Medical Assisting

Medical assisting is a versatile health care profession that prepares an individual to perform various clinical and administrative functions in a health care facility. These functions, performed under the direction of a licensed physician and/or licensed physician’s assistant, are completed while examining and treating patients. Medical assistants are responsible for performing a variety of the tasks that enable a health care facility to properly treat its patients. These tasks include, but are not limited to: preparing treatment rooms for patients’ examinations; scheduling appointments and maintaining medical records; interviewing patients, measuring vital signs, weight and height, and then recording the information; administering injections, performing venipuncture, electrocardiograph (EKG), and other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests; and completing insurance forms. The exact duties that a medical assistant performs are unique to the setting in which she or he is employed. Industries that employ medical assistants include doctors’ offices/clinics, urgent care centers, ambulatory care facilities, and osteopathic offices/clinics.

The medical assisting certificate is a three- semester program. The final semester includes both a review course to prepare for the American Association of Medical Assistants’ Certified Medical Assistant Exam and a clinical/externship. The clinical experience allows students to apply the knowledge, skills, and abilities that she or he has learned in the classroom and gain practical experience in a health care setting. The program has the following goal defining minimum expectations: “To prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.”

Admission Criteria

Students applying to the medical assisting program must:

1. Attend a mandatory medical assisting information session as posted on the LSC-CyFair or LSC-North Harris website.
2. Register for and take the PSB Health Occupations Aptitude Test.
3. Submit official high school/GED transcript and/or official transcripts from all non-LSC colleges and/or universities attended.
4. Submit a completed application packet to the preferred college’s medical assisting program. Application deadlines are posted on the college website.
5. Final acceptance into the program is contingent upon a satisfactory background check that is completed by a college approved agency at the student’s expense. Clinical facilities may also require completion of a satisfactory drug screening.

The Lone Star College Medical Assistant Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Education Review Board (MAERB).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, 25400 US Highway 19 North, Suite 158,  Clearwater, Florida 33763 (727) 210-2350

Programs

Level I Certificate

• •  Medical Assisting Certificate