Medical Assisting

Medical Assisting student

Medical Assisting is an exciting entry-level healthcare career that provides ample employment opportunities and excellent exposure to the many areas of the healthcare industry.  Medical Assistants work alongside physicians, mainly in outpatient or ambulatory care facilities, such as medical offices and clinics. Medical assistants are instrumental in helping patients feel at ease in the physician’s office and often explain the physician’s instructions Working Medical Assistants can expect to earn over $40,000 a year, with a job outlook growing faster than the average employment field over the next ten years.

The Medical Assisting program at Yakima Valley College Combines convenient online instruction, laboratory simulations, and supervised clinical practice. Preparing students for employment in a flexible field that provides the opportunity for change and growth. Program activities are planned to achieve graduate competencies as set forth by MAERB, and are designed to prepare medical assisting students who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession. The program is in accordance with the Washington State Laws, rules, and regulations relating to the practice and training of medical assisting. Graduates can expect to practice their profession in medical offices, clinics, and other healthcare settings. YVC Medical Assisting graduates are recognized for their training and are likely to find employment.

Students can earn either a Medical Assisting Certificate or a Medical Assisting Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. The Medical Assisting Certificate, which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) requires 66 credits of coursework. The AAS degree requires the same 66 credits of coursework, as well as an additional 24 credits of coursework that can be completed before or after completing the Medical Assisting Certificate curriculum.

About the Certificate & Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree

  • Medical Assisting Certificate (66 Credits)
  • Medical Assisting Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree (90 credits)
  • Online instruction / Clinical labs in Yakima
  • 200-hour externship
  • Opportunity Grant money available
  • Median wage: $19.00 an hour
  • 14% Job Growth (2022-2032)
  • In high demand in Yakima County

Program Outcome Information

Outcomes from 2021
Student Retention – 100%

Program Curriculum

Medical Assisting, AAS Option

This Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree is 90 credits in length. Upon successful completion of the program, the graduate will receive an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Medical Assisting.

Students may complete the course of study in four to five quarters of full-time attendance. Part-time study is also available.

Medical Assisting AAS Program Courses

Fall quarter

  •  PTECH 120: Technical Writing 5 Cr or ENGL& 101 5 Cr
  • AH 119: Medical Terminology 5 Cr
  • AH 140: Medical Law and Ethics 2 Cr

 Winter quarter

  • AH 105: Introduction to Pharmacology 3 Cr
  • AH 108: Communication and Cultural Concepts in Health Care 3 Cr
  • AH 110: Human Body in Health & Disease I 5 Cr
  • AH 155: First Aid/CPR/Blood-Borne Pathogen Training 2 Cr

Spring quarter

  • AH 120: Human Body in Health & Disease II 5 Cr
  • AH 104: Math for Health Professions 3 Cr
  • AHBC 101: Introduction to Medical Coding 3 Cr
  • AHBC 102: Introduction to Medical Billing 2 Cr
  • AHCN 105: Essentials of Care Navigation II 1 Cr

Additional program requirements (immunizations) need to be uploaded in to Canvas-Medical Assisting Program Requirements prior to Fall quarter AHMA classes.  The first 35 students who meet these requirements can register for Fall quarter AHMA classes.

 

Fall quarter:

  • AHMA 115: Clinical Theory I 5 Cr
  • AHMA 116: Clinical Lab Skills I 2 Cr
  • AHMA 117: Clinical Theory II 2 Cr
  • AHMA 118: Clinical Lab Skills II 1 Cr
  • AHMA 125: Administrative Procedures 5 Cr

Winter quarter:

  • AHMA 201: Medical Assisting Externship 7 Cr
  • AHMA 202: Medical Assisting Externship Seminar 1 Cr
  • AHMA 203: Medical Assisting Certification Examination Preparation 4 Cr

Additional courses for Medical Assisting AAS

  • Social Science 5 Cr
  • Natural Science 5 Cr
  • Electives 14 Cr

Total Credits 90

Recommended Electives: AHCN 200, AHCN 210, CMST& 101, IT 102, IT 222 (or any college level course over 100)

Medical Assisting Certificate

This certificate program is 66 credits in length. Upon successful completion of the program, the graduate will receive a medical assisting certificate.

Part-time study is also available.

Medical Assisting Program Courses

Fall quarter

  • PTECH 120: Technical Writing 5 Cr or ENGL& 101 5 Cr
  • AH 119: Medical Terminology 5 Cr
  • AH 140: Medical Law and Ethics 2 Cr

Winter quarter

  • AH 105: Introduction to Pharmacology 3 Cr
  • AH 108: Communication and Cultural Concepts in Health Care 3 Cr
  • AH 110: Human Body in Health & Disease I 5 Cr
  • AH 155: First Aid/CPR/Blood-Borne Pathogen Training 2 Cr

Spring quarter

  • AH 120: Human Body in Health & Disease II 5 Cr
  • AH 104: Math for Health Professions 3 Cr
  • AHBC 101: Introduction to Medical Coding 3 Cr
  • AHBC 102: Introduction to Medical Billing 2 Cr
  • AHCN 105: Essentials of Care Navigation II 1 Cr

Additional program requirements (immunizations) need to be uploaded in to Canvas-Medical Assisting Program Requirements prior to Fall quarter AHMA classes.  The first 35 students who meet these requirements can register for Fall quarter AHMA classes.

Fall quarter:

  • AHMA 115: Clinical Theory I 5 Cr
  • AHMA 116: Clinical Lab Skills I 2 Cr
  • AHMA 117: Clinical Theory II 2 Cr
  • AHMA 118: Clinical Lab Skills II 1 Cr
  • AHMA 125: Administrative Procedures 5 Cr

Winter quarter:

  • AHMA 201: Medical Assisting Externship 7 Cr
  • AHMA 202: Medical Assisting Externship Seminar 1 Cr
  • AHMA 203: Medical Assisting Certification Examination Preparation 4 Cr

Total Credits 66

Program Information

Medical Assistants are versatile health care professionals that have specific training to work in a physician’s office or clinic. Medical Assistants may perform administrative skills and basic clerical functions, including writing business letters and memos, filing patient records, scheduling, preparing requisitions, telephone services, transcription, monitoring third-party reimbursement, and medical coding. Additionally, Medical Assistants are proficient in many clinical skills, a few of which are obtaining vital signs, sterile technique, assisting with physical examinations and minor surgery, administering injections, laboratory procedures, phlebotomy, and sterilization of equipment by autoclaving.

For up to date information consult the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook 

Growing Career Opportunities

Medical assisting is one of the nation’s fastest growing careers. Labor projections for 2016 through 2026 from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate that while average job growth is seven percent, medical assistant job growth is twenty-nine percent. The BLS attributes this job growth to the following factors:

  • Predicted surge in the number of physicians’ offices and outpatient care facilities
  • Technological advancements
  •  Growing number of elderly Americans who need medical treatment

The average wage in Washington State is $19.88/hr., in Yakima County the average starting wage is $16/hr.

The profession of Medical Assisting requires the ability to multi-task and use critical thinking skills. Prospective students should possess personal integrity, have the ability to pay close attention to detail, be conscientious, and orderly. Physical requirements include the ability to either sit or stand for long periods of time and the strength to lift supplies, lift and move patients, and maneuver heavy equipment. The nature of the career requires adequate vision, hearing and manual dexterity. Additionally, students must be willing to continue their education throughout their career to keep abreast of new developments in the field.

The curriculum is designed to provide those interested in becoming medical assistants with the skills necessary to utilize well-defined professional skills to perform basic patient exam techniques, clinical, and business procedures commonly performed in the physician’s office or clinic, and increase the effectiveness of communication between themselves and their patients.  YVC and the Medical Assisting Community Advisory Committee have identified the following Medical Assisting Program educational goals to meet accepted national standards as well as community specific interests.

  1. Apply the fundamentals obtained in medical assisting courses to safely, efficiently, and accurately perform clinical and administrative competencies.
  2. Utilize knowledge gained in interrelationship and social science courses to recognize the cultural, legal, and ethical implications of their actions in relating to their patient and as a member of the healthcare team.
  3. Integrate knowledge gained in medical assisting courses to prepare for and assist with medical emergencies.
  4. Use technology skills, including computer hardware and software, in the performance of clinical and administrative competencies.
  5. Employ appropriate medical terminology to communicate in the clinic setting and to provide for accurate documentation.
  6. Exemplify the characteristics of professionalism as they relate to the practice of medical assisting on the personal, institutional, local, state, and national levels.

To prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains

Program Learning Outcomes:

  • Demonstrate competent entry-level clinical medical assisting skills that are based on the affective, cognitive, and psychomotor learning domains set forth by MAERB curriculum and includes the full scope of medical assisting practice in Washington state.
  • Demonstrate competent entry-level administrative medical assisting skills that are based on the affective, cognitive and psychomotor learning domains set forth by MAERB curriculum.

Immunizations and training

Students are required to complete CPR/First Aid/7-hr HIV/AIDS training and immunizations prior to starting Fall quarter AHMA classes. Proof of completion via a community source is acceptable. Certifications must remain current through completion of the Medical Assisting Program Externship courses.

The Medical Assisting Program’s affiliation agreements with clinical and practicum training sites require students to be complete with all immunizations and tuberculosis (TB) screening as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for healthcare personnel. The requirements reduce the risk of exposure to communicable diseases for students and their patients/clients.

Failure to maintain immunization records with annual updates will impact enrollment status, jeopardize clinical participation, and continued program participation will be prohibited. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all immunizations and/or proof of immunity documentation be submitted on time (prior to the start of the program and any quarter thereafter). Immunizations, and any needed laboratory testing, are done at the student’s expense.

Immunization Requirements

All students in the Medical Assisting Program must upload documentation of immunization into Canvas-Medical Assisting Program Requirements. Acceptable documentation of proof of immunization may include:

A signed letter from your physician or physician’s office

A signed immunization record

A copy of laboratory results demonstrating proof of immunity

Tuberculosis (TB) PPD Testing:

Submit proof of ONE of the following:

  • 2 step TB (PPD) skin test
    • The 2-step PPD test, or tuberculin skin test (PPD), is used to detect individuals with past tuberculosis (TB) infection. It is done in a four appointment schedule.
      • Visit 1: Place the first PPD 
      • Visit 2: 48-72 hours later, the PPD is read. 
      • Visit 3: 1-3 weeks after Visit 1, the second PPD is placed. 
      • Visit 4: 48-72 hours later, the PPD is read. 
    • In summary, 2-step PPD testing requires 2 PPD’s to be placed, 1-3 weeks apart, with each of those tests read 48-72 hours after placement.

OR

  • IGRA – TB Blood Test (QuantiFERON TB Gold)

If you have had a positive TB test result, consult your advisor in determining what is your next best step in order to proceed to your clinical rotations.

Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap): Must have booster within the last 8 years.

Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR): There must be documentation of one of the following:

2 vaccinations (6 weeks apart)

Positive antibody titers (blood draw) for ALL 3 components

Varicella (Chicken Pox): There must be documentation of one of the following:

2 vaccinations (6 weeks apart)

Positive antibody titers (blood draw)

Hepatitis B (Hep B): There must be documentation of one of the following:

3 vaccinations (2nd shot 2 months after 1st, and 3rd shot 4-6 months after 1st shot)

Positive antibody titers (blood draw)

Influenza: Submit documentation of a flu shot administered during the current flu season

COVID-19: There must be documentation of one of the following:

Monovalent (original) mRNA COVID-19

2 vaccinations for Moderna

2 vaccinations for Pfizer

1 vaccination for Johnson & Johnson

Unvaccinated individuals: A single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent. 

Individuals who have received one or more doses of a monovalent (original) COVID 19 vaccine: A single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is administered at least 2 months after any monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.

Hepatitis A (Hep A): Currently not required, but strongly recommended

PROOF OF ADDITIONAL IMMUNIZATIONS MAY BE REQUESTED FOR ACCEPTANCE INTO THE PROGRAM AS REQUIRED BY THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CDC, STATE OF WASHINGTON AND/OR ADOPTED BY THE INFECTION CONTROL DEPARTMENT OF THE CLINICAL SITE AFFILIATES.

The following costs are estimates of the expenses students can expect during the program. These costs do not include coursework taken prior to starting Medical Assisting program courses.

Tuition per quarter (resident-$121.09 per credit*) $1335.42*
Books, supplies and miscellaneous fees $300-$700
Immunizations (varies) $300-$500
Acceptance Fee $37.00

Verified Credentials

  • Additional Requirements $35.00
  • Background Check $80.00

MA-C credential application $145.00

Total approximate costs for the one-year certificate program are $9,461.94
Total approximate costs for the Associates of Applied Science (AAS) program is $12,852.46

*Tuition is based on full-time (12 Credits) *Tuition and lab fees are subject to change.
**Rate subject to change; please see current rate.
The estimated costs do not include transportation, room and board, or other personal needs.
The above costs are based on full-time status and may vary for part-time students.

Approximate Additional Costs: Students may expect additional costs for these items if they are not already owned. These costs are approximate only and may vary widely.

  • Shoes (for clinical lab and externship) $30-$100
  • Uniform-scrub pants and tops (for clinical lab and externship) $40-$70 per set
  • Watch with a second hand or mode $20-$50
  • Stethoscope with a bell and diaphragm $40-$100

The Yakima Valley College Medical Assisting Certificate Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).

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

Informed Acknowledgment of Hazards and Risks 

Medical assisting is a profession that involves health risks. The following discussion of potential hazards and risks will assist the student to make an informed decision regarding participation in the YVC Medical Assisting Program. Some medical assisting program courses contain classroom, laboratory, and clinical activities where learning requires the use of fellow students as part of the training procedures and/or demonstrations. Safety issues and concerns when dealing with occupational exposures are a major focus in the medical assisting curriculum.

The medical assistant may be exposed to various chemicals used in disinfecting and sterilization, laboratory testing, biohazard waste and blood borne pathogens, and communicable diseases. Participation in the practice of medical assisting and the YVC Medical Assisting Program may involve injury, illness, or death to one’s self or others. Injury or illness can include, but is not limited to, improper use of equipment or substances by one’s self or another, or exposure to infectious diseases, hazardous materials, and/or radiation. Accidental injury may also occur in the externship setting, or enroute to or from the externship site. Any injury or illness may affect one’s personal health or the health of an unborn child. An injury or illness may impair one’s general physical and/or mental health and may affect one’s future ability to earn a living, engage in other business, social, or recreation activities, or generally impair one’s ability to enjoy life. One might become paralyzed, meaning the inability to move the body part that has been affected by injury or illness.

Do not plan to complete your class on smart phones or tablets. Some of the McGraw Hill Connect system functions may not work well or at all on mobile devices. A computer and access to wifi is needed to complete this course.

Computer Specifications 

Canvas and its hosting infrastructure are designed for maximum compatibility and minimal requirements.

Screen Size

A minimum of 1024×600. That is the average size of a netbook. If you want to view Canvas on a device with a smaller screen, we recommend using the Canvas mobile app.

Operating Systems

  • Windows XP SP3 and newer
  • Mac OSX 10.6 and newer
  • Linux – chromeOS

Mobile Operating System Native App Support

  • iOS 7 and newer
  • Android 2.3 and newer

Computer Speed and Processor

  • Use a computer no older than 5 years old when possible
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 2GHz processor

Internet Speed

Along with compatibility and web standards, Canvas has been carefully crafted to accommodate low bandwidth environments.

  • Minimum of 512kbps

Screen Readers

How to Get Started

  1. Apply for Admission and Financial Aid: If not already admitted to YVC, a completed application for admission to the college must be submitted. Complete your FAFSA online at fafsa.gov and/or apply for special funding.This program qualifies for opportunity grant funding. Questions? Please email specialfunding@yvcc.edu.
  2. Assess your skills with Placement Testing: To receive placement assessment instructions, email your name and YVC Student CTC ID Number to testingservices@yvcc.edu. Your YVC Student ID Number can be found in your Welcome Letter/Email after you applied to YVC. You must have completed the Admission process before you take the placement assessments.

Connect with your Advisor by completing this form. 

  1. Then look out for an email to create an educational plan personalized to your needs. 
  2. Register: Register for classes in person or online.  Pay tuition and fees.
Lisa DominguezAllied Health Faculty
Cami PangraziMedical Assisting Program Chair/Allied Health Faculty
Allied Health Program Assistant

Accreditation

This 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). Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, 25400 US Highway 19 North, Suite 158, Clearwater, FL 33763, 727.210.2350. The optional associate of applied science degree in medical assisting requires the student to complete 24 additional credits for a total of 90 credits.

Learn more about Allied Health Programs

YVC offers a unique approach to obtaining a variety of health professional certificates or degrees.

  • Our shorter-term certificate offerings range from 5 to 69 credits in length.
  • Our Associate of Applied Science Degree, we offer several options which range from 90 to 106 credits in length.

Our Allied Health Technology programs provide career and enrichment coursework and clinical experiences in order to build the knowledge, skills, and competencies for providing care for people of all ages in a variety of medical professions. Each program has different admission criteria, coursework, and degree options, ranging from introductory classes and certificates to associate of applied science degrees focused on a specific area of study. The majority of courses are offered in an online format. Clinical laboratory practice and clinical externship are required in some program courses.

 

West Campus Allied Health Building

YVC’s recently opened West Campus features expanded classrooms and labs for five of the college’s Allied Health programs: Medical Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding, Pharmacy Technician, Phlebotomy, Sterile Processing Technician, and Surgical Technology. The new facility is designed to prepare students to excel as healthcare professionals by providing spaces that mimic real-life healthcare settings. Learn more about West Campus and the Allied Health Building.

Contact Allied Health

Email: alliedhealth@yvcc.edu  or Phone: 509.574.4913

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