CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Curriculum Code No. 3148

Department of Business Studies
Penn 401 • Phone: (215) 968-8227

Medical Assistant Certificate programs offer complete training for students to receive a certificate with specialization in clinical medical assisting or administrative medical assisting.

Administrative medical assistants complete office paperwork, schedule patients, and handle insurance billing in physicians’ offices, clinics, or insurance companies. They may work as admitting clerks, billing agents, or medical transcriptionists in hospital outpatient areas.

Graduates of this program are able to

• function as an assistant to the physician in medical and/or other clinical setting;
• demonstrate an understanding of the anatomical structure and physiological functioning of the human body and of medical terms descriptive of the body systems;
• identify the administrative duties of the medical assistant;
• describe the ethical and legal responsibilities of the medical assistant in the health care delivery system;
• maintain business and patient health records;
• prepare for entry-level employment in physicians’ offices or in those capacities in which medical/ secretarial training is required;
• follow ICD-9-CM rules and regulations and code accurately;
• relate the appropriate code to documented patient encounter; and
• apply modifiers to Evaluation and Management codes.

Certificate Requirements

OADM140	Keyboarding/Typewriting I A	3
MEDA120	Medical Terminology	3
MEDA215	Medical Administrative Procedures A	3
MEDA216	Medical Insurance, Billing, & Reimbursement A	3
MEDA275	Medical Transcription I A	3
MEDA297	Medical Coding A	3
MEDA205	Medical Law and Ethics	3
MEDA220	Medical Assisting Externship A	3
		24*

^A Course requires prerequisite.

* All students are required to pass OADM140 Keyboarding/Typewriting either by taking the course at Bucks County Community College or by passing the appropriate challenge test given by the Office Administration Area at the College. A competency of 35 words a minute with a 5-error maximum on a 5-minute timed writing is required.

Since the individual circumstances and backgrounds of students vary, all students planning to complete this certificate program must meet with their assigned academic advisor to develop a planned sequence of courses to meet their individual needs.