Medical Assistant
Getting started with our Medical Assistant program is easy. Follow the steps below, in order.
If you have never been a student at RLC, the first step is to apply to the college.
The final step is to submit the application to our Medical Assistant program.
Employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 29 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations.1 This is the perfect program if you are interested in health care but do not wish to treat or diagnose patients. Medical assistants may take on several duties, like taking and recording patient histories, scheduling appointments, preparing specimens for laboratory tests, helping doctors with examinations, taking vitals, and more. If you are considering this field, you should be able to accurately record and keep track of information, maintain confidentiality, deal calmly and professionally with patients, follow medical charts, understand diagnoses, and more. You also must be able to understand and work with electronic health records.
RLC offers you two options to get started in this field: an Associate in Applied Science Degree, which you can complete in as little as four semesters; and a shorter-term occupational certificate, which can take you as little as two semesters. After graduation, students can sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants examination. To learn more about the MA program, contact the RLC Allied Health Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1251.
1 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Degrees & Certificates in Medical Assistant
Allied Health Division
MEDICAL ASSISTANT — Degree
Associate in Applied Science Degree
This program is designed to prepare individuals to take the national certification examination and earn the Medical Assistant credential. Medical assistants work under the supervision of physicians in their offices, clinics, and other facilities. Medical assistants perform both administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records and billing, and clinical tasks such as taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by a physician. All curriculum courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better.
►Total = 66 Hours
First Semester (15 Cr. Hrs.)
- ALH 1202 Medical Law & Ethics (3)
- CSCI 1102 Introduction to Computers w/ Business Applications (3)
- ENGL 1101 Rhetoric and Composition I 1 (3)
- HECO 1202 Healthcare Terminology (3)
- Elective – Humanities / Fine Arts (3)
Second Semester (19 Cr. Hrs.)
- ALH 1200 Intro to Pharmacology (3)
- ALH 1201 Anatomy & Physiology Fundamentals (3)
- CMA 1201 Administrative Aspects (4)
- CMA 1202 Patient Care I (3)
- CMA 1203 Billing & Coding (3)
- COMM 1101 Principles of Effective Speaking (3)
Third Semester (17 Cr. Hrs.)
- CMA 1204 Professionalism & Safety (3)
- CMA 1205 Lab Diagnostics (4)
- CMA 1206 Patient Care II (3)
- CMA 1207 Practicum 2 (4)
- CMA 1208 Essentials in Health Information Management (3)
Fourth Semester (15 Cr. Hrs.)
- BUSI 2107 Business Communications (3)
- HEA 1120 Stress Management (3)
- PSYC 2101 Introduction to Psychology (3)
- OFTC 1234 Communication in Technical Services (3)
- SOCI 1101 Intro to Sociology (3)
1Prerequisite course(s) may be required based on test scores.
2 Students are required to complete a total of 200 unpaid hours at their designated practicum site. Students may not be provided, directly or indirectly, with any exchange of funds during their 200 practicum hours.
MEDICAL ASSISTANT - Certificate
Occupational Certificate
Gainful Employment Information
► Total = 36 Hours
All curriculum courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better. To continue in the Medical Assistant Certificate program, all courses must be taken in the order outlined in the curriculum.
First Semester (19 Cr. Hrs.)
- ALH 1200 Intro to Pharmacology (3)
- ALH 1201 Anatomy & Physiology Fundamentals (3)
- CMA 1201 Administrative Aspects (4)
- CMA 1202 Patient Care I (3)
- CMA 1203 Billing & Coding (3)
- HECO 1202 Healthcare Terminology (3)
Second Semester (17 Cr. Hrs.)
12-week courses
- ALH 1202 Medical Law & Ethics (3)
- CMA 1204 Professionalism & Safety (3)
- CMA 1205 Lab Diagnostics (4)
- CMA 1206 Patient Care II (3)
5-Week Course: After successful completion of all previous courses
- CMA 1207 Practicum 1 (4)
1 Students are required to complete a total of 200 unpaid hours at their designated practicum site. Students may not be provided, directly or indirectly, with any exchange of funds during their 200 practicum hours.
Program Outcomes
Medical Assistant
- Apply principals of inflection control, asepsis, and sterilization technique within OSHA guidelines.
- Perform clinical, laboratory, and emergency procedures within the medical assistant scope of the practice.
- Identify drug classification and calculate dosage.
- Demonstrate appropriate communication in the medical setting
- Perform medical administrative tasks
- Perform medical billing and coding procedures
- Demonstrate competence with HIPAA standards.
Program Outcome Results
Medical Assistant program at Rend Lake College has a retention rate 93.33% for the 2019 admission cohort
Articulation
Articulation agreements document a pathway between Rend Lake College and the following schools for the academic program(s) listed.
Mission & Goals
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Medical Assistants are multi-skilled health professionals specifically educated to work in ambulatory settings performing administrative and clinical duties. The practice of medical assisting directly influences the public’s health and well-being and requires mastery of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skills requiring both formal education and practical experience that serve as standards for entry into the profession.
PROGRAM GOALS
- Apply principals of infection control, asepsis, and sterilization technique within OSHA guidelines.
- Perform clinical, laboratory, and emergency procedures within the medical assistant scope of the practice.
- Identify drug classification and calculate dosage.
- Demonstrate appropriate communication in the medical setting
- Perform medical administrative tasks
- Perform medical billing and coding procedures
- Demonstrate competence with HIPAA standards.
MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS
To prepare competent, entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior), learning domains.
1 Trick to help lighten your fall course load ...
Healthcare Terminology (HECO 1202) and Anatomy & Physiology Fundamentals (ALH 1201) are both offered in the summer. Take one or both this summer and you won't have to take them in the fall. That will reduce your fall course load by up to two classes! Don't wait. Seating is limited for summer courses. Call
618-437-5321, Ext. 1769 or
e-mail us.
5 Reasons to be a Medical Assistant ...
1. Quick entry into the workforce. Most employers like you to have either a one-year certificate or two-year degree.
2. Little to no work experience in a related occupation needed.
3. Job outlook is expected to grow much faster than the average job in the U.S.
4. Work environment is usually a doctor’s office or other healthcare facility.
5. Flexibility of specializing in an administrative or clinical area.
Headlines
Faculty & Staff
Dean of Allied Health
Phone Extension: 1777
Building: South Oasis
Office: 116
M.A.Ed., McKendree University | B.S., Midwestern State University
Getting Started Is Easy As 1 - 2- 3!
Connect with us!
Academic Advisement Center
Administration Building, Office 115
[email protected] • 618.437.5321, Ext. 1266
College office hours
Monday - Thursday: 8 AM – 4:30 PM • Friday 8 AM – 4 PM
Monday – Thursday: 8 AM – 4 PM During Summer
