Certificate · Program Code: 180 · Credit Hours: 31-33 · Contact Hours: 38-40
Associate Dean: Peter Olson
Medical Assistant training provides diverse employment opportunities. Students in this program can develop skills necessary for entry-level employment in the healthcare field. Special emphasis is placed on increasing skills needed to work in physicians’ offices and health clinics. Students must complete a minimum of 31 credit hours to earn a certificate in Medical Assisting. This program also has a Work-Based Learning component.
Since this program is very rigorous and demanding, students should consider carefully their outside work schedule given the requirements of the program, and especially in AH 285 (Work Based Learning Medical Assistant), where students will be placed for 10 hours each week of a normal semester in a clinical setting (20 hours each week in a shortened summer semester). Students should also realize that they may be expected to travel as much as 40-80 miles one way for work-based learning placements at regional offices or clinics so as not to overload a single clinical site with too many students. Every effort will be made to assign students to clinical and externship sites fairly. Upon successful completion of the program and graduation from North Central Michigan College, students are eligible to take the Registered Medical Assistant certification examination offered by American Medical Technologies.
This is a selective admission program. Students must apply for entry into the program each time they wish to be considered (i.e. applications will not be kept on file from one application period to the next). To be considered for acceptance, students must be enrolled at North Central, have completed program prerequisites and have completed an Allied Health Program admission application. Applications must be submitted to the Associate Dean of Health, Business and Technology by March 1 for fall enrollment and October 1 for winter enrollment. Criteria for admission include completion of prerequisites, a minimum of C+ in prerequisite courses, and work experience. Acceptance is not guaranteed.
Students may not enroll in AH 107 , AH 108 , and AH 285 until they are accepted into the MA program. North Central will order a criminal background check on all students accepted into the program. Students may be denied admission based on the results of the background check.
Return to: