Mar 29, 2024  
Spring 2019 Catalog 
    
Spring 2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

MA 126 - Clinical Office Procedures


Credit Hours: 4

A lecture/laboratory course which is designed to provide the medical assistant with entry-level skills in clinical office procedures. Instruction includes fundamentals of patient care as practiced in a medical office during examination and treatment. Laboratory sessions provide practice in: organizing the examination or treatment area before, during and after patient care; procedures for sanitization, disinfection and sterilization; adhering to the OSHA standard, recording subjective and objective patient data; procedures for patient positioning and draping; measuring and recording vital signs; performing eye and ear procedures; assisting the physician with the examination, treatment and minor surgery; instructing patients in the preparation for x-ray and diagnostic imaging procedures; and identifying surgical instruments.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • describe and demonstrate medical aseptic practices that should be followed in a medical office;
  • demonstrate the proper procedures for taking the vital signs of temperature, pulse, respiration, pulsoximetry, and blood pressure;
  • collect data from the patient for use in the health history, take height and weight measurements, demonstrate proper placement and draping of a patient, and proper assisting techniques during the physical examination;
  • demonstrate proper procedure for weighing and measuring the pediatric patient and growth chart plotting;
  • demonstrate proper procedure for testing distance and near visual acuity and assessing color vision; perform an eye and ear irrigation and eye and ear instillation;
  • demonstrate proper procedure for sanitizing office instruments, sterilizing articles using moist heat, and chemical disinfection;
  • demonstrate proficiency in performing sterile dressing change;
  • name and identify instruments used in minor office surgery and demonstrate proper use of each while maintaining a sterile field, and proper procedure for assisting in minor office surgery;
  • describe patient preparation required for each of the following types of x-ray examinations: barium meal, barium enema, cholecystography, intravenous pyelography, colonoscopy, and diagnostic imaging procedures;
  • enter patient information on medical chart;
  • apply proper medical terminology in all of the above areas;
  • explain the purpose of OSHA and identify OSHA guidelines;
  • project a professional manner through professional appearance, attendance and promptness for class; and
  • work as a team member.


Prerequisites: BI 147, BI 150/BI 151, MA 115
Corequisites: MA 125, BI 152.
F/S (N)