Delaware County Community College

Associate in Applied Science, Medical Assistant

The Medical Assistant program prepares students as multi-skilled healthcare workers who function as assistants to physicians and other healthcare professionals in a variety of ambulatory care settings. The responsibilities of the medical assistant include administrative and clinical duties.

An Associate in Applied Science will be awarded upon completion of the program with a 2.0 GPA and a “C” or better in all Allied Health and Nursing (AHN) courses.

Functional Abilities

Certain functional abilities that will enable the student to competently perform the required technical skills are necessary for the completion of the program. A functional abilities inventory is required from each student prior to the externship. Reasonable accommodations will be made on an individual basis.

Student Conduct

Students may be removed from the program for violation of safety, confidentiality or for behavior that is incompatible with the DCCC Code of Conduct pending the outcome of an appeal.

Externship

Selected clinical externship sites will be provided in local medical offices under the supervision of allied health instructors. The externship is a learning experience giving the student the opportunity to utilize learned skills in the medical office environment. The student may not receive monetary remuneration or other reimbursement. Students are required to carry liability insurance while in externship which is included in tuition.

In addition to normal tuition and fees, Medical Assistant students will have the following additional expenses for an externship: uniform, name tag, stethoscope, personal insurance, cost of a physical exam, required vaccines, drug screen, PA background check, PA Child Abuse Clearance, and FBI Background check including fingerprints, current CPR, and a program package form Castle Branch for collection of externship documents.

Documentation of the following must be on file by the provided deadline while the student is enrolled in AHM 107 Medical Assistant Techniques and Practicum II. Students will be unable to go on externship if there are missing documents.

• FBI Criminal Background Check (including fingerprints)
• Background Check and Child Abuse Clearance from the state of residency.
• Complete physical examination including laboratory testing
• Seasonal flu vaccine
• Covid Vaccine
• Hepatitis B vaccine
• 10-panel drug screens
• Two-step Mantoux PPD or QuantiFERON test
• Current CPR for Health Provider:
• American Heart Association – "Basic Life Support" OR
• American Red Cross – "BLS/CPR for Healthcare"

Third-party entities, such as clinical sites, require criminal background checks as a condition to participate in an externship in a medical office. Even if you have chosen the Medical Assistant Program as your major, sites may refuse you access to the facilities if the criminal background check does not meet the facility’s standards. The Medical Assistant Program will attempt to make other arrangements for such students to fulfill clinical requirements but may not be able to do so.

Details will be provided, and documents will be collected in AHM 107 Medical Assistant Techniques and Practicum II.

Medical Assisting Students are required to sit for the national certification exam offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) during a designated time. The cost of the exam is included in the AHM 107 Medical Assistant Techniques and Practicum II tuition. The exam is a requirement of the AHM 199 Medical Assistant Externship

Start Date

Every semester.

• Fall Semester: Late August
• Spring Semester: Early January
• Summer Semester: Late May