• Offering Campus
• Program Overview
• Program Learning Outcomes
• Certification
• Admission Requirements
• Graduation Requirements
  
  
  • Medical Assisting Program—Track I Course Requirements
  • Medical Assisting Program—Track II Course Requirements (Bachelor’s Degree Required)

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Offering Campus

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Argosy University, Twin Cities

Program Overview

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Argosy University offers an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Medical Assisting degree program. The mission of this program is to prepare students to work in a healthcare environment as part of a professional team dedicated to providing top-quality medical care.

In support of this, the Argosy University faculty and staff strive to provide an educational environment in which the students have an opportunity to develop their personal and technical skills to become dedicated, knowledgeable, and ethical caregivers demonstrating utmost respect and concern for the well-being of the patients and families they serve. Medical assistants are trained to be multi-skilled allied healthcare professionals. Their responsibilities include patient care, laboratory testing, limited x-ray, office management, and assisting the physician.

Program Learning Outcomes

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Outcome One: Skills
Students completing the Medical Assisting program will be proficient in their performance of the following entry-level rooming skills: taking vital signs (includes temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure) and height/weight.
1.1 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to systematically collect and accurately record patient data with regard to history, procedures, treatments and examinations.
1.2 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to demonstrate the ability to perform the following diagnostic tests: urinanalysis, hematology, chemistry, immunology, microbiology, spirometry and electrocardiograms, including using quality control and follow-up methods.
1.3 The Medical Assisting graduate must apply pharmacology principles to prepare and administer oral and parenteral medications.
1.4 The Medical Assisting graduate must demonstrate proper use of fundamental principles of aseptic technique.

Outcome Two: Knowledge
Graduates of the Medical Assisting program will demonstrate knowledge regarding the entry-level Administrative skills.
2.1 The Medical Assisting graduate will competently perform the following clerical functions: appointment management, medical transcription, organize and file patient records and basic bookkeeping procedures.
2.2 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to process insurance claims including performing procedural and diagnostic coding.

Outcome Three: Attitudes
Graduates of the program will have developed a willingness to observe and participate in familiar and unfamiliar clinical procedures and experiences and are able to actively participate in clinical situations.
3.1 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to respond to and initiate effective verbal, nonverbal and written communication in a face to face setting and effective verbal communication by telephone.
3.2 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to perform within legal and ethical boundaries and demonstrate her/his responsibility to protect the privacy of the patient.
3.3 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to instruct patients in health maintenance and disease prevention according to their needs.

Outcome Four: Interpersonal Effectiveness
The Medical Assisting graduate will demonstrate positive relationship skills, including effective communication skills, respect for others, and awareness of the impact of their actions on others.
4.1 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to apply active listening communication skills in interpersonal and organizational scenarios to establish empathetic and professional relationships.
4.2 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to solicit and utilize feedback to build and maintain interpersonal and organizational relationships.
4.3 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to demonstrate professional conduct, acceptance of constructive criticism, and interpersonal communication skills with patients, health care professionals, and the general public.
4.4 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to practice within legal and ethical boundaries and demonstrate responsibility to meet the healthcare needs of patients.
4.5 The Medical Assisting graduate must be able to demonstrate the skills, attributes and behaviors necessary to function as an effective health care provider and as a member of the professional medical community.

Certification

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Graduates of the AAS in Medical Assisting degree program are eligible to sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) certification exam to become a Certified Medical Assistant. Completion of the program requirements does not guarantee passage of the AAMA certification exam. Requirements for taking and passing certification exams are subject to change without notice to the University. The most current information regarding the AAMA Certified Medical Assistant exam can be found at http://www.aama-ntl.org.

Track I

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Students with an earned secondary degree or equivalent (GED) may apply to Track I of the AAS in Medical Assisting degree program. The Track I program of study requires the satisfactory completion of 60 semester credit hours that includes 21 credit hours of General Education, 37 credit hours of program-specific courses, and 2 credit hours of clinical training. Full-time students following the recommended Track I course sequence can complete the program in as little as 16 months. The maximum allowable time frame to complete the Track I curriculum based upon full-time status is 24 months.

Track II

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Students with an earned bachelor’s degree may apply to Track II of the AAS in Medical Assisting degree program. The Track II program of study requires the satisfactory completion of 45 semester credit hours that includes 6 credit hours of General Education, 37 credit hours of program specific courses, and 2 credit hours of clinical training. Full-time students following the recommended Track II course sequence can complete the program in  as little as 12 months. The maximum allowable time frame to complete the Track II curriculum based upon full-time status is 18 months. In addition to the stated credit hour requirements, students enrolled in the AAS in Medical Assisting degree program — Track II are required to have successfully completed college level algebra and psychology courses. These requirements may be satisfied through transfer credit. Otherwise, students are required to take MAT 107 College Algebra  and PSY 101 General Psychology  during the first semester of enrollment and earn a grade of “C- “ or better.

Admission Requirements

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Track I

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• Proof of high school graduation or GED
• ACT composite score of 18 or above, or
• Combined Math and Critical Reading SAT score of 850 or above, or
• Passing score on Argosy University Entrance Exam
• A minimum score of 500 on the written TOEFL® or 61 on the TOEFL® Internet (iBT) is also required for all applicants whose native language is not English or who have not graduated from an institution at which English is the language of instruction.

Track II

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• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, a nationally accredited institution approved and documented by the faculty and dean of the College of Health Sciences, or an appropriately certified foreign institution.
• A minimum score of 500 on the written TOEFL® or 61 on the TOEFL® Internet (iBT) is also required for all applicants whose native language is not English or who have not graduated from an institution at which English is the language of instruction.

All applications for admission to the AAS in Medical Assisting degree program must be submitted to the Admissions Department. An admissions representative will help interested applicants to complete the following required documentation:

• Student Information Form
• Personal interview
• Completed Application for Admission Form
• Application fee (non-refundable, except in California and Arizona. In the state of Arizona, the application fee is refundable if the application is canceled within three business days of the applicant signing the Enrollment Agreement.)
• Proof of high school graduation or GED, or proof of earned college degree
• SAT/ACT or Argosy University Entrance Exam scores, and TOEFL® Score (if applicable)
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended
• Clinical Training Agreement
• Technical Standards Form
• Health forms

Allied health professionals perform a wide range of physical tasks and assignments, and they must accept certain risks that are inherent in healthcare delivery. In applying for admission to Argosy University, prospective students are given information regarding these tasks, and applicants agree that they are capable and willing to perform these tasks and assume these risks.

Graduation Requirements

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• Satisfactory completion of all requirements in the program of study
• Successful completion of all General Education courses with a letter grade of “C-” or better
• Completion of all technical courses with a grade of “C-” or better
• Completion of MED 110 , MED 150 , MED 220 , MED 280 , and MED 290  with a letter grade of “B-” or better
• Successful completion of all clinical training competencies and requirements
• A completed Petition to Graduate submitted to campus administration
• Students must also be current on all financial obligations in order to receive official final transcripts

 

AAS in Medical Assisting Degree Program—Track I Course Requirements

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The AAS in Medical Assisting degree program — Track I requires the satisfactory completion of 60 semester credit hours completed according to the sequence outlined below.

AAS in Medical Assisting Degree Program—Track II Course Requirements (Bachelor’s Degree Required)

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The AAS in Medical Assisting degree program — Track II requires the satisfactory completion of 45 semester credit according to the sequence outlined below.