Medical Assistants can be hired in hospitals, clinics, urgent care facilities, and every specialty of doctor’s offices. They are the most versatile of entry level medical professions. With the ever-changing reimbursement schedule from insurance companies to physicians and facilities, nurses are cost prohibitive in smaller health care settings. Industry trends show that more and more clinics, offices and health care providers are hiring Medical Assistants (MA) in lieu of nurses. MAs are expected to fill the role of front office staff, clinical assisting, phlebotomy, EKG technicians and to have general billing and coding knowledge. Students completing the MA program will have job opportunities across multiple healthcare facilities and specialties.
If your program requires a criminal background check, your placement in a required clinical site, cooperative, practicum, internship, and/or licensure/certification opportunity may be impacted. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Program Director and check with your licensing/certifying entity, if any, to determine your status.
The curriculum contains both transfer and workforce courses. The workforce courses are mainly offered at the Technical Campus and the Wylie Campus. For additional information, please contact Leon Deutsch, LDeutsch@collin.edu.
FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES/CORE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS STATEMENT
After initial acceptance to this program, all students are required to meet specific functional abilities with or without accommodations for successful completion of the program and to function safely and effectively in the variety of the profession’s settings. The specific functional requirements are found in “Functional Abilities/Core Performance Standards” documents provided in the program information and application forms. Students who think they may not be able to meet the functional standards and need accommodation are encouraged to contact the college ACCESS department as soon as this program is of interest.
ADDITIONAL ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
In addition to meeting Collin College Admission Requirements, students would need to complete the following prior to acceptance to the program.
- Program Application and Interview
- Drug Screening
- Background Check
- TSI Exam. It is preferred that candidates will be TSI Complete.
- Attend one of the program information sessions.
- Provide Immunization Records
- Provide proof of health insurance prior to clinicals.
After Admission: In order to graduate from the program, students must successfully complete each course in the program with a grade of C or better. Students must also complete at least 160 clinical (externship) hours in a physician’s office as assigned by the college. Prior to enrolling in any clinical courses, students must complete all immunizations required by the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS)*. All required workforce courses require a minimum grade of 75% to continue in the program.
* It is important to note that one of the required vaccinations, Hepatitis B, consists of a three dose series, which can take up to 7 months to complete. Individuals unable to receive the HBV must inform the Program Coordinator. In such cases, the applicant must sign a declination form. All immunizations must be complete before assignment to clinical training.
Health Insurance - All Health Profession students are required to show proof of health insurance prior to starting clinical rotations each semester.
CPR - Requires current American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR certification.
Department Website
www.collin.edu/department/medicalassisting/
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