CLINICAL MEDICAL LAB ASSISTANT

760 Clock Hours / 35 Credit Hours/ Units

  • DOT 079.362-010 Medical Assistant (back office)
  • DOT 078.687-010 Lab Assistant (Blood & Plasma)
  • DOT 381.687-022 Lab Cleaner
  • * DOT 079-364-022 Phlebotomist

* (If all requirements are met set forth by: Department of Health Services of California)

This 760-hour program prepares the student for entry-level employment in a clinical setting of a health facility. Students receive instruction in medical law and ethics, terminology, anatomy and physiology, human relations, use and care of diagnostic equipment, venipuncture, injections, pharmacology, Universal Precautions, vital signs, CPR, first aid, hematology, EKG, urinalysis, and microbiology. Students will be required to participate in a 160-hour extern experience after completion of their classroom studies. Upon completion of this program, graduates will receive a CPR card, certificates for successful blood draws and injections, a certificate of completion, and eligible to sit for a certification if the desire.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Clinical Medical / Lab Assistant
760 clock hours / 35 credit units

CMA100 CLINICAL THEORY:40 Clock Hours / 2 Units

OSHA regulations, the medical assistant’s responsibilities and conduct, professional liability, medical law and ethics and an overview of the medical environment, to include specialties and different types of medical practices, will be discussed. Skills required for success and a brief history of medicine will be addressed.

CMA102 CLINICAL ASSISTING I:40 Clock Hours / 2 Units

Student will participate in an eight (8) hour CPR training class sponsored by the American Heart Association. Clinical patient assessments, proper charting, chart preparation and vital signs will be introduced. Students will demonstrate their ability to take and chart vital signs with 100% accuracy. Vital signs include respiration, pulse, temperature, blood pressure, height and weight. Introduction to medical asepsis, assisting in routine physical examinations, and positioning and draping of patients will be demonstrated. Systems including special senses and nervous will be discussed. Office emergency and first aid will also be examined.

CMA103 CLINICAL ASSISTING II:80 Clock Hours / 3.0 Units

Sterilization, surgical asepsis, administration of medications, pharmaceutical terms, types of medication, the proper use of the PDR, and assisting in minor surgery procedures will be explored. Students will demonstrate the ability to identify different types of surgical instrumentation as well as setting up typical exam trays.

LA101 LABORATORY PROCEDURES I:80 Clock Hours / 4.0 Units

Universal Precautions are introduced to students, as well as discussions about the medical assistant’s responsibilities in the laboratory. Students will demonstrate their ability to perform venipuncture, collect blood samples using the capillary method, labeling and collection of specimens and basic operation of laboratory equipment.

LA102 LABORATORY PROCEDURES II:80 Clock Hours / 4 Units

This course will introduce students to the constituents of urine and blood and the ability to perform and collect urine. Microbiology, blood chemistries and CLIA regulations will be discussed and reviewed.

EKG101 ELECTROCARDIOGRAM TECHNIQUE:40 Clock Hours / 2 Units

Patient and procedural preparation and technique will be demonstrated. Student will learn proper electrode placement and use of equipment. EKG mounting will be demonstrated. Circulatory system will be reviewed.

CMA104 CAREER PREPARATION:40 Clock Hours / 1.5 Units

Job search, interview techniques, application completion and resume writing will be discussed and demonstrated. Each student will create and format their resume, complete an application, mock interview.

CLA103 COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE PART I:60 Clock Hours / 3 Units

Students will be given the challenge of relating their knowledge of managed care and its close relationship to how they perform daily interactions with patients when scheduling appointments, answering telephones, greeting patients, performing front office procedures, and collecting demographic information.

CLA104 HUMAN RELATIONS: 20 Clock Hours / 1 Unit

Verbal and non-verbal communication skills, cultural diversities, and management styles will be discussed. Students will review basic human behavior. Handling difficult patients, problem solving, and trouble-shooting techniques will also be addressed.

CMA 101 MEDICAL TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS:120 Clock Hours / 8 Units

Students will be provided with an overview of anatomy and physiology. Subjects covered will include body planes and cavities, directional terms, abdominal regions and an introduction to medical terminology. Word roots, combining forms, suffixes and prefixes will be introduced and examined. Protocols for providing patient care will be discussed. The following systems will be examined: muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, endocrine, and female reproductive.

CMA106 EXTERNSHIP :160 Clock Hours/ 3.5 Units

Each student will be assigned four weeks to extern at a pre-approved HealthStaff facility. The student will report to their instructor after completion of 80 hours to complete and update resume and again at the completion of the 160 hours. Students are expected to adhere to externship facility policies and procedures. Students will be required to wear uniform and contact instructor as well as facility supervisor if they are unable to extern. Questionnaires will be provided to the facility and the student will be responsible for returning these forms to school.