Medical Assistant (MA)

• Mid's MA faculty are experienced in medical assisting and strive to produce medical assistant graduates who perform at high levels and stand out from the rest!
• Small cohorts of students begin the program each Fall to ensure that students receive individual attention from instructors.
• Students gain hands-on, real-world experience through work in local laboratories or medical offices. These experiences include a venipuncture workshop and 160-hour externship, which includes 80 hours of administrative and 80 hours of clinical skill building.
• Mid’s MA Program was just awarded re-accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
• Mid Michigan College’s MA associate degree and training credential are well known for producing multi-skilled, high quality graduates.
• Local medical professionals request and reserve employment opportunities for Mid’s MA students months before they are placed in their externships, and often contact the MA Program Director when they are searching for quality employees.
• 91% of MA Program graduates are employed.

Mid's Medical Assistant Program & Pathways prepare you to sit for the National Certified Medical Assistant Exam through the National Association of Medical Assistants (CMA AAMA), and is taken during the capstone Medical Assistant course. Successful completion of this certification exam means MA Program graduates enter the healthcare workforce with confidence and documented achievement of the skills they have mastered.

Mental and Physical Qualifications Required of Medical Assistant Students

Minimum acceptable mental and physical qualifications for professional medical assisting include the following abilities.

• Frequently work in a standing position and do frequent walking.
• Lift and transfer patients up to six inches (6”) from a stooped position, then push or pull the weight up to three feet (3’).
• Lift and transfer patients from a stooped to an upright position to accomplish exam table-to-chair and chair-to-exam table.
• Physically apply up to ten pounds (10#) of pressure to bleeding sites, or in performing CPR.
• Respond and react immediately to verbal instructions/requests and to auditory signals from monitoring equipment; perform auditory auscultation without impediment.
• Physically perform up to a twelve-hour shift clinical laboratory experience.
• Physically close and distance visual activities involving objects, persons, and paperwork, as well as discriminate depth and color perception.
• Discriminate between sharp/dull and hot/cold when using both hands.
• Perform mathematical calculations for medication preparation and administration.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, using appropriate grammar, vocabulary, word usage, and interpersonal skills.

Students are responsible for determining their own eligibility in light of these qualifications, for informing the College of any potential problems, and for notifying their instructors of any accommodations they may need.

Students with disabilities are encouraged to connect with Student Accommodations and may utilize these services to determine appropriate accommodations. Students with disabilities who enter the program do so with the understanding that they will be expected to meet course requirements with any reasonable accommodation that may be provided by the College.

Medical Assisting is a profession with many rewards, as practitioners can perform both administrative and clinical services, filling several roles in a variety of healthcare environments. 

Medical Assistants work directly with providers and patients, with the goal of providing healthcare and ensuring patient safety. It is a position with a great deal of responsibility.

As with any healthcare position, there are certain occupational risks that come into play with being a medical assistant, and those hazards include the following:

• Exposure to infectious diseases
• Sharps injuries
• Bloodborne pathogens and biological hazards
• Chemical and drug exposure
• Ergonomic hazards from lifting, sitting, and repetitive tasks
• Latex allergies
• Stress

At the same time, there are protections set up with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and those protections are particularly important within a healthcare environment. OSHA has a series of standards that protect the safety of healthcare workers and patients.

Accredited medical assisting programs are required to teach students about the hazards that they face on the job and the protocols that can be put into place to ensure a workplace culture that prioritizes safety.