Medical Assistants taking a patients blood pressure
Medical Assisting

Certificates and Course Requirements

In order to be eligible for entrance into the program, applicants must have completed the required prerequisites, MA70-Medical Terminology and ENGL 1A-English Composition with a grade of C or better, OR the classes must be in progress during the application period.

The AMAP provides a new, streamlined path to a career as a Registered Medical Assistant. Modeled after Cabrillo Colleges' Dental Hygiene, Nursing, and Radiology Technology programs, all students will 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 as they are used in this profession. Each semester builds on the skills and knowledge developed in the previous one so that by the end students are positioned for success.


Continue Reading

medical devices and a computer
vein being felt for blood draw
medical professionals
Medical assisting lab

The program is full-time and intensive. It is designed to result in a Medical Assisting Certificate of Achievement, including completion of 180 externship hours. Students will take on campus classes, full-time, for two consecutive semesters. The following third semester will be off campus, in a clinical externship site to complete 180 clinical hours.

Students may also complete an Associate in Science degree.

The three-semester program begins each Fall and Spring, with a mandatory orientation and Foundation Course. Students sign up for the entire block of classes, and they are guaranteed placement in all required medical assisting courses for the length of the program.

Upon program completion, students are eligible to apply for the following examinations for certification:

What is Needed

To be eligible to participate in the Accelerated Medical Assisting Program, you must complete the following prerequisite courses:

MA70 - Medical Terminology:

Teaches allied health students fundamentals of medical word building with emphasis on prefixes, word roots, suffixes, combining forms, abbreviations, and lay terms. May be offered in a Distance-Learning Format.

English 1A - College Composition:

Examines the goals, dynamics, and genres of academic writing; readings serve as models for student work and a catalyst for class discussions. Emphasis is on the writing process, research and inquiry, and writing for various audiences, purposes, and contexts or an equivalent course. Students compose a minimum of 6,000 words. May be offered in a distance-learning format. ENGL 1AH/1AMC/1AMCH or ESL 1A also accepted.

First Semester Courses

Courses include:

  • ALH 110: Pre-semester Foundation Course, 1 unit - meets for 5 days, Monday - Friday, 9 am - 5 pm, 2 weeks prior to the start of the semester

  • MA 100: MA Essentials, 4 units

  • MA 125: Clinical Skills for Medical Assistants I, 4 units

  • MA 170: Medical Terminology: Structure and Function and Disease processes of the human body, 4 units

  • MA 173A: Medical Law and Ethics, 2 units

  • MA 184: Healthcare Communication, 2 units

Total Units: 17

Second Semester Courses

Courses include:

  • MA 115: Administrative MA, 8 units

  • MA 135: Clinical Skills for Medical Assistants II, 6 units

  • CABT 101: Computer Proficiency, 3 units

Total Units: 17

medical assistant devices

Ready to get started?

Contact Natalya Miller for more information.