Medical Assisting Planning Portfolio
Santa Ana College
Department Planning Template
Medical Assisting Program
Santa Ana College Mission Statement
The mission of Santa Ana College is to be a leader and partner in meeting the intellectual,
cultural, technological, workforce and economic development needs of our diverse community.
Santa Ana College prepares students for transfer, employment, careers and lifelong intellectual
pursuits in a dynamic learning environment.
Medical Assisting Vision Statement
The vision of the Medical Assisting Program is to be a program of excellence in preparation of
students for entry-level healthcare employment and promotion of lifelong career goals.
Medical Assisting Program Mission Statement
The Santa Ana College Medical Assisting Program prepares competent entry-level medical
assistant students to perform administrative and clinical tasks to support the work of medical
doctors and other health professionals in our diverse community.
Medical Assisting Outcome Statements:
Communication Skills: Students will demonstrate proficiency in speaking, reading and writing so
that their message of communication will be understood by the healthcare team and coworkers;
Think and Reasoning: Students will logically problem-solve situations that relate to the health
care setting demonstrating kindness, creativity and sound judgment;
Information Management: Students will adapt positively to technology as it relates to various
healthcare settings;
Diversity: Students will interrelate to the multicultural healthcare system with respect,
compassion and empathy to provide services for people of many cultures;
Civic Responsibility: Students will engage in activities that promote awareness, health and
safety, such as CPR and First Aid Training;
Life Skills: Students will take personal responsibility for health and well being and collaborate
effectively with others;
Careers: Students will be employable in a entry-level healthcare career upon completion of the
certificate and/or degree option of Medical Assisting.
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Medical Assisting Planning Portfolio
Department Characteristics
The program provides courses to prepare entry level skills for the graduate to function in the
medical and ambulatory healthcare settings. These courses include medical terminology
integrated with anatomy and physiology as well as various disease processes from a body
systems perspective; administrative front office; medical insurance and billing; clinical back
office; computer applications for the medical office; bloodborne and airborne pathogens;
cooperative work experience.
Medical Assisting Courses:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
MA001 Cooperative Work Experience
MA020 Bloodborne & Airborne Pathogens
MA051A Beginning Medical Terminology
MA051B Advanced Medical Terminology
MA053 Administrative Front Office
MA054 Medical Insurance & Billing
MA055 Clinical Back Office
MA056 Computer Applications for the Medical Office
The medical assisting department has one full time faculty member, and three part time
instructors. Faculty has background and expertise in nursing, medical assisting, and insurance
and billing. The students served by the department are diverse in age, race and socioeconomic
status. Many students come straight from high school to the community college setting to
acquire entry level skills to secure a job to provide income for the family. Others are students
who anticipate entry into other impacted health related programs, such as nursing, and are
looking to stay current in their knowledge base or refresh skills that were learned at an earlier
time. Another cohort of students is looking to develop a second or third career option to achieve
a higher level of occupational satisfaction. The medical assisting program offers a wide variety
of options and flexibility to facilitate all types of students and career building.
The Medical Assisting Department has participated in Vital Link Conferences and panels in the
community and various Advisory Committees which network with educators and employers. It
has been our experience that our program reflects current knowledge and practices.
Department Trends
Medical Assisting is a career that continues to be at the top of the careers in healthcare to pursue
in the next decade according U.S. Department of Labor statistics.
Enrollment
In 2009/2010 Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES) was 79.34 and in 2010/2011 there was an
increase in FTES to 84.50.
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Medical Assisting Planning Portfolio
Indicator
Headcount
Weekly Student Contact Hours (WSCH)
Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES)




MA020
MA051A
MA 051B
MA054
MA055
MA 056


Summer 2011
31
41.31
3.21
Fall 2011
409
1382.67
43.72
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Demographics are consistent with the urban college district of Santa Ana. There
continues to be a consistent underrepresentation of men in the department of less than
10% despite marketing attempts on campus and in the high school settings. Many
students are first time college students in their families. Demographics in terms of age,
gender and ethnicity will be collected in the eight course offerings in the spring of 2012.
Full-Time Equivalent Faculty (FTEF): One
Fill Rate: Fills within days of classes being offered. MA051A is built with large group
instruction up to 150 students.
Success Rates:
Course
MA001
MA053
Spring 2011
464
Semester
Fall 08
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Sp 08
Sp 09
Sp 10
Grades
8
11
10
27
44
29
162
171
154
62
60
74
43
58
54
32
33
35
36
44
52
33
35
30
%A
%B
93
68
72
31
25
28
35
30
38
33
26
24
32
42
14
36
20
19
55
60
47
7
% C/P
75
82
40
%D
%F
W
25
18
I
60
32
28
18
22
16
13
20
18
16
29
30
6
30
40
36
36
31
15
20
33
15
9
16
24
20
12
14
17
17
50
12
14
11
18
23
3
11
7
5
7
6
8
9
5
2
2
13
10
17
21
3
15
8
14
3
4
3
9
3
11
12
6
3
3
Success rates are not accessible by age, gender or ethnicity
Retention rates are reflected in the previous table
2
7
19
21
12
13
7
14
16
22
19
3
15
17
11
11
13
24
9
7
1
5
2
6
25
2
3
3
Medical Assisting Planning Portfolio
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Degrees and Certificates awarded:
Year
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
Degree
7
9
8
12
10
Certificate
35
35
31
43
37
There is a state certification test for medical assistants to take but the program at this time has no
mechanism in place at this time to track data. The number of students who take the test to
become a certified medical assistant from Santa Ana College is unknown. Medical Assistants
who are certified are more employable that those without certification.
Department Strengths
The Medical Assistant Program offers students two options to gain access to employment. Five
courses completed in two to three semesters and the student earns a certificate in medical
assisting and the student is immediately employable. Students are encouraged to continue on for
the degree option and complete Bus080 and a three unit elective as well as their general
education requirements. Students can work as a medical assistant while completing their degree
requirements. Students with a degree in medical assisting are more employable than those
without degrees. Students are encouraged to pursue lifelong learning and transfer to pursue
higher degree options
The curriculum is structured heavily with anatomy and physiology and disease processes in the
six units of beginning and advanced medical terminology courses. The part-time faculty are
experts in their field as certified medical assistant/LVN and insurance and billing. Another part
time faculty member teaches in the nursing program in the first semester and is a fine role model
and source of information to pursue the prerequisites for the nursing program at Santa Ana
College. The Department Chair has been an active nursing faculty member at Santa Ana College
since 1998 and in the last two years has worked as the Department Chair in Medical Assisting.
Our diverse students are motivated to learn and get that first job in healthcare. Other students
who benefit from the Medical Assisting Program are exploring interests and/or are waiting for
entry in programs in the health sciences: nursing, radiology, ultrasonography, hemodialysis, and
other health care careers. The department has collaborated successfully with nursing student
volunteers who assist with the return demonstration of back office skills in MA055. The medical
assisting students benefit with 1-on-1 support to accomplish their psychometric skills.
Medical Assisting Planning Portfolio
Lastly our campus at Santa Ana College is a strength for the department. Access to the Neilly
Library, Reading Center, Academic Computing Center, Tutoring Center, Success Center and the
SAC Bookstore are critical to the dynamic learning process. Fiscal support for the students in
terms of financial aid, work for your book program, EOPS/CARE, SAC Scholarship Program
and the SAC Foundation are vital for the students to have the opportunity to pursue a certificate
or degree in Medical Assisting without the financial barriers of poverty to impede their progress.
Course Success and Retention Rates are reflected in the previous charts. Success can also be
identified in the following:
Course
Term
Grade
A
Grade
B
MA020
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Fall 09
Sp 10
Fall 10
Sp 08
Sp 09
Sp 10
93
68
72
31
25
28
35
30
38
33
26
24
32
42
14
36
20
19
55
60
47
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MA051A
MA 051B
MA053
MA054
MA055
MA 056
28
18
22
16
13
20
18
16
29
30
6
30
40
36
36
31
15
20
33
Grade
C
15
9
16
24
20
12
14
17
17
50
12
14
11
18
23
3
11
Course
Success
Rate
100%
68%
100%
64%
56%
60%
72%
70%
68%
63%
72%
71%
88%
84%
68%
83%
74%
73%
73%
91%
80%
External relations with the community involves worshops, panel participation, and advisory
group participation with vital link. Building relationships with doctors’ offices and ambulatory
care settings is helpful to have placements for the Medical Assistant Externs for their cooperative
work experience as well as keep current with job trends and services.
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Medical Assisting Planning Portfolio
Departments Area for Improvement
The Medical Assisting Department at Santa Ana College has been active since 1973 and it has
yet to meet the standards of accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health
Education Programs and the American Association of Medical Assistants. This is the highest
priority of the department, to prepare the program to meet the standards for accreditation.
In order to do that the department needs to secure space for a lab with hot and cold running water
and adequate resources to deliver core curriculum. Currently we share space with the
Emergency Medical Technician Program in Russell Hall, classroom #309 for MA055. The
program shares the Nursing Computer Lab in R-303-1 to run MA054 & M056. The program
also shares the Nursing Skills Lab for MA055 to facilitate return demonstration of back office
clinical skills such as vital signs and injections.
The program needs to ensure unpaid supervised Medical Assistant Externship of at least 160
contact hours in an ambulatory healthcare setting for each student to perform psychomotor and
affective competencies prior to graduation from the program. Students need to be able to
perform venipuncture and capillary punctures to meet medical assisting education review board
curriculum standards. These items are currently not in place in the program.
Guidelines also require the Medical Assisting Program to have provider level CPR certification
and first aid training. At this time we refer students to the SAC Community Services Program to
become CPR and First Aid Certified. The Medical Assisting Program is also required to have a
Medical Advisor. The Department Chair has approached the physician in the SAC Student
Health Center and she is open to developing this collaboration.
Another area for improvement is to update the equipment to support the delivery of the core
curriculum as well as securing funds for program materials and accreditation.
Strategies the department had developed to address these needs for improvement have been
identified in the Departmental Portfolio System and in the Program Assessment and Program
Review Process.
Department Opportunities
Grant funds were awarded for purchase of venipuncture simulation equipment to support a class
for instruction that needs to be developed.
The Department has the support of the Science and Math and Health Sciences Dean as well as
the Associate Dean of Health Sciences.
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Medical Assisting Planning Portfolio
Department Challenges
The biggest external threats or challenges the department faces is funding. The state of
California is in an economic crisis and talk of undetermined budgets, shortfalls and “Trigger one
and Trigger two” cuts are exhaustive. The Medical Assisting Department feels this budget
malady in a decreased number of course offerings in the spring, specifically MA056. This class
is not required for the Medical Assisting Certificate; however, it deals with the computer
applications for the medical office, computerized charting and electronic health records. This is
a course used as an elective for the degree option or a class of interest for students who lack
computer skills prior to going into the job market and healthcare field that is much more
technology and computer-oriented. This course pulls all parts of the curriculum together and
cements the information for the student entering the work force. Another section of MA054,
Medical Insurance and Billing was a huge success this fall of 2011 and students are requesting an
additional section for the spring, but the college budget is prohibitive at this time.
The equipment used for instruction in MA 055 is in need of updating. We have dipsticks for
urinalysis testing that expired in the 1980’s! A electronic urometer would be excellent to
demonstrate basic medical office lab testing procedures.
Department’s 4-Year Strategic Direction
1. The Medical Assisting Program at Santa Ana College will be accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs and the American Association
of Medical Assistants.
2. Eliminate Economic Barriers:
a. We will have a Medical Assistant Lab with equipment that reflects current
healthcare and ambulatory care settings.
b. We will have multiple sections of course offerings each semester in MA053,
MA054 & MA055 and at least one course offering of MA056 each semester.
3. Sustain Excellence: Faculty and staff continue to love to teach and provide dynamic, fun
learning environments that promote achievement, employment and transfer and students
will continue to improve upon basics skills of reading, writing and speaking English.
4. Classroom Innovations: Students will have access to I-Pads/tablets/laptops in the
classroom for purposes of learning medical office programs for patient care, patient
interviewing, patient health histories, medication inventories, and insurance and billing.
5. Employment: The Department will have a database of students who have graduated and
successfully entered the work force as a proud SAC graduate of the Medical Assisting
Program.
6. Community: The program will have a supervised practicum MA001 for each student
enrolled in the degree option and we will have a robust network of community partners
that benefit from sponsoring our medical assisting externs in healthcare settings.
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Medical Assisting Planning Portfolio
7. New American Community: We will offer CPR and First Aid each semester for our
students to function more safely in the community.
The Medical Assisting Department’s Plan supports the strategic plan for Santa Ana College. The
Master Plan includes a new Health Sciences Building and this would be in synchronicity to the
needs of the department and college.
Services needed by the students in the Medical Assisting Department would include more
counseling provided to remediate basic skills; extended library hours to promote a safe place to
study; elongated academic computing center hours to complete homework as many of our
students do not have access to a computer at home; the Reading Center and the Writing Center
should be open to any registered student at Santa Ana College to use the valuable services
whenever needed during regularly scheduled hours each semester; finally, the Student Success
Center needs support to provide for the vast number of students they serve.
The impact of the budget impacts every facet of the program. The Medical Assistant Department
is small but, it is mighty! We are optimistic each semester that we are doing the best we can
with the resources we have. The students remind us humbly each day why we love instruction
and education. We are willing to work tirelessly for each of the items in this four year strategic
planning document.
The trends as we look to the future are vibrant and healthy. We will ebb and flow with the tides
of change related to students and college trends. We have a purpose and we are poised to honor
our vision and mission statements.
Department’s Planning Impact on Others
Medical Assisting, particularly the medical terminology courses are potentially helpful for all of
the Health Sciences students. The Nursing and EMT Department have been generous with their
space and resources. Hopefully, the Medical Assisting Department is able to carve out a
designated space for the program and we will continue to work collaboratively with our
colleagues.
Department’s Planning Participants
Catherine Emley, Department Chair
Becky Miller, Associate Dean of Health Sciences
Medical Assisting Faculty (Miss Carol Seitz, Miss Denise Randles, Miss Rowena Coliflores)
Respectfully Submitted, Catherine Emley, MN, BSN, BA (December 9, 2011)
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