Medical Assisting (Diploma)

Do you envision yourself working in the medical industry, delivering essential care to those who need it the most? Do you want to be an instrumental part of the healthcare industry? Medical assisting may be a great fit for you. From checking vital signs and preparing patients for exams to performing lab tests and assisting with surgical procedures, medical assistants are an invaluable part of many physicians’ offices.

A Medical Assisting Diploma from ECPI University’s College of Health Science could prepare you for this field, helping you to develop the knowledge, technical skill, and computer proficiency you’ll need to help others. Best of all, the Medical Assisting Diploma program could be completed in as little as 12 months through our full-time curriculum.

See also the following additional program information:

• Attendance Policy > Medical Assisting | AAS and Diploma (includes information about Late Assignments)

• Transferability of Credit > Medical Assisting section

About Medical Assisting

Medical Assistants perform a combination of clinical and administrative duties. Clinical duties might include preparing the patient for a physician’s examination, collecting and preparing specimens, performing basic laboratory tests and EKGs, removing sutures after surgery, changing dressings, sterilizing medical instruments, and administering injections. They also communicate extensively with patients and other healthcare providers. The administrative duties include scheduling appointments, recording information in electronics medical records, completing insurance forms, arranging for referrals to other healthcare institutions, performing billing functions, and purchasing and maintaining supplies and equipment. These duties occur in a wide range of healthcare settings, such as doctors’ offices, hospitals, clinics, urgent care, and other healthcare facilities.

Recommended Certifications

Certifications are not required for completion of this program; however, ECPI encourages student to obtain all appropriate certifications to increase potential job opportunities. ECPI provides students in this program with vouchers which allow the student to take certification exams at a greatly reduced cost. Students graduating from this program may be eligible to become Certified Medical Assistants (CMA), Registered Medical Assistants (RMA), Certified Phlebotomy Technicians, and EKG Technicians. Students should also obtain their CPR certification.

Student Evaluation

The faculty will use the objectives of the medical assisting program as criteria for student evaluation. The student‘s grades are determined by a combination of professionalism, written examinations, laboratory practical exams, competency checklists, and other assignments.

The student progresses to the next term when all prerequisite courses have been satisfactorily completed. Students must achieve a passing grade of “C” (73 numerical grade) in all MED courses.