Medical Assisting (Academic Minor)

Clinical skills, patient contact hours and a path to national certification — whatever your major.

The College of Health and Human Sciences offers a 24-credit-hour minor in Medical Assisting, open to all students regardless of major. It enriches your current plan of study with skills you can use directly in a clinical setting.

Why This Minor

Medical assistants are in high demand across outpatient clinics, medical offices, hospitals, nursing homes and other medical settings. Work once performed by registered nurses — medical history, vital signs, phlebotomy, medication administration, EKG — is now often performed by medical assistants supporting nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and physicians.

The coursework gives you the knowledge and practical skills to sit for the national certification exam in medical assisting. If you do not want the certificate, the coursework still helps you compete for other entry-level healthcare positions.

Consider this minor if you are working part time as a medical assistant while finishing your degree, or if you plan to apply to graduate programs that require patient contact hours before acceptance.

Coursework

Required courses for the Medical Assisting minor, with credit hours.

Course	Hours	Description
BIOL 2010/2011	4	Detailed study of the structure and function of the human organism. Laboratory observations, demonstrations and experiments covering anatomical terminology, genetics, and the integumentary, skeletal, muscular and nervous systems. Credit not acceptable for a Biology major or minor.
BIOL 2020/2021	4	Continuation of BIOL 2010, covering the special senses and the circulatory, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. Prerequisite: BIOL 2010/2011.
HMSE 2000	2	Foundations of medical language, with emphasis on terminology and nomenclature for health and sport sciences.
HLSC 3000	3	Introduction to medical assisting and medical office management within the healthcare team, including legal and ethical considerations, safety, medical emergencies, basic pharmacology, nutritional requirements and rehabilitation procedures. Prerequisites: BIOL 2010/2011, BIOL 2020/2021, HMSE 2000.
HLSC 3001	4	Basic laboratory techniques and clinical exam room procedures, including vital signs, EKGs, preparing and administering medications, collecting and processing specimens, and phlebotomy. Prerequisites: BIOL 2010/2011, BIOL 2020/2021, HMSE 2000.
HLSC 3002	3	Medical assistant and patient interaction through written, verbal and electronic communication, including active listening, nonverbal communication, therapeutic communication, writing skills and telephone etiquette. Prerequisites: BIOL 2010/2011, BIOL 2020/2021, HMSE 2000.
HLSC 3003	3	Medical office administration responsibilities, including medical coding and billing, health insurance, medical record management and patient scheduling. Prerequisites: BIOL 2010/2011, BIOL 2020/2021, HMSE 2000.
HLSC 3004	1	Review of concepts in preparation for the Medical Assisting certification examination. Prerequisites: all other minor coursework.

Credit for Prior Learning

If you hold a certificate in medical assisting or have worked as a medical assistant, you may be eligible for additional Credit for Prior Learning.

Ask about the minor Credit for prior learning