.
The Associate of Science degree in Medical Assisting program at Cox College is a 16-month, four semester program for full-time students. For part-time students they may complete all course work in 32-months, 8 semesters. The blended courses in the program, gives the students a solid understanding of the knowledge and skills to be a successful medical assistant. Administrative and Clinical labs as well as the practicum will also give the students hands-on practice and experience to the career of medical assisting. The America Medical Technologist (AMT) has accepted the accreditation of Cox College and has qualified graduating students of the Medical Assisting Program to take the RMA/CMAS certification examination.
Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow 34% from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. As the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, there will be an increased need for all health care workers. Increasing use of medical assistants to allow doctors to care for more patients will further stimulate job growth.
Helping to drive job growth is the increasing number of group practices, clinics, and other health care facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly medical assistants who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. In addition, medical assistants work mostly in primary care, a consistently growing sector of the health care industry.
Job seekers who want to work as a medical assistant should find excellent job prospects. Medical assistants are projected to account for a very large number of new jobs, and many other opportunities will come from the need to replace workers leaving the occupation. Medical assistants with formal training or experience particularly those with certification should have the best job opportunities, since employers generally prefer to hire these workers.
Medical assistants held about 483,600 jobs in 2008. About 62% worked in offices of physicians; 13% worked in public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities; and 11% worked in offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors and optometrists. Most of the remainder worked in other healthcare industries, such as outpatient care centers and nursing and residential care facilities.
"Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition". U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, December 2009. Web. 13, October 2011.
Upon completion of the program of study, the ASMA graduate will be able to:
- understand medical terminology, laboratory, anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology as it relates to body systems and disease processes.
- demonstrate office administration procedures including bookkeeping, processing insurance claims; and procedural and diagnostic coding.
- perform diagnostic testing including; electrocardiography, respiratory, urinalysis, hematology, chemistry, immunology and microbiology.
- demonstrate proper patient care; vital signs, patient history, prepare and assist with routine and specialty examinations.
- apply pharmacology principles to prepare and administer oral and parenteral medications.
- perform clinical procedures such as venipuncture and capillary puncture.
Program Admission and Selection Criteria
Candidates are considered for admission into the Medical Assisting program based on the completion of Cox College application requirements and prior academic performance. Once a candidate has been notified of an offer for admission into the Medical Assisting program, a non refundable deposit must be submitted. After receipt of this fee, the student may register for classes according to the academic calendar.
The admission procedure to Cox College includes submitting an application for admission with the required $45 application fee, an official high school transcript or high school equivalency certificate (GED) and official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.
To be eligible for enrollment into the medical assisting program a candidate must:
- Complete the admission procedure to Cox College
- Submit a Cox College application
- Once admitted you will need the following:
- Negative drug screen
- Clear background check
- Submit the $125 acceptance fee prior to enrolling in classes
Deadline for priority selection for Fall semester is July 1.
Degree Requirements: 62 credit hours total
Core Curriculum
MACC 100 Medical Terminology for Medical Assisting
MACC 101 Anatomy and Physiology for Medical Assisting
MACC 105 HIM, Ethics & Medical Law for Medical Assisting
MACC 110 Electronic Medical Records for Medical Assisting
MACC 111 Human Diseases for Medical Assisting
MACC 114 Health Care Communications
MACC 115 Career Development: Success in College
MACC 211 Administrative Medical Assisting I
MACC 212 Administrative Medical Assisting II
MACC 213 Administrative Medical Assisting III
MACC 311 Clinical Medical Assisting I
MACC 312 Clinical Medical Assisting II
MACC 314 Clinical Medical Assisting III
MACC 315 Drug Dosage Calculations for Medical Assisting
MACC 411 Professional Traits and Skills
MACC 412 Certified Medical Assisting Review
MACC 413 Career Development: Success on the Job
MACC 414 Medical Assisting Practicum
General Courses
ENGL 150 English Composition
INFM 160 Computer Resources
PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology
CCPL 100 Promoting Learning & Ultimate Success
COMM 101 Speech Communication
For complete course descriptions, please see the Cox College Catalog.
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