Health Services

To prepare the student to communicate effectively with others in a healthcare setting.

• Students will communicate appropriately with instructors, peers, staff, and clients.
• Students will communicate appropriately with health care delivery team at related agency.
• Students will demonstrate acceptance of the rights and dignity within the context of the consumers´ cultural heritage.

To prepare students to develop protocols and policies to be utilized in a healthcare setting.

• Students will develop protocols and policies appropriate to the agency needs.
• Students will demonstrate appropriate judgment to ensure confidentiality and security of information utilized within the healthcare setting

To provide students with the knowledge of legal and ethical standards.

• Students will demonstrate appropriate legal and ethical behaviors.
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of HIPPA regulations.

To prepare the students to demonstrate entry-level medical assistants skills in the cognitive, psychomotor, and effective learning domains.

• Graduates are satisfied with the knowledge base in the Medical Assisting program.
• Employers are satisfied with the knowledge base of program graduates.
• Graduates are satisfied with the skills obtained in the medical assistant program.
• Employers are satisfied with the skills obtained in the Medical Assistant program.

To prepare students to calculate, display, and interpret statistical information related to the health care field.

• Students will demonstrate the ability to display and interpret statistical information. (MA 108 or 110)
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the use of data to provide emergency health care.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to retrieve health information data to provide assistance to health care consumers

To prepare students to demonstrate information literacy.

• Students will use traditional and contemporary information technology.
• Students will identify, access, and appropriately use authoritative sources of information.

College Seminar is an opportunity for students to develop the skills necessary to improve the chances for success in the college environment. General College procedures, the fundamental notions of time management and study skills, and the specific responsibilities of today's students in a variety of local and global environments are discussed. One or more collaborative projects will be an integral part of the course. Corequisites: The course must be taken in the student's first thirty hours of study. General first year courses would usually be taken at the same time.

English 1 is a composition course. By focusing on several kinds of writing--self expressive, informative, argumentative/persuasive, and others--it teaches the student to produce the clear, correct and effective prose required in a wide variety of professions and occupations. Class meetings are a blend of lecture and discussion with frequent in-class writing activities. Conferences may be required. Readings are studied as models of good writing and for the ideas they contain. There are eight writing assignments altogether, including an in-class essay, a research-based assignment, and a business writing assignment. Prerequisites: Appropriate evaluation on the placement test writing sample, or successful completion of EN099 Introduction to College English, or successful completion of SL116 ESL4 Advanced Composition, or permission of Humanities Department Head or course instructor.

This course provides knowledge of relevant computer skills and a solid foundation in the terminology and concepts of computer technology. Experience is provided with a variety of microcomputer software applications, including word processing, electronic spreadsheets, graphics, file management, and integrated software. Concepts and terms focus on preparing for a technologically oriented society and using the computer as a tool for productivity, research, and communication.

This course covers the structure and function of the human organism and the regulatory processes that operate within a living system. It introduces general anatomical, physiological, and chemical organization, and includes the integumentary (skin), skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. Laboratories involve vertebrate dissection, the use of prosected human cadavers and human skeletal materials, microscope work, non-invasive human experimentation, and possibly animal experimentation. Prerequisite: One year of high school chemistry or equivalent preparation, or Life Science Department Head permission. Students enrolled in Health Services Department programs are recommended to complete this course before beginning their specialized program coursework.

This course is designed to introduce prospective students to the general field of health care and would be an appropriate course for nursing, respiratory care, medical assisting and health information technology students as well as others interested in the health care field. Topics to be discussed include: an introduction to the health care delivery system, a brief historical overview of how health care has evolved in the U.S., the various health care settings/programs, the members of the health care delivery team, the roles of the various health care professionals, legal and professional ethics (such topics as patients' rights, confidentiality, advance directives, etc.), health care organizations and agencies, medical record content, risk management, continuous quality improvement, epidemiology (morbidity and mortality), and interpersonal communication skills.

• A grade of "C" or better is required for successful completion of course.

This course concentrates on spelling, pronunciation, and the meaning of medical word components, common terms used in selected body systems, and medical abbreviations.

This course introduces indexing conditions and procedures using the Current Procedural Terminology. It covers how to code from actual medical records and introduces the current prospective payment system(s). (Spring semester) Prerequisite: MR103 Medical Terminology.

Students gain information regarding the pharmacological, pathophysiological, therapeutic and diagnostic aspects of medicine. This course reviews basic concepts and medical word components for selected body systems and disorders frequently encountered in the health care setting will be reviewed. Discussions include pharmacological agents and the diagnostics test(s) utilized for selected disease processes; why a particular pharmacological intervention is selected, how its effectiveness is monitored using diagnostic interventions, and the value of particular laboratory tests. Prerequisites: MR103 Medical Terminology. (Spring semester only)

This course, which is a continuation of BI106 Human Anatomy & Physiology 1, involves the study of structure, function, and regulation in the human organism. Topics include blood, peripheral nerves, the cardiovascular system, lymphatics, the respiratory system, the excretory system, the endocrine system, the reproductive systems, the digestive system, and metabolism. Laboratories involve vertebrate dissection, the use of prosected human cadavers and human skeletal materials, microscope work, non-invasive human experimentation, and possibly animal experimentation. Prerequisite: BI106 Human Anatomy & Physiology 1, or Life Science Department Head permission. Students enrolled in Health Services Department programs are recommended to complete this course before beginning their specialized program coursework. Students with transfer credit for BI106 Anatomy and Physiology 1 must complete a three-hour orientation to the use of prosected human cadavers before participating in the BI107 Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 laboratory. Transfer students must meet with the Life Science Department Head thirty days before beginning this course.

This course introduces the clinical skills needed to assist the health care provider in a medical setting. Topics include aseptic techniques and infection control, obtaining the patients history and vital signs, sterilization procedures, recognition and use of surgical instruments, collecting and processing lab specimens, performing diagnostic tests, preparing and administering medications and immunizations, patient teaching, and coordinating patient care with other health care providers. Prerequisite: HC110 Medical Assistant Administrative Theory.

• A grade of "C" or better is required for successful completion of course.

This course provides students with a basic understanding of laboratory and diagnostic procedures performed in a medical office or clinic. Topics include standard precautions, laboratory safety; obtaining, handling and processing specimens and cultures; and administering diagnostic tests, such as pulmonary function, pulse oximeter, peak flow and EKG. Prerequisite: MR103 Medical Terminology.

• A grade of "C" or better is required for successful completion of course.

This course teaches rescue breathing, CPR, two-rescuer CPR, and automatic external defibrillation (AED) skills. Students may complete certification from the American Heart Association BLS for healthcare providers.

Actual clinical experience in physician's offices and various clinical settings to gain practical knowledge and theory learned. Prerequisite: HC110 Medical Assistant 1.

• A grade of "C" or better is required for successful completion of course.

The student will be introduced to basic word processing, transcription using the dictaphone, computer-based management, preparing an office procedure manual, preparing agendas for staff meetings, setting office priorities, office correspondence/communications, and performance evaluations. Emphasis will be on the development of the role of manager of information and personnel, and use of available computer technology to provide structure.

• A grade of "C" or better is required for successful completion of course.

This course is designed to introduce students to the many and varied facets of psychology. Emphasis throughout the course will be on interactions of individuals in their cultural, social and economic environments as determined by their cognitive, behavioral and emotional experiences and training.

This course assists students in making intelligent health-conscious decisions through the study of topics such as wellness, aging, sexuality, drugs and alcohol and communicable diseases. In addition, students are introduced to activities and skills for leading healthy lifestyles including fitness assessment, weight management and exercise.

This course seeks to deepen the students' understanding of human nature and the human condition through the study of ideas and values expressed in both imaginative literature and a full-length book of non-fiction. To this end, students use and develop critical thinking and language skills. They do so mainly in their attempts to raise and answer questions in their readings, discussions, and expository writing tasks, which may include exploratory writing, an academic journal, reports and essays. A library-oriented research project is required. Prerequisite: EN101 English 1: Composition or EN105 English Composition for Speakers of Other Languages

This externship allows students to apply the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom and laboratory settings to the clinical aspects of being a Medical Assistant. It includes 180 hours over the course of the semester. Current Healthcare Provider CPR certification must be on file (in the Allied Health Coordinators office) prior to beginning the externship. Prerequisite: HC120 Medical Assistant Administrative Externship.

• A grade of "C" or better is required for successful completion of course.

This course introduces indexing diseases and operations using the International Classification of Disease. It covers how to code from actual medical records and introduces DRGs and the Prospective Payment System. (Spring semester) Prerequisite: MR103 Medical Terminology.

This course examines the physiological consequences of various disease states. Diseases are treated as threats to homeostasis. The effects of pathology on normal bodily processes are discussed at various organizational levels, including biochemical, cellular, histological, and organ systems. This course is designed for allied health students. Prerequisites: BI106 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 or Department Head. Corequisite: BI107 Human Anatomy & Physiology 2.

SO101 is an introductory sociology course. Its main objective is not to make sociologists, but rather to give an understanding of and a feeling for the society in which we live. The concepts and theories discussed in this course relate to humanity, its culture and society, to those forces which contribute to the smooth operation of this society as well as those forces which contribute to conflict and social problems. Key topics include culture, socialization, stratification, population and patterns of social organization. Various forms of media will be used to present the topics of this course.