Medical Assisting
Instructional Planning Report
Spring 2014
Contents
Background and Analysis ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1
Program Description ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1-2
Relationships ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
Accreditation ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
College Relationships …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2-3
Learning Communities ……………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………...3
Local/Regional/Statewide Relationships .…..……………………………………………………………………………………3
Community Relationships ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Cost ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4-5
Student Learning Outcomes …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5-6
Curriculum Review ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6
Student Success ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6-7
Results of Student Surveys …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
Results of Graduate Surveys ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
Results of Employer Surveys ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
Analysis of External Data Research …………………………………………………………………………………………………………8-10
Conclusions/New Directions …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10-12
Program Planning Goals and Recommendations ………………………………………………………………………………… 12-13
List of Appendices ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………13
Medical Assisting
Instructional Planning Report
Spring 2014
Background and Analysis
Program Description
Medical Assisting (MA) offers the following degree and certificates:
A.S. Degree:
 Medical Assisting
Certificate of Achievement:
 Medical Assisting
Skills Certificates:
 Phlebotomy Technician
 Electronic Health Records
The Medical Assisting Program is nationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health
Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board
(MAERB). This accreditation ensures that a student graduating from the Medical Assisting Program can sit for
the national exam to become a nationally Certified Medical Assistant. Cabrillo’s Medical Assisting Program is 1
of only 6 California Community Colleges that hold this national accreditation.
The phlebotomy program is a state accredited program through the California Department of Health Services,
Laboratory Field Services. A student completing this program is eligible to sit for the national exam and become
a California State Certified Phlebotomy Technician I (CPT-I).
MA has one full-time program chair/instructor, one full-time instructor, and five adjunct instructors. We have
support staff including a 50% Program Specialist and a 40% Instructional Assistant.
The Medical Assisting (MA) Program has been undergoing an enormous transformation as it works to meet
the changing needs of a challenging healthcare field. In Fall 2010, the MA program was in jeopardy of
losing their national accreditation because the program did not meet the thresholds of ≥ 60% of graduates
being employed as medical assistants or in a related healthcare field and ≥ 70% of graduates passing the
national exam. To try to resolve these issues, the MA Program Chair met with local healthcare employers
on several occasions and solicited feedback about the MA program. The feedback given was that, even
though our students excelled in MA skills, they lacked basic skills in English and math and soft skills. The
MA Program Chair then began working closely with the Dean of CEED, Director of Workforce Development,
and representatives from the Career Ladders Project to incorporate basic skills and soft skills into the
current MA curriculum. In Spring 2012, we were awarded a $350,000 grant and the MA Program began the
transformation of creating a learning community called the Accelerated Medical Assisting Program (AMAP),
which has replaced our traditional MA program for students working towards a certificate or degree in
Medical Assisting. As a result of the changes listed above our program is now meeting all of the
accreditation thresholds. Our national exam pass rate went from 64% in 2010 to 91% in 2012. Our
placement rate went from 64% in 2011 to 83% in 2012.
The MA program continues to serve the needs of our non-AMAP students by offering courses and skills
certificates for incumbent workers, students who are exploring occupations in healthcare, and students
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from other allied health programs. For example, students on the waitlist in Nursing, Radiologic Technology,
and Dental Hygiene take MA courses while they are on their respective waitlists. In addition the MA
program offers a State accredited phlebotomy program.
AMAP provides a new path to a career as a Certified Medical Assistant. Modeled after Cabrillo’s Nursing,
Radiological Technology, and Dental Hygiene programs, all students take the same block of classes and move
through the program together as one cohort. The courses provide a strong foundation in the essential skills
employers have told us are needed to succeed in this career.
The first semester includes courses that develop the necessary math and writing skills used in this profession.
Each semester builds on the skills and knowledge developed in the previous semester, so that at the completion
of the academic program students are positioned for success.
AMAP is full time, Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 4:30. It is designed to result in a Medical Assisting
Certificate of Achievement with completion of externship hours in four semesters. Students may also complete
an Associate in Science degree. A new cohort begins twice a year, one during the Fall semester and one during
the Spring semester. Students need to apply for the program and are accepted on a first come, first serve basis.
We accepted 30-40 new students per semester. This is currently the only pathway for students pursuing a
certificate or degree in Medical Assisting.
Relationships
Accreditation
The Medical Assisting Program maintains a relationship with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health
Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). The phlebotomy
program maintains a relationship with the California Department of Health Services, Laboratory Field Services.
College Relationships
The faculty and staff of the MA Program continue to work collaboratively with multiple programs on campus. We
recently collaborated with the CABT, Math, and English programs to create contextualized courses for our
medical assisting students. Our MA-70 Medical Terminology course is a pre-requisite for the Radiology
Technology Program.
Medical Assisting is a part of the Allied Health Department. The Director of Allied Health and the program chairs
work collaboratively to implement new policies and procedures that affect all of the programs. Our recent
efforts are focused on student success and the implementation of the ACE Foundation Course for all of our
incoming students.
The Accelerated Medical Assisting Program is an excellent fit for students affiliated with Extended Opportunity
Programs and Services (EOPS/CARE) and Fast Track to Work (FTTW). Typically 1/3 of the MA cohort students
come from these programs.
We are currently working on building stronger relationships with both counseling and financial aid to help better
serve the needs of our students.
Both the MA program students and phlebotomy students are required to complete an externship. This
externship is run through the Cooperative Work Experience Education (CWEE) program. Two MA faculty
members serve as coordinators for these externships in which students are placed at local healthcare facilities.
Both the MA program students and phlebotomy students have required health screening for their externships.
Student Health Services (SHS) provides these screenings for our students. Student Health Services also allows 1-
2|Page
2 of our MA externs to be placed at their facility to complete their MA training. In addition, SHS hires MA
graduates to work in their clinic.
The MA program recently began partnering with the Academy for College Excellence (ACE) to help ensure
student success in the program. Two faculty members from MA were trained as Master Mentors and currently
teach the Foundation Course for our incoming cohort students. The Foundation Course is an intense 8-day presemester experience where students are taught the traits of a successful student, communication skills,
professionalism, leadership skills, and working in teams. During this experience, students are able to bond with
their classmates and their instructors. Since beginning to offer this to our incoming cohorts in Spring 2013 we
have seen an improvement in professionalism of the students with a reduction in student behavioral issues and
increase in student-to-student support.
The MA program chair and students received the unique invitation to present at the April 2013 Cabrillo College
Board meeting and the Cabrillo Foundation Annual luncheon. Both presentations exemplified effective student
success strategies. A Board Member congratulated the program on the changes that have been made.
The Accelerated Medical Assisting students are active participants in Cabrillo College events including the S4C
Fourth Grade Experience, College and Career Night, Amgen Race, blood drive, teacher appreciation dinner, and
student social events.
Learning Communities
In Spring 2012, AMAP became a learning community on Cabrillo College Aptos Campus. AMAP accepts students
in the fall and spring semesters to begin the program. Students are required to be on campus Monday-Friday
from 8:00-3:30 p.m. When not in classes, students complete their homework assignments with the support of
peer study groups. Students who follow this model have found success in their college courses whereas
numerous students reported they had not in the past.
Local/Regional/Statewide Relationships
Health Careers Partnership (HCP)- The Health Careers Partnership works county-wide to bring educators and
employers together to address the healthcare educational needs of the community. The MA program chair
attends annual meetings and actively participates in subcommittees.
Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC) – The MA program chair is an active member of the BACCC
and Medical Assisting Faculty Forum, which is a subcommittee of the BACCC. The BACCC works on a regional
level to address the needs of employers and the Bay Area Community Colleges. The Medical Assisting Faculty
Forum meets 2-3 times a year to discuss issues that affect the regional medical assisting programs. Topics thus
far have included accreditation, curriculum, implementation of electronic health record courses and strategies
for gaining and keeping externship sites. Areas of future focus will be on updating curriculum to include the
enhancing roles of the medical assistant.
Health Workforce Initiative (HWI) – The MA program chair worked collaboratively with other MA instructors and
current medical assistants to update the state DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) and write curriculum for
medical assisting.
Career Ladders Project (CLP)- The Career Ladders Project works in partnership with California Community
Colleges state-wide to provide educational and career advancement opportunities for Californians. The CLP
fosters these opportunities through research, policy initiatives and strategic assistance to colleges and their
workforce development partners. (http://www.careerladdersproject.org/). The MA program chair continues to
work collaboratively with the CLP. Thus far we have sponsored two contextualized teaching and learning
workshops presented by the CLP at Cabrillo College for faculty and staff of Cabrillo and the local high schools.
The MA program chair was invited by the CLP to participate in a panel presentation about contextualized
learning at the Student Success Conference in Fall 2012.
3|Page
Community Relationships
The MA program faculty and staff communicate regularly with members of its Community Advisory Committee
(CAC) on programmatic matters to assess the needs of local employers. An annual Community Advisory
Committee meeting is held each spring. We have a very close relationship with our local employers as their
facilities also serve as externship sites for our students. The externship coordinators are in close contact with
them throughout the semester via email, telephone calls, and site visits. Our goal is to increase the CAC
meetings from one a year to two and to hold a separate meeting of just the employers once a year so that we
may better serve their needs.
Enrollments
Academic
Year
Course
Enrollment
FTES
Fall
Spring
Fall
Spring
2008/09
1131
1167
91.3
2009/10
998
1026
2010/11
836
2011/12
2012/13
Section Fill
Rate
Fall
Spring
95.7
99.5%
100.8%
83.8
88.2
96.4%
92.8%
954
76.3
89.9
89.2%
89.0%
788
794
70.8
71.2
84.9%
90.2%
729
786
66.1
73.6
82.3%
90.7%
Enrollments dropped in 2008/09 in
response to campus wide reductions due
to the recession. The reduction of the
FTES in 2011/12 is the result of switching
over to a cohort model and only accepting
a certain number of students into the
Medical Assisting Program per semester
based on labor market research and
feedback from employer partners. We
continue to get additional FTES from noncohort students, phlebotomy students,
and students from other programs taking
MA70 (Medical Terminology).
Fill rates have remained high, though slightly below the college average. The 5-year average fill rate for MA
was 92%. For the college over the same period of time it was 95%.
Cost
Program Income - FTES
Academic
Year
Program
College
2008/09
203
12,995
2009/10
182
2010/11
Base Expenditures
Percent
of
Income
Percent
of
Expense
FTES/
Expense
Ratio
Program
College
1.56%
$348,338
$28,576,256
1.22%
1.3
12,283
1.48%
$333,425
$26,987,796
1.24%
1.2
174
11,637
1.50%
$280,304
$26,689,764
1.05%
1.4
2011/12
150
11,244
1.34%
$288,825
$25,974,013
1.11%
1.2
2012/13
145
10,517
1.38%
$276,821
$25,252,502
1.10%
1.1
Average
1.2
The MA program has been consistently efficient, generating on average 20% more revenue than it does
expenses and 20% more WSCH/FTEF than the college average.
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MA
program
Academic
Year
FTES
Fall
WSCH
Spring
Fall
FTEF
Spring
Fall
Spring
WSCH/FTEF =
Load
Fall
Spring
2008/09
91.3
95.7
2,843
2,995
4.1
4.1
702
733
2009/10
83.8
88.2
2,623
2,764
3.7
4.4
714
628
2010/11
76.3
89.9
2,393
2,808
3.6
4.6
665
616
2011/12
70.8
71.2
2,352
2,220
3.8
3.8
622
579
2012/13
66.1
73.6
2,123
2,303
3.9
3.9
551
590
Source: Datatel XFAS report [Faculty Assignment sheets.]
MA to College
Comparison
College
Academic
Year
WSCH/FTEF =
Load
Fall
Spring
Academic
Year
MA/College
Load Ratio
Fall
Spring
2007/08
551
555
2007/08
1.5
1.4
2008/09
603
614
2008/09
1.2
1.3
2009/10
628
605
2009/10
1.1
0.9
2010/11
605
589
2010/11
1.1
1.2
2011/12
590
569
2011/12
1.3
1.2
Average
1.2
Source: Datatel XFAS report [Faculty Assignment Sheets.]
Student Learning Outcomes
SLOs had been written for courses and programs by the previous program chair. In Fall 2011, the current
program chair began working with the SLO coordinator to devise a plan for assessing course and program
SLOs. The MA faculty had never conducted SLO assessments so this process was talked about during the
flex week program meeting in Spring 2012. At that time, course SLOs were looked at and discussions held
amongst the faculty on the best ways to assess the course and program SLOs. It was determined at that
time that the SLOs were going to be very difficult to assess because of the way they were written. It was
also discovered that SLOs for courses in some cases were incorrect, i.e. not based on curriculum covered in
that course, and that program SLOs were not written using the current format. Therefore, it was decided
that all of the SLOs for courses and programs needed to be rewritten. The program chair continued
working with the SLO coordinator to write assessable SLOs for all MA courses and programs. This was
accomplished in Fall 2012.
The MA program was selected to pilot the new CurricUNET SLO Assessment Module. Course SLO
assessments were conducted by three MA faculty members in Fall 2013. The SLO coordinator then trained
these three faculty members on inputting data into the CurricUNET SLO Assessment Module. In Spring
2014, the program chair trained the remaining MA faculty on how to use the Assessment Module. The
three MA faculty members who participated in this training learned from their assessments that are SLOs
are currently written in a way that they can be assessed and that there is room for improvement in
instruction to ensure all students will master the course SLOs. The MA faculty is currently in the process of
5|Page
assessing the remainder of the course SLOs. MA faculty will use the Assessment Module to input data by
the end of this semester and discussions regarding results of the assessments will be held at the Fall 2014
flex week meeting. This process will be ongoing until all course and program SLOs have been assessed.
During our work on the SLOs and our beginning assessment of them, we began having dialogue about
teaching best practices in the MA program. The desire to seek guidance from colleagues and to share
current teaching methods was brought about by first brainstorming about methods that could be used to
assess SLOs. As faculty shared ideas, a richer conversation began about what was currently happening in
the classrooms and how beneficial it would be to continue to share teaching methods with each other. The
program chair and the full-time faculty member meet weekly to discuss students' progress, curriculum, and
ongoing programmatic changes. All faculty are invited to attend this meeting but because of conflicting
schedules, no adjunct faculty have been able to attend. We will continue to try to arrange meetings where
more faculty can participate in the future.
C u r r i c ul um R e v i ew
All courses, certificates, and the A.S. degree were reviewed. Most courses were updated to reflect occupational
changes and accreditation curriculum requirements. Several courses which have not been offered in the last two
years were inactivated. The Medical Assisting Program reduced its certificate/degree offerings in Fall 2013 as a
result of no demand for insurance specialists in the area. Based on employer feedback we have determined
that there are very few jobs for students who are trained as administrative medical assistants only, particularly
insurance specialists. Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) and Physicians Medical Group (PMG) have
outsourced all of their billing and coding. Our employer partners have told us that they will only hire Medical
Assisting students who have graduated with both administrative and clinical skills and who have taken the state
or national test to become a Certified Medical Assistant. Therefore, we have decided to inactivate the
Certificate of Achievement and Associate in Science degree in Medical Insurance Specialist. Student success
continues to be the main focus of the Medical Assisting Program so further changes will be made in the courses
required for the certificate of achievement, sequence of courses taken, and support given to incoming, current,
and graduate students of the Medical Assisting Program.
Student Success
Medical Assisting
Academic
Year
Course
Success
College
Course
Completion
Course
Success
Course
Completion
Fall
Spring
Fall
Spring
Fall
Spring
Fall
Spring
2008/09
70%
75%
89%
90%
69%
69%
86%
85%
2009/10
73%
77%
89%
87%
70%
71%
85%
85%
2010/11
77%
72%
89%
83%
71%
72%
86%
86%
2011/12
72%
69%
85%
86%
72%
73%
87%
87%
2012/13
73%
77%
89%
90%
72%
72%
88%
87%
Average
74%
88%
71%
86%
The Medical Assisting Program
is slightly above the college
totals for student success.
With the implementation of
the cohort model that began in
Spring 2012, the goal is to
continue to increase course
and program success. We are
currently looking at equity
gaps to determine if this is a
factor in course success
6|Page
C r e d e nt i a l i n g E x a m O u t co m e s
2 0 1 3 A n n u a l R e p o rt M A E R B
Total
Year of
Total Exam
Number of
Graduation
Passers
Graduates
2009
2010
2011
2012
Total
25
11
34
23
93
18
7
25
21
71
Accreditation Thresholds Established by MAERB
Exam Pass
Rate All
Grads
Over the last three years our national exam
pass rate has gone from 63.64% to 91.3%.
72%
63.64%
73.53%
91.30%
76.34%
70%
Results of Student Surveys
In Fall 2013, the program chair requested that a new survey be taken to get feedback from students in our newly
redesigned program which now includes cohort students participating in the Accelerated Medical Assisting
Program and non-cohort students who enter the program the traditional way. Only classes that had a mix of
students were surveyed. The survey results below reflect some dissatisfaction with the program and faculty
because, under the grant, cohort students received perks such as scrubs and textbooks for the first semester,
and guaranteed registration for all of their classes. The non-cohort students feel there is favoritism given to the
cohort students. This survey was taken just a few weeks into the fall semester. Two new instructors were hired
and were teaching two of the courses surveyed. Suggestions were made regarding revising faculty assignments
and more faculty training. New faculty members are mentored by the program chair and full-time faculty
member. As a result of the surveys, the program chair and faculty continue to work diligently to increase
student satisfaction while in the medical assisting program.
The surveys of our graduates and employers of our graduates show 100% satisfaction rate for the last 5 years.
Refer to Tables E & F below.
Students surveyed in the MA program are female (87%), male (13%), have a high school diploma or higher
(96.5%), and are taking 12-15 units per semester (81.2%). Most respondents (80%) state that they would
recommend MA classes to other students and the majority plan to take more MA classes at Cabrillo (87.1%). A
majority (96.5%) of students responded that they have career plans within this field. These results suggest that
MA classes are valuable to students who are strongly focused on career goals and see value in the employment
preparation that MA courses offer.
The majority of students surveyed feel that the course workload is appropriate (85.7%) and that the syllabi
accurately reflect what is taught in class (89.3%). In response to the question, “What do you consider the major
strengths of this program?” students most frequently mentioned excellence of instructors (35 times), the handson instructional methods used in the program (7) and great facilities and excellent lab equipment (5). In
response to the question, “What are your suggestions for improving the program?” several responses included
better enforcement of rules of the AMAP program regarding attendance, uniform, and behavioral issues (9) and
suggestions were made regarding faculty assignments and training of new faculty.
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2 0 1 3 A n n u a l R e p o rt M A E R B
G r a d u a t e S u rv e y R e s ul t s
Number
of Grads
Returning
Surveys
Participation
Percent
Number
of
Surveys
with
Positive
responses
Cognitive
Number of
Surveys with
Positive
responses Psychomotor
Number
of
Surveys
with
Positive
responses
- Affective
Number
of Surveys
with
Overall
Positive
Responses
Percent
Grad
Survey
Success
Calendar
Year
Admitted
Number
of
Graduates
Number
of Grad
Surveys
Sent
2008
34
34
22
65%
22
22
22
22
100%
2009
27
27
19
70%
19
19
19
19
100%
2010
27
27
23
85%
23
23
23
23
100%
2011
14
14
12
86%
12
12
12
12
100%
2012
6
6
6
100%
6
6
6
6
100%
Total
108
108
82
76%
82
82
82
82
100%
Accreditation Thresholds
Established by MAERB
30%
80%
2 0 1 3 A n n u a l R e p o rt M A E R B
E m pl o y e r S u r v ey R e s ul t s
Admissi
on Year
Total
Number
of
Positive
Placeme
nts
Number
of
Grads
Employ
ed as
MA or
in
Related
Field
Number
of Grads
Whose
Employ
ers
Were
Sent
Surveys
Numbe
r of
Grads
Whose
Employ
er
Return
ed
Surveys
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Total
21
21
20
9
5
76
10
13
17
4
3
47
8
8
12
3
2
33
8
8
12
3
2
33
Accreditation
Thresholds Established
by MAERB
Participati
on
Percent
Number
of
Surveys
with
Positive
respons
es Cognitiv
e
Number of
Surveys
with
Positive
responses
Psychomo
tor
Number
of
Surveys
with
Positive
respons
es Affectiv
e
Number
of
Surveys
with
Overall
Positive
Respons
es
Percent
Employ
er
Survey
Success
80%
62%
71%
75%
80%
70%
8
8
12
3
2
33
8
8
12
3
2
33
8
8
12
3
2
33
8
8
12
3
2
33
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
30%
80%
A n a l y s i s o f E x t e r n a l Da t a R e s e a r c h
Medical Assistants are one of the fastest growing occupations in California. Employment growth is expected
because of the increase in the number of group practices, clinics, and other healthcare facilities that need
greater numbers of support personnel, particularly the flexible Medical Assistant who can handle both
administrative and clinical duties. Because many healthcare employers prefer a trained staff, job prospects
should be best for Medical Assistants with formal training or experience.
8|Page
Projections of Employment
In California, the number of Medical Assistants is expected to grow faster than average growth rate for all
occupations. Jobs for Medical Assistants are expected to increase by 22.4 percent, or 18,100 jobs between 2010
and 2020.
In Santa Cruz County, the number of Medical Assistants is expected to grow faster than average growth rate for
all occupations. Jobs for Medical Assistants are expected to increase by 22.6 percent, or 140 jobs between 2010
and 2020.
Estimated Employment and Projected Growth
Medical Assistants
Geographic Area
Estimated Projected Numeric Percent
(Estimated Year-Projected Year) Employment Employment Change Change
California
(2010-2020)
Santa Cruz County
(2010-2020)
Additional Openings
Due to Net
Replacements
80,900
99,000
18,100
22.4
12,400
620
760
140
22.6
100
Source: EDD/LMID Projections of Employment by Occupation
Annual Job Openings
In California, an average of 1,810 new job openings per year are expected for Medical Assistants, plus an
additional 1,240 job openings due to net replacement needs, resulting in a total of 3,050 job openings.
In Santa Cruz County, an average of 14 new job openings per year is expected for Medical Assistants, plus an
additional 10 job openings due to net replacement needs, resulting in a total of 24 job openings.
Estimated Average Annual Job Openings
Medical Assistants
Geographic Area
(Estimated YearProjected Year)
California
(2010-2020)
Santa Cruz County
(2010-2020)
Jobs From
Growth
Jobs Due to
Net Replacements
Total Annual
Job Openings
1,810
1,240
3,050
14
10
24
Source: EDD/LMID Projections of Employment by Occupation
Wages
The median wage in 2013 for Medical Assistants in California is $32,836 annually, or $15.79 hourly. The median
wage for Medical Assistants in Santa Cruz County is $40,194 annually, or $19.32 hourly. The median is the point
at which half of the workers earn more and half earn less.
9|Page
Low
(25th percentile)
Median
(50th percentile)
High
(75th percentile)
California
$26,434
$32,836
$39,575
Santa Cruz County
$32,649
$40,194
$44,847
Annual Wages for 2013
Source: EDD/LMID Occupational Employment Statistics Survey, 2013 Wages do not reflect
self-employment.
Low
(25th percentile)
Median
(50th percentile)
High
(75th percentile)
California
$12.71
$15.79
$19.03
Santa Cruz County
$15.70
$19.32
$21.56
Hourly Wages for 2013
Source: EDD/LMID Occupational Employment Statistics Survey, 2013. Wages do not reflect selfemployment.
Conclusions/New Directions
The MA program graduated its first cohort in Fall 2013. While dramatic changes have been made, the process of
redesign is far from complete. More work is necessary in the following areas: maintaining alignment between
program learning outcomes and the changing role of the Medical Assistant; right-sizing the program for a
dynamic labor market; retaining students to completion; ensuring that students have clinical experience; and
staffing the program appropriately for the new design.
Program Outcomes
The requirements of the MA position are evolving at a faster pace as the Affordable Care Act is finally being
implemented. It is imperative for the program to remain in close dialog with industry to keep abreast of
employer’s changing expectations.
 Continue to convene the MA Advisory Committee once each year and continue to participate in the
BACCC Medical Assisting marketplace to maintain alignment between the PLOs and the occupation’s
requirements. Cost: $200, travel. Source: Perkins. Responsibility: faculty, CEED Dean. Timeline: ongoing,
annual.
 Attend conferences and workshops and other professional development opportunities. Cost: $2000
conference fees and travel. Source: Perkins. Responsibility: faculty, CEED Dean. Timeline: ongoing,
annual.
 Curriculum revisions will be necessary, including new course development. We do not know what those
courses will be at this point, but once the need is identified it may be imperative for student success and
employer satisfaction that we be able to respond quickly. There is a need to determine a way to be able
to develop a course in one semester and offer it in the next. This may require advocacy with the COCCC
and with the Statewide Senate. Responsibility: Curriculum Committee Chair, VPI, Faculty Senate
President, Dean CEED.
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Right-sizing the Program for the Labor Market
The labor market demand for Medical Assistants is also in flux as is the supply. There are many other educational
institutions preparing people for this occupation (other colleges, ROP, adult schools, private schools) and it
appears that the supply is substantially higher than the demand. On the other hand, employers are telling us
that they are not able to find sufficiently well-prepared applicants. PAMF who employs 1400 MAs, recently
reached out to the Bay Area Community College Consortium (hosted by Cabrillo) for assistance in meeting their
need for well-prepared applicants. Some project that the demand for medical assistants will dramatically
increase as healthcare reform increases and providers implement a medical care team that relies on medical
assistants to deliver services that enable nurses and doctors to be more efficient with their time. The program
will need to closely track demand for our graduates to determine the right size for our program.
 Continue to closely track Employment Outcomes Survey. Integrate accreditation reporting requirements
with Survey to reduce duplication of effort, increase response rate. Share results of EOS with students
and encourage participation in survey after they have graduated. Cost: no extra costs. Responsibility:
Program Chair, PRO, CEED Dean. Timeline: integration - prior to carrying out EOS in late spring.
Distribution to students - graduating class spring 2014, all classes fall 2014.
 Approach Health Improvement Partnership to request formal assistance in determining the right
number of students to be graduating to serve Santa Cruz County employers’ needs. Also consult with
Advisory Committee. Cost: no extra costs. Responsibility: Program Chair, Allied Health Director, Dean
CEED. Timeline: Fall 2014
 Continue to work towards building a stronger relationship with financial aid to better serve the needs of
our students. Responsibility: Program Chair and Director of Enrollment Services.
Retention to Completion
Retention of students to the end of the program continues to be a challenge. Many of the students have
enormous ground to cover between the start of the program and its completion. Retention rates for the cohorts
have improved as the program has made curricular, pedagogical, and staffing adjustments. But there is room
and a need for improvement. Areas to address this include improving students’ awareness of the program
requirements and assisting them in making better choices about whether to enter the program, refining
placement processes, improving the rate at which students acquire basic skills, improving resilience and selfefficacy, and improving economic supports.
 Improving Guidance to Students Before they Enroll
We believe retention can be increased to some extent by assisting students to make better choices
about whether to enter the program. We ask that the Counseling & Guidance department and PRO
assist us in devising a strategy to measurably improve retention. Elements of this strategy may include
changes to how counselors guide students, orientations or assessments, work with some of the referring
agencies, and research into best practices. Cost: $500 research stipend for Counselor or faculty to
research best practices. Source: Perkins. Responsibility: Chair C&G, PRO, MA Program Chair. Timeline:
research summer 2014, design Fall 2014, implementation Spring 2015.
 Improving Acquisition of Basic Skills
Students continue to struggle with the acquisition of basic skills in the MA program. One strategy under
consideration is to require a higher level of skills for entry into the program. This would likely reduce the
program’s accessibility to CalWORKs and WIA participants and other economically and academically
disadvantaged students. Another strategy is to allow more students into the initial stages of the
program. We have had sufficient success with contextualized instruction to believe that it is worthy of
further development. Responsibility for developing and teaching these classes is unclear.
 Implementation of ACE Foundation Course: The ACE Foundation Course is designed to increase student
success by helping students develop non-cognitive skills. It addresses traits of a successful student,
communication and team-building skills, and identification of learning styles. AMAP is a learning
community and the ACE Foundation Course helps ensure incoming students have bonded with each
11 | P a g e
other and are acclimated to this type of supportive educational environment. With grant funding, the
ACE Foundation course has been run as a separate course prior to the start of the following semesters:
Spring 2013, Fall 2013, and Spring 2014. In these semesters we have seen greater retention than in the
previous two semesters where similar curriculum was added into existing courses. Cost: Allocation of
3.25 TUs $5640.00 per semester.
Staffing
The realignment of the program around a cohort model and staffing changes required by years of budget
reductions are requiring a redesign of how the program is staffed. There are certain critical elements of the
curriculum, such as learning to give injections, that require more staff presence in order to ensure the health and
safety of students. Adding additional staff in this capacity would be beneficial in providing additional safety
measures for our students, increase our capability of maintaining accurate records for our accreditations, and be
more support for our students which will help to increase student success.
70% IA position (increase from current 40% position)
o Medical Assisting students are required to perform invasive procedures such as phlebotomy and
injections on each other according to our accreditation standards. These lab classes have between 2530 students in them. The instructor is required to watch every single injection and every single blood
draw. For safety reasons it is imperative to increase the current 40% IA position to a 70% position to
enable the IA to be present in all clinical classes. Additional duties include, but are not limited to, proper
disposal of sharps, inventory control, setting up and breaking down labs, and student support· As there
is a need to maintain two separate accreditations (MA and phlebotomy) increasing this position would
increase our capability of maintaining accurate records for these accreditations.
Allocate 3 TUs for externship coordinator
o Both Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy students are required to complete an externship of 180 hours or
120 hours respectively. We currently have a limited number of externship sites. Students will not
graduate if they do not complete their externship. Currently some students’ graduation is being delayed
by a semester because of the limited number of sites available. Allocating 3 TUs to the externship
coordinator will ensure there is adequate time to acquire new sites, maintain current sites, place extern
students in sites, and complete all of the necessary paperwork as mandated by our accreditation
regarding externships.
Additional Programmatic Costs (costs will vary depending on current market value)
o Furniture/Equipment maintenance and replacement (e.g. beds, phlebotomy chairs, scales, autoclave,
EKG machines, spirometer, stethoscopes, urinalysis machine, etc).
o Repair broken equipment
o Replace outdated equipment (EKG machine $3000-$5000; autoclave $6000). Anticipate need to
replace equipment beginning in 2016. Equipment replacement schedule would be one piece of
equipment per year at a cost of $3000-$6000.
o Repair or replace broken lab furniture
Program Planning Goals and Recommendations with costs
1. Staffing: Increase 40% IA position to 70% (10 mos). Cost: $36,694.
2. Staffing: Allocate 3 TUs for externship coordinator. Cost: $5205.00.
3. ACE Foundation Course implementation: 3.25 TUs (per semester). Cost $11,278.
4. Faculty professional development: Conference attendance/travel to regional meetings. Cost: $2200.00.
5. Curriculum changes based on employer need/accreditation requirements. Cost: $1735.00 per TU.
12 | P a g e
6. Improve guidance to students before they enroll. Cost: $500 stipend for research.
7. Furniture/equipment maintenance and replacement. Cost: $3000-$6000 per year.
Program Planning Goals and Recommendations with no costs
1. Continued work on resizing the MA program for the labor market.
2. Annual Community Advisory Committee meetings.
3. Continued tracking of Employment Outcome Survey.
4. Improving guidance to students before they enroll.
List of Appendices
 Occupational Program Assessment Analysis
 2013-14 MA Catalog pages
13 | P a g e
Occupational Program Assessment Analysis
Use the form below to summarize the results of the department meeting in which you discussed the results of
your program’s assessment process. Include this form in your Instructional Plan and incorporate the results into
the narrative of your instructional plan.
Department
Medical Assistant
Meeting Date
8/23/12
Number of Faculty in Attendance
(% of full time and adjunct plus
total)
8 (2 full-time, 6 adjunct)
Number of Faculty sharing
Assessment Results – if applicable
(% of full time and adjunct plus
total)
8 (2 full-time, 6 adjunct)
SLO(s) Competency Measured
MA70, MA185B, MA160, MA165, MA170B, MA172,
MA173A, MA176, MA176L MA181, MA183C, MA184,
MA130, MA130A, MA130AL, MA150, MA188
Certificate of Achievement/AS Medical Assistant
Certificate of Achievement/AS Medical Insurance Specialist
Skills certificate: Phlebotomy Technician
Skills certificate: Electronic Health Records
Assessment Tool
(Briefly describe assessment tool)
For the assessment of the course SLOs, Certificate of
Achievement/AS in Medical Insurance Specialist and skills
certificate in Electronic Health Record test questions, in
class assignments and in class demonstrations were utilized.
For assessment of the Certificate of Achievement/AS –
Medical Assistant pass rate of the national exam was used.
For assessment of the skills cert: Phlebotomy Technician
pass rate of the national exam was used.
Assessment Results
(Summarize the overall results of
your department including any
It was unanimously decided that the current SLOs that we
had for the courses and programs were not able to be
assessed accurately; therefore, all course and program SLOs
14 | P a g e
students needs and issues that
emerged)
were rewritten.
Next Step in the Classroom
o
to Improve Student Learning
(list all the items faculty felt would
help them improve student
learning)
Next Step in the Department
to Improve Student Learning
(check all that the department felt
would help them improve student
learning)
Priorities to Improve Student
State goals or objectives of assignment/activity more
explicitly
o Revise content of assignment/activities
o Revise the amount of writing, oral, visual, clinical or
similar work
o Revise activities leading up to assignment
o Increase in-class discussions and activities
o Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
o Provide more frequent feedback on student progress
o Increase guidance for students on assignments
o Use methods of questions that encourage competency
o State criteria for grading more explicitly
o Increase interaction with students outside of class
o Ask a colleague to critique assignment
o Collect more data
o Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement
necessary
X Other (please describe) : All course and program SLOs
were rewritten.
o
Offer/encourage attendance at seminars, workshops or
discussion groups about teaching methods
o Consult teaching and learning experts about teaching
methods
o Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency
o Write collaborative grants to fund departmental
projects to improve teaching
o Prove articles/books on teaching about competency
o Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
o Create bibliography of resource material
o Have binder available for rubrics and results
o Analyze course curriculum to determine that
competency skills are taught, so that the department
can build a progression of skills as students advance
through courses
o Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements
necessary
X Other (please describe) Assess newly revised course and
program SLOs on a more regular basis and share feedback.

Ensure faculty teaching the courses understand
fully the SLOs and discuss ways to best assess them.
15 | P a g e
Learning
(List the top 3-6 things faculty felt
would most improve student
learning)


Since SLOs needed revision, faculty discussed best
teaching practices for all courses with the goal of
implementing these in current courses.
Faculty discussed the benefit of having more
interactive in-class assignments and would begin to
utilize these strategies.
Implementation

(List the departmental plans to
implement these priorities)
Timeline for Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of your top
priorities

PC will ensure faculty for all courses understand
SLOs and how to assess them.
PC will ensure SLO assessment is discussed at
faculty meetings during flex week .
Once new SLOs have been approved through curriculum
they will be reassessed beginning Fall 2013.
Best teaching practices will be implemented immediately.
Faculty will begin to create and implement more interactive
in-class activities.
16 | P a g e
Occupational Program Assessment Analysis
Use the form below to summarize the results of the department meeting in which you discussed the results of
your program’s assessment process. Include this form in your Instructional Plan and incorporate the results into
the narrative of your instructional plan.
Department
Medical Assistant
Meeting Date
4/24/13
Number of Faculty in Attendance
(% of full time and adjunct plus
total)
3 (1 full-time, 2 adjunct)
Number of Faculty sharing
Assessment Results – if applicable
(% of full time and adjunct plus
total)
2 adjunct
SLO(s) Competency Measured
MA180, MA186, MA189
Assessment Tool
The SLOs for these courses are measured with in-class
demonstrations by the students.
(Briefly describe assessment tool)
Assessment Results
(Summarize the overall results of
your department including any
students needs and issues that
emerged)
Faculty felt that students were able to demonstrate
proficiency of the student learning outcomes. Faculty
assessed student proficiency of the SLOs over several course
periods.
17 | P a g e
Next Step in the Classroom
to Improve Student Learning
(list all the items faculty felt would
help them improve student
learning)
Next Step in the Department
to Improve Student Learning
(check all that the department felt
would help them improve student
learning)
o
State goals or objectives of assignment/activity more
explicitly
o Revise content of assignment/activities
o Revise the amount of writing, oral, visual, clinical or
similar work
o Revise activities leading up to assignment
o Increase in-class discussions and activities
o Increase student collaboration and/or peer review
o Provide more frequent feedback on student progress
o Increase guidance for students on assignments
o Use methods of questions that encourage competency
o State criteria for grading more explicitly
o Increase interaction with students outside of class
o Ask a colleague to critique assignment
o Collect more data
o Nothing; assessment indicates no improvement
necessary
X Other (please describe) Faculty felt the SLOs were
appropriate and students were proficient in these areas.
o
Offer/encourage attendance at seminars, workshops or
discussion groups about teaching methods
o Consult teaching and learning experts about teaching
methods
o Encourage faculty to share activities that foster
competency
o Write collaborative grants to fund departmental
projects to improve teaching
o Prove articles/books on teaching about competency
o Visit classrooms to provide feedback (mentoring)
o Create bibliography of resource material
o Have binder available for rubrics and results
o Analyze course curriculum to determine that
competency skills are taught, so that the department
can build a progression of skills as students advance
through courses
X Nothing; assessments indicate no improvements
necessary
o
Priorities to Improve Student
Learning
Other (please describe)


(List the top 3-6 things faculty felt
Since these courses involve coding and computer
skills, the faculty felt repetition is the best way to
improve student learning in these courses.
Faculty felt continuing to have in-class activities is
important to improve student learning.
18 | P a g e
would most improve student
learning)
Implementation
(List the departmental plans to
implement these priorities)
Timeline for Implementation
(Make a timeline for
implementation of your top
priorities

Faculty felt continuing to discuss teaching best
practices with colleagues would be beneficial in
improving student learning.
PC will encourage open dialogue between the faculty
regarding teaching best practices and SLO assessment.
PC will ensure that SLO assessment is discussed during flex
week during faculty meetings.
Faculty will begin immediately implementing teaching best
practices.
Assessment of SLOs will continue during flex week Fall
2013.
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MEDICAL ASSISTING
Health, Athletics, Wellness, and Kinesiology Division
Ian Haslam, Division Dean
Division Office, Room 1102
Pamela Sanborn, Program Chair (831) 479-6438
Aptos Counselor: (831) 479-6274 for appointment
Watsonville Counselor: (831) 786-4734
Call (831) 479-6248 for more information http://www.cabrillo.edu/programs
Medical Assisting A.S. Degree
Program Description:
The Cabrillo College Medical Assisting Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health
Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review
Board (MAERB). Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), 1361 Park Street,
Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 210-2350. The Medical Assistant is an integral part of the medical team; thus the job
demands the same high caliber of ethics, attitude, confidentiality and performance that the public has come to
expect of the medical profession. Opportunities are many and varied, depending upon such factors as personal
ability, experience and education. Medical Assistants may become managers of clinics or group practices as well
as assist in the physician's office, clinic or hospital.
Security Screening:
To comply with state and local regulations for health care providers, students participating in externships
through the Cabrillo College Medical Assisting program are required to meet vaccination and drug testing
requirements and provide documentation to the Student Health Services Center before being placed at an
externship site. Students are also required to complete criminal background checks and may be required to
undergo fingerprinting.
Medical Assisting Certificate of Achievement and A.S. Degree:
Students completing the requirements for the AS degree or Certificate of Achievement: Medical Assistant will:
1. Accurately & safely perform medical assisting tasks and procedures.
2. Perform receptionist and administrative medical facility duties.
3. Interact professionally and ethically with patients and medical facility personnel, working within the medical
assistant scope of practice.
A.S. General Education 21 Units
Core Courses (32-32.5 units)
MA 70 Medical Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MA 160 * Basic ICD-10-CM and CPT Coding . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 165 *****Injection Short Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 170B Medical Terminology-Structure and Function of the Body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MA 172 Medical Office Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
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MA 173A Medical Law and Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5
MA 176 ** Introduction to Medical Assisting Procedures. . . 3
MA 176L ** Medical Assisting Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 181 Medical Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MA 183C *****EKG Complete Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MA 184 Health Care Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MA 185B *****Phlebotomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 199C *** Career Work Experience Education . . . . . . . . . . 3
CABT 31 Microsoft Word. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CABT 110A **** Computer Keyboarding-Alphabet Keys . . . . . 0.5
and
CABT 110B **** Computer Keyboarding-Numbers/Symbols . 0.5
Approved Electives (6.5-7 Units) Units
CABT 111 Using Speech Recognition Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CABT 156 Writing for the Workplace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CABT 102 10-Key Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
COMM 2 Group Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
COMM 6 Listening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 100 Medical Assistant Essentials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
MA 150 Pharmacology for Medical Assistants. . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MA 180 ICD-10 Diagnostic and Procedural Coding . . . . . . . . 3
MA 186 CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) Coding . . . . 2
MA 188HP Human Pathophysiology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MA 189 Electronic Health Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5
MATH 190ALH
Math for Allied Health Careers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
PSYCH 35ABC
Death and Dying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
SPAN 1 Elementary Spanish I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SPAN 2 Elementary Spanish II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SPAN 3 Intermediate Spanish I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SPAN 4 Intermediate Spanish II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Total Units 60
*Students who have completed MA 180 and MA 186 are excused from this course and may substitute one unit
from the Approved Electives list.
**This course must be taken within one year of externship.
***All core classes must be completed before MA 199C can be taken.
****Students who enter the program with an ability to type 40 WPM should substitute CABT 110C to increase
typing speed.
*****MA 165, MA 185B, MA 183C must be taken in semester immediately preceding MA 199C (externship).
Cabrillo College Catalog–2013-2014 addendum
Medical Assisting Certificate of Achievement
Core Courses (32-32.5 Units) Units
MA 70 Medical Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MA 185B *****Phlebotomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 160 * Basic ICD-10-CM and CPT Coding . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 165 *****Injection Short Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 170B Medical Terminology-Structure and Function of the Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MA 172 Medical Office Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
21 | P a g e
MA 173A Medical Law & Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5
MA 176 ** Introduction to Medical Assisting Procedures. . . 3
MA 176L ** Medical Assisting Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 181 Medical Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MA 183C *****EKG Complete Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MA 184 Health Care Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MA 199C *** Career Work Experience Education . . . . . . . . . . 3
CABT 110A **** Computer Keyboarding-Alphabet Keys . . . . . 0.5
and
CABT 110B **** Computer Keyboarding-Numbers/Symbols . 0.5
CABT 131 Microsoft Word. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Other Required Courses (3 units)
CABT 157 Business and Technical Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
or
ENGL 100 Elements of Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
or
ENGL 1A/1AH/1AMC/1AMCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Total Units 35.5
*Students who have completed MA 180 and MA 186 are excused from this course and may substitute one unit
from the Approved Electives list.
**This course must be taken within one year of externship.
***All core classes must be completed before MA 199C can be taken.
****Students who enter the program with an ability to type 40 WPM should substitute CABT 110C to increase
typing speed.
*****MA 165, MA 185B, MA 183C must be taken in semester immediately preceding MA 199C (externship).
Electronic Health Records Skills Certificate
Program Learning Outcomes:
Students completing the requirements for the skills certificate Electronic Health Record will:
1. Correctly navigate an electronic health record system to record patient encounters, maintain health records
and access patient information.
Core Courses
MA 70 Medical Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CABT 38 Introduction to Microsoft Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
CABT 101 Computer Proficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CABT 102 10-Key Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CABT 110A * Computer Keyboarding-Alphabet Keys . . . . . . . . 0.5
and
CABT 110B * Computer Keyboarding-Numbers/Symbols . . . . 0.5
or
CABT 110C Computer Keyboarding-Speed Development . . . . . 0.5
MA 173A Medical Law & Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5
MA 189 Electronic Health Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5
Total Units 13.5-15
*Students who begin this skills certificate with an ability to type 40 WPM should substitute CABT 110C to
increase typing speed.*
Phlebotomy Technician Skills Certificate
Program Learning Outcomes:
22 | P a g e
Students completing the requirements for the skills certificate Phlebotomy Technician will:
1. Accurately and safely draw blood using capillary and venipuncture procedures.
2. Label, handle, and process blood and non-blood specimens to avoid pre-analytical sources of error and deliver
to appropriate department.
Required
MA 130A * Phlebotomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5
MA 130AL * Phlebotomy Lab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MA 130B * Phlebotomy-Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5
MA 199C * Career Work Experience Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MA 70 Medical Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Total Units 9
*This course is required for California State Licensing, and must be taken within one year of MA 199C
externship.)
Medical Assisting Courses:
MA 70 Medical Terminology
3 units; 3 hours Lecture
Recommended Preparation: ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches allied health students fundamentals of medical word building with emphasis on prefixes, word roots,
suffixes, combining forms, abbreviations, and lay terms.
Transfer Credit: Transfers to CSU.
MA 100 Medical Assistant Essentials
4 units; 3 hours Lecture, 3 hours Laboratory
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches essential principles, skills, and professionalism for success in the medical assistant profession.
MA 110 Administrative Medical Assisting
Procedures
3 units; 3 hours Lecture
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant students administrative skills utilized in outpatient medical settings.
MA 111 Introduction to Insurance and Medical Office Financial Management
3 units; 3 hours Lecture
Prerequisite: MA 160 or MA 186 and MA 180.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant students basic financial management and insurance billing procedures utilized in
outpatient medical settings.
MA 120 Clinical Medical Assisting Procedures
6 units; 4 hours Lecture, 6 hours Laboratory
23 | P a g e
Prerequisite: MA 70.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant students theory along with clinical skills utilized in outpatient medical settings.
MA 130A Phlebotomy
1.5 units; 1.5 hours Lecture
Prerequisite: MA 70.
Corequisite: MA 130AL or current California phlebotomy certification.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
California Certified basic phlebotomy course teaching proper collection of blood specimens, choice of proper
equipment, venipuncture techniques, patient care, safety, tests, and quality assurance. This course is designed
for all beginning students and for phlebotomists with less than 1,040 hours of experience. Students who wish to
become California state certified phlebotomists must complete MA130A, MA130B and MA130AL, and a 120hour externship. Phlebotomists with less than 1,040 hours must take MA130A and B to become certified.
Phlebotomists with more than 1,040 hours must take MA130B. All students must pass a national phlebotomy
certification examination to become certified. May be offered in a Distance-Learning Format.
MA 130AL Phlebotomy Lab
1 unit; 4 hours Laboratory
Corequisite: MA 130A or current California phlebotomy certification.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Provides the skills portion of the MA 130 series for beginning phlebotomy students working towards state
certification. Students will perform approximately 35 venipunctures and 2 skin punctures, learning
clinical and hospital procedures. A two-unit externship (MA 199C) is also required for those planning to become
state certified phlebotomists.
Students MUST bring a copy of verification of Hepatitis B vaccinations 1 and 2 to the first class. Student skills
must demonstrate compliance to safety instructions or students may be dropped from course. New students who wish to become California state certified phlebotomists must complete MA 130A, MA 130B and MA
130AL, and a 120-hour externship. Phlebotomists with less than 1,040 hours must take MA 130A and B to
become certified. Phlebotomists with more than 1,040 hours must take MA 130B. All students must pass a
national phlebotomy examination to become certified.
MA 130B Phlebotomy-Advanced
1.5 units; 1.5 hours Lecture
Prerequisite: MA 130A or current California phlebotomy certification. MA 130AL.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches phlebotomy equipment, techniques, patient care, safety, tests, advanced infection control and biohazards, quality assurance and communications. Advanced lecture required for state certification. Course
designed for all students including phlebotomists with more than 1,040 hours of phlebotomy experience. All
students must pass a national phlebotomy examination to become certified. May be offered in a DistanceLearning Format.
MA 150 Pharmacology for Medical Assistants
2 units; 2 hours Lecture
Prerequisite: MA 70.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100; Eligibility for MATH 154.
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Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant and allied health students drug therapy including the mechanisms of action,
therapeutic effects, clinical indications, reactions, and interventions.
MA 160 Basic ICD-10-CM and CPT Coding
1 unit; 1 hour Lecture
Prerequisite: MA 70.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches basic principles and conventions of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical
Modification (ICD-10-CM) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding classification systems to students
not majoring in billing or coding.
MA 165 Injection Short Course
1 unit; 0.5 hour Lecture, 1.5 hours Laboratory
Prerequisite: MA 70.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches allied health students and current health care employees the correct procedures for administering
intramuscular, intradermal and subcutaneous injections.
MA 170B Medical Terminology-Structure & Function of the Body
3 units; 3 hours Lecture
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant and allied health students terms of anatomy, physiology, diseases, diagnostic,
operative, and x-ray procedures.
MA 172 Medical Office Procedures
4 units; 4 hours Lecture
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant students administrative skills and basic financial management utilized in outpatient
medical settings.
MA 173A Medical Law & Ethics
1.5 units; 1.5 hours Lecture
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant and allied health students medical law, liability, and ethics.
MA 176 Introduction to Medical Assisting
Procedures
3 units; 3 hours Lecture
Prerequisite: MA 70.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Hybrid Requisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in MA 176L.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant students theory of clinical skills utilized in outpatient medical settings.
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MA 176L Medical Assisting Lab
1 unit; 3 hours Laboratory
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Hybrid Requisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in MA 176.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant students clinical skills utilized in outpatient clinical settings.
MA 180 ICD-10 Diagnostic and Procedural Coding
3 units; 3 hours Lecture
Prerequisite: MA 70 and MA 170B.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches principles, functions, format, conventions, and guidelines of International Classification of Diseases 10th
Revision Clinical Modification and Procedural Coding System (ICD-10-CM/PCS) for coding assignments as
applicable to all levels of health care services for statistics and reimbursement.
MA 181 Medical Insurance
3 units; 3 hours Lecture
Prerequisite: MA 160 or MA 180 and MA 186.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches theory and application of medical insurance billing and procedures as used in medical facilities.
MA 183C EKG Complete Skills
2 units; 1 hour Lecture, 3 hours Laboratory
Prerequisite: MA 70.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches electrocardiography skills, holter and stress monitoring, and recognition of cardiac irregularities.
MA 184 Health Care Communication
2 units; 2 hours Lecture
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches medical assistant and other allied health students skills of professional conduct and interaction for
healthcare settings and job-related social settings.
MA 185B Phlebotomy
1 unit; 0.5 hour Lecture, 1.5 hours Laboratory
Prerequisite: MA 70.
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches health students and current healthcare employees phlebotomy. Course does not satisfy California State
Phlebotomy licensing requirements.
MA 186 CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) Coding
2 units; 2 hours Lecture
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches procedural coding for office and outpatient procedures.
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MA 188HP Human Pathophysiology
3 units; 3 hours Lecture
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches allied health students general principles of disease processes with emphasis on etiologies and
physiological changes, diagnostic procedures, preventive measures, and current treatment.
MA 189 Electronic Health Records
1.5 units; 1 hour Lecture, 1.5 hours Laboratory
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Teaches the use of electronic health records documenting patient encounter from scheduling to recording
medical information.
MA 190AZ Special Topics in Medical Assistant
0.5 - 5 units; 0.5 hour Lecture
Recommended Preparation: Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100.
Repeatability: May be taken 1 time.
Investigates special selected areas of interest in Medical Assistant not covered by regular catalog offerings. The
special areas will be announced, described, and given their own titles and letter designations
in the Schedule of Classes.
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May 7, 2014
MA Program Planning
Goals and Recommendations
1.
Description:
Staffing: Increase IA position to 70%; (10 mos)
Cost
$36694 (general fund)
2.
Staffing: Allocate 3 TUs for externship coordinator
$5205 (general fund)
3.
ACE Foundation Course implementation - 3.25 TUs per semester
$1735x3.25 x2
$11278 (general fund)
4.
Faculty Professional Development (conferences/travel expenses to
meetings)
$2200 (Perkins)
5.
Curriculum changes based on employer needs/accreditation requirements
$1735 per new TU required
(general fund)
6.
Improve guidance to students before they enroll
$500 research stipend for
counselor or faculty (Perkins)
7.
Furniture/equipment maintenance and replacement
estimate $3000-$6000 per year
(general fund, possibly Perkins)
8.
9.
10.
.
.
Cabrillo College
5/7/2014 10:48 AM
May 7, 2014
MA Program Planning
Goals and Recommendations
Description:
1.
Cost
None
Continued work on resizing the MA program for the labor market.
2.
None
Annual Community Advisory Committee meetings.
3.
None
Continued tracking of Employment Outcome Survey.
4.
None
Improving guidance to students before they enroll.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
.
.
Cabrillo College
5/7/2014 10:48 AM