Vision, Goals & Outcomes

Program Vision:

The Medical Assistant (MA) Program along with our skilled instructors and staff, assure that a quality health education program be delivered to every student interested in the career of Medical Assisting. Mid Michigan College MA Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program (CAAHEP) that reviews programs of study in healthcare.

The MA Faculty and Administration intend to:

  1. Continue quality improvement in the specific classes within the MA Program.
  2. Follow guidelines of accreditation established by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).
  3. Offer alternate ways of learning to benefit students.
  4. Meet with the MA Advisory Committee to discuss issues and updates to the program two times a year.

Program Goals:

  1. To prepare the student to seek employment as a trained MA and achieve an Associate’s degree in Applied Science.
  2. To prepare the MA student to pass the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) National Certification Examination.

Student-Specific Outcomes:

Students completing the MA Program will:

  1. Respect confidential information obtained through class work and externship.
  2. Uphold the honor and high principles of the profession and accept its disciplines.
  3. Participate in additional service activities aimed toward improving the health and well-being of the community.
  4. Demonstrate the knowledge, skills and professionalism required by employers and patients.
  5. Identify common clinical procedures performed in the medical office.
  6. Identify the AAMA Code of Ethics and practice within the scope of practice guidelines for a MA.
  7. Define the concept of medical asepsis and its relationship to infection control.
  8. Identify common bloodborne pathogens.
  9. Demonstrate knowledge of the systematic examination of patients.
  10. Apply administrative principles in the medical office setting.
  11. Demonstrate knowledge of medical and electronic records management, office accounting, and medical law and ethics in order to work in a medical office.
  12. Apply for and pass the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) National Certification Examination.

Assessment Tools & Data

The Medical Assistant Program at Mid Michigan College has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

CAAHEP
9355 - 113th St. N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775

(caahep.org) Phone: (727) 210-2350. Fax: (727) 210-2354 upon the recommendation of the Medical Assistant Education Review Board (MAERB) 20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1575 Chicago, IL 60606; email (maerb.org) 1(800) 228-2262.

This is a two-year competency based Associate in Applied Science degree program. Successful completion of the 169 tasks identified by individual chapter competencies, determines that each student has entry-level skills to enter the job market. These competencies are based on cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills and are assessed continuously throughout the program. Various evaluation methods are also suggested and identified with each competency that require a work product and are listed in the MAERB Standards & Guidelines (attached).

The program has the following goal defining minimum expectations.

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

Competency-based format has three components:

  1. The specific task to be mastered
  2. The conditions under which the student is expected to perform the task
  3. The standard of performance for the task

The Clinical Competencies must be met with a 100% pass rate. The Administrative and General Competencies must be met with a 75% or better to pass. If Clinical Competencies are not met with a 100% accuracy on the first attempt, one more attempt will be allowed at a date specified by the faculty. If the student fails to meet 100% accuracy after completion of the second attempt, the student will be required to retake that course.

The Medical Assistant curriculum ensures the achievement of program goals and learning domains. Instruction is based on clearly written course syllabi describing learning goals, course objectives, and competencies required for graduation. The Medical Assistant Advisory Board meets twice a year to assess goals and learning domains for the program. The board assists the program and sponsors personnel in formulating and revising appropriate goals and learning domains, by monitoring needs and expectations, and ensuring program responsiveness.

Strengths:

  • Knowledgeable full time faculty with a range of educational and professional backgrounds in administrative and clinical studies.
  • MA Program Director for continuous review, planning and development.
  • State of the art clinical lab facilities.
  • Small class size for clinical competencies (10 students-accomplished by split-lab sessions).
  • Nationally accredited through CAAHEP.
  • Opportunity for Students to sit for the national CMA certification exam before graduation.
  • More time was added in the clinical lab setting to complete all of the Clinical Competencies required by CAAHEP (ALH 212 & 213 were raised to 4 credit-hour courses 3 lab-2 lecture)
  • Community-wide recognition of Mid MA Program Graduates with weekly inquiries regarding job openings.

Weaknesses:

  • Too many administrative classes.
  • Looking for more interested stakeholders to join the Medical Assistant Advisory Committee.
  • MA Program classes only offered at the Harrison location currently.

Opportunities:

  • Mid is the only accredited school for Medical Assisting in the area.
  • Affiliation agreement with Mid Michigan Physicians Group/McClaren Health Systems/Spectrum Health Systems for student placement. More opportunities for students to become employed in the area.
  • CMA Credentialed Medical Assistants (AAMA) are more recognized within the physician’s office and other health care systems.
  • The need for Medical Assistants is very great within the surrounding communities.

Threats:

  • Limited Budget.
  • All students take the Certification Exam, but may not pass on their first attempt.
  • Finding qualified adjunct faculty.
  • Short-term MA training programs that produce “clinical” Medical Assistants. Administrative/General/Clinical training are all a vital part of the Medical Assistant role.

  1. We expect students to show/demonstrate a critical and analytical approach that recognizes multiple perspectives in the clinical setting prioritizing client care.
  2. We expect students to apply the appropriate theories, terminologies, and techniques in their work by providing appropriate patient care in the medical office.
  3. We expect students to follow the conventions of communication and presentation particular to the medical office and clinical setting by properly documenting assessment and patient interaction.

This program meets these goals because students will apply principles of aseptic technique and infection control to administer medications and immunizations. The student will perform within legal and ethical boundaries while learning to administer medications, and document the administration of medications accurately as specified on the competency guides. Students will have to use critical and analytical thought and critical reading skills to interpret data in order to demonstrate and identify common disorders of the human body and care for patients in the medical office setting.

Additional Information

Program Connection to the Mission and Strategic Goals of Mid

How does the Medical Assistant program support the mission and goals of Mid?

Mid Michigan College’s MA Program maintains accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program (CAAHEP) and meets all standards and guidelines set by this review board. Mid Michigan College offers this high-quality allied health program to help supply competent MA professionals to the surrounding communities and prepare students to enter the health care environment and provide services to patient populations.

HISTORY OF THE MEDICAL ASSISTANT PROGRAM

The Medical Assistant Program at Mid Michigan College was created in 1987 and is listed under the Allied Health Department. This two-year Associate in Applied Science Degree: Medical Assistant is designed to prepare students for a broad spectrum of entry-level positions in the medical assisting field. The student will learn cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skill) and affective (behavior) learning domains of medical assisting. Training includes administrative, general and clinical content to prepare graduates for a career in the health care environment.

Mid Michigan College’s MA Program has gained increasing popularity over the last decade. Statistics from the Annual Report Form for the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) show that the number of MA Program Graduates has fluctuated in the last 3 years, with graduates ranging from 15 students in Spring 2016 to 10 students in Spring 2018. The Mid MA Program Employment Placement Rate also reflects a tremendous increase throughout these years with an 87% positive rate for job placement. A total of 200 Students have graduated from the Mid Michigan College Medical Assistant Program since its creation in 1987.

Students who are interested in completing the Medical Assistant Program will need to submit an application online upon completion of prerequisites. After the Medical Assistant Program Director assess the student’s eligibility for program entrance, an acceptance letter will be sent to the student with further instructions on requirements for MA Program entrance. Entrance letters will go out in the Spring. The Mid Michigan College MA Program accepts a maximum 30 students for program entrance each Fall. Students who receive an Entrance Letter are required to complete a background check, which includes fingerprinting, a clear random drug screen and be clear of certain misdemeanor and felony crimes. Upon receipt of these prerequisite results, 30 students will be chosen to begin the MA program. Please do not hesitate to apply if you are finishing up prerequisite class in your Winter or Spring semester.

Questions can be directed to Jan Noteboom, Medical Assistant Program Director at: jnoteboom@midmich.edu or by calling (989) 386-6622 Ext. 315.

All Medical Assistant Students who complete this two-year degree are eligible to sit for the national Certified Medical Assistant examination through the AAMA. This exam fee has been added to the current program tuition to ensure that each MA Student who reaches their externship, will sit for the CMA examination. Since the beginning of the Mid Medical Assistant Program in 1987, one hundred sixty graduates have been a awarded a degree in this discipline. Accreditation status is still current and Mid Medical Assistant Program Graduates are proud to have completed the program.

Additional Information