Medical Office Assistant Certificate
Health Workforce Shortage Program
Award: Certificate in Technical/Professional Studies
No. of credits required: 19
For more information: Contact Business & Applied Technology at bat@harford.edu; or Admissions, 443-412-2109.
Program Description
Students in this program acquire knowledge of medical terminology and office skills for administrative support in hospitals, physicians' offices, medical labs and clinics. The medical office assistant engages in activities such as greeting patients, answering the telephone, scheduling appointments, operating office equipment, issuing medical bills, and processing medical documentation.
Program Goals
Students who successfully complete the Medical Office Assistant Certificate will be able to:
- Demonstrate effective and professional communication skills used by a medical office assistant.
- Demonstrate problem-solving skills used by medical office assistant professionals in business decision making.
- Use information technology applications required by medical office professionals to develop business solutions.
- Prepare for a career in a medical office environment.
Admission Information
Students must have a qualifying score on the writing and reading assessment test for admission to the Medical Office Assistant certificate program.
Employment Information
Medical, legal and executive secretaries account for almost half of all secretaries and administrative assistants in the U.S. Locations for employment opportunities include hospitals, nursing homes, medical group practices, clinics, and home health agencies. Employment growth in the health services industries should lead to average growth for medical office assistants. According to the Occupational Handbook, projected growth is 19% adding 139,200 jobs by 2029.
Certificate Requirements
In order to earn a certificate from Harford Community College, students must demonstrate basic competencies in English, reading, and mathematics by completing: ENG 018 Integrated Reading and Writing, MATH 020 Pre-Algebra I, and/or a qualifying exam must be passed.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHS 101 | Medical Terminology and Ethics | 3 |
| BA 210 | Business Computer Applications | 3 |
| OS 100 | Keyboarding Basics | 1 |
| OS 113 | Intermediate Keyboarding and Document Processing | 3 |
| OS 135 | Medical Office Systems | 3 |
| OS 214 | Advanced Keyboarding & Document Processing | 3 |
| OS 235 | Medical Transcription | 3 |
| Total Credits | 19 | |