Medical Assisting Specialist (T.C.) (6015)

Student Alert: This program is preparing for inactivation effective end of Fall Term 2024 with no new enrollments beginning in the Spring Term 2025. For more information, please contact hcic@fscj.edu.

This is a Limited/Selective Access program.

The Medical Assisting Specialist program is designed to educate and train students to assist licensed health care practitioners to deliver safe, competent, and ethical medical care in various health care settings. The Medical Assisting Specialist program provides personalized instruction and hands-on training, preparing students for clinical practicum externship and employment. The program is current with industry standards and responsive to the demonstrated needs and expectations of the communities of interest served by the program.

The Medical Assisting Specialist program prepares students to perform medical assisting duties under the direction of a physician/practitioner, including preparing examination rooms, taking vital signs, assisting in minor surgical procedures, giving injections, performing venipuncture, assisting in laboratory operations, taking x-rays, and administering electrocardiograms. Medical assistants also learn to function in an administrative capacity, including patient communications, patient record maintenance, billing, scheduling appointments, ordering supplies, and processing insurance claims.

Students in this program are not required to complete math courses unless they are listed as part of the certificate program. If you plan to pursue the degree program in this same field, please note that this certificate articulates directly into a degree that includes a Mathematical Thinking in Context math pathway. For additional information about Mathematics Pathways, please visit the Mathematics Pathways page.

Admission to the program is selective and based on academic performance and other criteria. It is recommended that students meet with the program advisor prior to applying for program acceptance. To meet the minimum requirements for consideration and acceptance to the program, students must:

1. Complete a Florida State College at Jacksonville application.

2. Complete a Medical Assisting program application.

3. Provide evidence of current CPR certification (adult, child, and infant) achieved through an American Heart Association approved Basic Life Support BLS course for Health Care Providers that includes hands-on simulated experiences.

4. Submit their College transcript (a minimum of 12 college credits must have been completed if using college GPA). Note: Florida State College at Jacksonville transcripts can be unofficial. Transcripts from outside colleges must be official (unopened).

Applicants will be ranked based on the following criteria:

1. Completion of recommended coursework HSC 1531.

2. Previous healthcare experience. Note: Verification must be on company letterhead and signed/dated by the designated verifying person.

3. Submittal date of application.

A physical examination and successful completion of a background and drug screening process will be required upon acceptance to the program.

Note: Admissions preference is given to fully qualified candidates who have met all entrance criteria, including the satisfaction of prerequisite courses. Should seats remain available in the program cohort, applicants who fulfill admissions criteria prior to the start of the program will be considered next.

(904) 646-2300 or hcic@fscj.edu.

• Bureau of Labor Statistics

• American Heart Association