The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree
program in Medical Assisting prepares students for work in a variety of healthcare settings. Functions may vary from facility to facility but generally incorporate a mix of clinical and administrative responsibilities. Clinical duties may include direct patient care, assisting with invasive and non-invasive procedures, and administration of medications as directed by the physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing and coding information for insurance purposes and pre-certifications for procedures and testing.
As a specific feature of the program, students complete extensive externships in physician’s offices, clinics, hospitals and related health care facilities. Students are under the supervision of a physician during this experience. Graduates are qualified to accept positions in medical offices, clinics, health maintenance organizations, insurance companies, hospitals, ambulatory care centers or any other healthcare entity where their broad skills are applicable.
Graduates are also qualified to sit for the National Health Career Association Certifications Exam. This certification is highly recommended.
Students in this program must have a negative drug Screen and acceptable criminal background check.
Students enrolling in this program are subject to background and/or drug screening. See New River Community and Technical College Procedure 41 and 44 at www.newriver.edu under Faculty and Staff - Human Resources - New River Procedures for more information.
Students must maintain a minimum grade of “C” in all required MAST courses in this program and an overall GPA of 2.0 within the institution.
Students are strongly advised to follow the course sequence as listed in the college catalog. Medical Assisting courses (with a prefix of MAST) are only offered in the semester listed.