The Career Pathway Certificate of Completion: Medical Aide prepares students to work in a medical office or as an aide in a health care setting. Medical clerical workers or aides will process and transmit information to physicians, patients, and office personnel and outside organizations. These activities require a good command of the English language, medical terminology, and a basic understanding of the structure and functions of the human body. Medical clerical workers or aides must be tactful in their dealings with many different people, and therefore should possess excellent interpersonal skills. Discretion, judgment, organizational ability, and initiative are important, as well as versatility and adaptability. Conscientiousness, a sense of responsibility, and respect for the confidential nature of medical information are also required. Sample jobs/titles include: Home health aide, residence assistant, office clerk/receptionist.  For information on other medically related careers view the Allied Health website.

This Career Pathway Certificate leads to an Associate of Applied Science Medical Assistant. To see how this program links to others at Southwestern click here. For more information contact the administrative assistant, Sumner Hall, Rm 4 541-888-7443 or the director at 541-888-7298. Click here to view more information about the Nursing & Allied Health program.

Graduation Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 31 credit hours with a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or better. All courses must be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or better. One course must be completed at Southwestern before the Career Pathway Certificate of Completion: Medical Aide is awarded.

Complete the graduation application process one term prior to the term of completion (e.g., spring term graduates must apply during winter term).

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:

• Apply prefix, suffix, and root word meanings related to human body systems, to the pathology, diagnostic procedures and treatments associated with these systems.
• Describe normal structure and function of all human body systems.
• Demonstrate effective communication skills (listening and speaking) that can be applied in future employment settings.

Pre-Program Courses

Students are required to take the following courses prior to the program courses, depending on students' college placement information. See advisor for details:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
CIS90	Computer Basics (or demonstrate proficiency)	2
OA121	Beginning Keyboarding	3

Program Guide

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Credits
AH100	Introduction to Health Care Careers	2
AH111	Medical Terminology I	3
AH121	Body Structures and Functions I 1	3
CIS120	Concepts of Computing	4
OA124	Keyboard Skill Building	3
	Credits	15
Winter
AH112	Medical Terminology II	3
AH122	Body Structures and Functions II 1	3
AH152	Medical Law and Ethics	2
BA285	Human Relations in Organizations 2	3
HIM110	Health Information Technology	5
	Credits	16
	Total Credits	31

1	BI231, BI232, and BI233 sequence may be substituted for AH121 & AH122.
2	PSY203 or PSY203H may be substituted for BA285.