Medical Administrative Specialist
Certificate Program
Students pursuing programs in the medical office laboratory area are required to complete an Essential Functions form prior to registering for courses
Health Sciences
Founders Hall 112 • Phone 215-968-8353 (option 3)
Curriculum Code No. 3148
Medical Administrative Specialists 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
- Perform basic medical administrative functions including scheduling, appointments, coding, managing accounts receivables and payables and maintaining accounting records
- Perform within the legal and ethical boundaries of a Medical Administrative Specialist
- Demonstrate effective communication strategies in clinical settings; and
- Communicate accurately and respectfully using medical terms descriptive of body systems.
MEDA 280-the clinical externship- is scheduled Monday through Friday during the day. There are no weekend or evening clinical site hours. Students must complete a total of 160 hours, with a minimum three-day-a-week availability recommended.
Prior to Externship placement, students must submit (at their own expense):
- Requests for federal and state background checks
- Child Abuse History Clearance Form
- Certification of Health Status
- Certification in CPR: Health Care Provider (AHA-BLS)
- A mandatory 10-panel expanded opiates drug screen to be completed no sooner than 30 days before the start of the externship.
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COLL101 College Success Seminar | 1 |
| COMM105 Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| HITT297 Medical Coding A | 3 |
| MEDA120 Medical Terminology B | 3 |
| MEDA140 College Keyboarding and Document Processing B | 3 |
| MEDA205 Medical Law and Ethics | 3 |
| MEDA215 Medical Administrative Procedures A | 3 |
| MEDA216 Medical Insurance, Billing, & Reimbursement A | 3 |
| MEDA280 Medical Administrative Assistant Externship A | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 26* |
Recommended Semester Sequence
Fall Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COLL101 College Success Seminar | 1 |
| COMM105 Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| MEDA120 Medical Terminology B | 3 |
| MEDA140 College Keyboarding and Document Processing B | 3 |
| MEDA216 Medical Insurance, Billing, & Reimbursement A | 3 |
| Total | 13 |
Spring Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| HITT297 Medical Coding A | 3 |
| MEDA205 Medical Law and Ethics | 3 |
| MEDA215 Medical Administrative Procedures A | 3 |
| Total | 9 |
Summer Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| MEDA280 Medical Administrative Assistant Externship A | 4 |
| Total | 4 |
A Course requires prerequisite.
B Open to Credit by Examination.
* All students are required to pass MEDA140 College Keyboarding and Document Processing 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.