MA 222 - Medical Assisting and Professionalism Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Students participate in discussions and evaluations of their 160-hour Medical Assisting Practicum Experience rotations. During the semester, students will create case studies identifying strategies to address difficult encounters with patients in ambulatory care settings and develop professional soft skills to be applied during interactions with patients, families, and other members of the allied health team. Best practices regarding professionalism, empathy, and interpersonal communication in the contemporary healthcare environment will be emphasized. Student participation is paramount to this problem-solving process.

Additionally, students will build a career portfolio, demonstrating a basic understanding of the practical application of clinical and administrative aspects of the medical assisting profession, highlighting their individual experiences observing, performing, and/or assisting with medical assisting procedures and activities. Students also complete a job search project in preparation to begin careers as competent and effective entry-level medical assistants. As part of the job search project students prepare cover letters, résumés and professional references to adapt to specific job postings, create LinkedIn profiles, solicit letters of recommendation, and participate in mock interviews, where they learn to navigate the interview process and use a portfolio during an interview.

Students prepare for the CMA (AAMA)® Certification Examination offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) by reviewing core program competencies required by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and participating in mock certification exams containing clinical, administrative and general questions commonly asked on the CMA (AAMA)® Exam. Students will also review the exam application process on the AAMA website (www.aama-ntl.org) and reiterate the importance of professional membership, involvement, and continuing education, as well as examine the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook forecast for the Medical Assisting profession.

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

recognize the necessary clinical and administrative skill set required of an entry-level medical assistant in contemporary healthcare settings;
demonstrate a basic understanding of the practical application of clinical and administrative medical assisting skills;
identify strategies to address difficult patient encounters;
analyze interpersonal relationships among the medical assistant and other members of the allied healthcare team;
discuss the importance of certification, professional membership, involvement, and continuing education;
develop job search tools, including cover letters, résumés, professional references, and LinkedIn profiles; and
identify the career forecast for the Medical Assisting profession.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of all courses containing the cognitive objectives, psychomotor competencies, and affective behaviors identified by the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines and MAERB Core Curriculum competency requirements for Medical Assisting Educational Programs.
Corequisites: MA 223
F/S (N)