Medical Assisting
The purpose of the Medical Assisting Program is “to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession” (CAAHEP 2022 Standards and Guidelines).
Medical Assisting understands and accepts the concept of the open door policy for general admission to Mitchell Community College. Admission to the College does not guarantee admission to the Medical Assisting program. After successful completion of the practicum, the student graduates with a diploma in Medical Assisting and may be eligible to take the certification examination and may choose to continue toward the AAS Degree in Medical Assisting. In addition to the College’s admission requirements, the following are minimum requirements for admission into the Medical Assisting Diploma program:
Mitchell Community College Application: Applicants must complete the College application process for general college admission.
High School or high school equivalency transcript: Graduation from a high school as specified under admission requirements for degree seeking students, complete high school transcript, or equivalent as established by a high school equivalency test.
College Transcripts: Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges must be received by the College. Grades less than C are not transferable into the Medical Assisting Program. MED prefix coursework may be transferrable if from a CAAHEP accredited program and current within five years. Students requesting MED prefix course transfer credit must demonstrate proficiency through competency testing for MAERB Cognitive, Psychomotor and Affective domains. If the student is unable to demonstrate competency, the course will need to need repeated in the Medical Assisting Program.
Required GPA: Applicants should have a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
Medical Assisting Program Application: Applicant must complete program application and submit to the Kutteh Health Sciences Office, Cherry Street.
CPR Certification: Applicant must hold CPR certification (BLS for Healthcare Providers) by the American Heart Association or Red Cross, prior to enrolling in the practicum and must remain current through the last day of the practicum.
Physical and Emotional Health: Applicant will provide validation of satisfactory physical and mental health and current immunizations after receipt of conditional acceptance and prior to final admission into the program.
Required immunizations include: (practicum agency requirement)
- MMR vaccine- 2 doses (measles, mumps, rubella), or positive titers
- Varicella vaccine- 2 doses or positive titer
- Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) one time and TD booster every 10 years
- Tuberculosis 2-step skin test, or negative Quantiferon Gold TB, or equivalent
- Hepatitis B immunization
Background Check and Drug Screen: Meet requirements as prescribed by practicum agencies for placement into the practicum. The student will bear this cost. If any agency refuses to allow the student to participate in practicum experiences, for any reason, the student may not be able to complete the program.
Student must be 18 years of age prior to first day of summer semester (agency requirement).
MED students are required to have an electronic mobile device with access to the Internet.
A limited number of openings exist in the Medical Assisting program. Admission consideration begins March 1 of each year to fill the fall class. Qualified applicants will be accepted for the fall until the class is full. After that, an alternate list will be established. Applicants must re-apply for each year they wish to be considered for admission, as Mitchell Community College does not use waiting lists for the medical assisting program. Students applying for re-admission are required to meet the current admission criteria. No student is considered to be a medical assisting student at Mitchell Community College until the student receives official notification of admission and the student enrolls in medical assisting courses.
Qualifications of Graduates for Examination:
Graduates from the medical assisting diploma program may be eligible for certification as a CMA (AAMA) after successful completion of all coursework required for the diploma. To apply for certification, the graduate shall make application to the AAMA and submit an application fee. The Medical Assisting Diploma program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). CAAHEP, 9355 - 113th St. N, #7709, Seminole, FL 33775-7709 (727) 210-2350