Picture yourself as a medical office assistant, working in a physician’s office after less than four months of training.
It’s possible at Laredo Community College, where a new one-semester basic certificate program for the medical office assistant is set to start this fall.
Prospective students are encouraged to apply immediately for admission to the college and to be considered for admittance to the MOA program.
Classes, which start Monday, Aug. 28, will be taught in the evenings and include medical terminology, first aid, medical assisting special topics and clinical rotation. Students must be ready for intermediate college reading (READ 0374) to be eligible for admission to the program.
Norma Moore, chair of the Allied Health Department, said that the new training program will prepare students with the professionalism and skills needed to help them adapt to a medical office.
“The basic Medical Office Assistant program will expose students to medical terminology, computer skills and first aid techniques they need to work in a doctor’s office or a clinic,” Moore said. “Additionally, the program will focus on phone etiquette skills, emphasize the importance of being a team player and offer a guide on utilizing conversation skills to communicate appropriately with patients and colleagues in a medical office setting.”
Appropriate posture, self-confidence boosters and reading skills also will be addressed in the classroom, which will be led by medical assisting coordinator/instructor Elizabeth Kurczyn and other faculty members.
Moore added that the basic MOA program offers a perfect opportunity for graduates to advance their careers toward clinical or administrative certificate programs for the medical office assistant at LCC.
The Medical Assistant program at LCC is composed of three certificate plans and an associate of applied science degree that share a common technical core of courses that applies to each curriculum plan. Specialized courses apply toward the chosen certificate plan (including Administrative, Clinical and Coding) and/or the AAS degree.
For instance, graduates of the Coding Certificate can perform advanced coding techniques, data collection and documentation requirements in the health information environment, among other tasks. They also learn about the federal regulation perspective payment systems and methods of reimbursement.
Tuition and books for the 15-hour college credit MOA basic certificate program are $815, considerably more affordable than that offered by area vocational schools.
Financial assistance is available for eligible students, and assistance in job placement is offered to graduates.
“There are lots of jobs out there for the medical office assistant,” Moore noted.
First-time LCC students should complete the Texas Common Application for Admission to Two-Year Institutions, available online at www.laredo.edu/admissions.
The application for admission to the MOA program also is available online at www.laredo.edu/healthsciences or at the LCC Allied Health Center, room 129.
For more information, call the LCC Allied Health Department at 721-5261.
Students in the basic Medical Office Assisting program at Laredo Community College can complete their training in less than four months to seek employment in a medical office. Registration is now in progress for fall 2006 admission.
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