Medical Assisting with a concentration in Patient Navigator, Associate of Applied Science

The Medical Assistant is a multi-skilled professional who assists the physician with the administrative and clinical aspects of patient care. The program includes courses in administrative, clinical, and communication skills; ethical and legal standards of medical practice; and a "hands on" clinical practicum experience. Graduates are eligible to take the National Certifying Examination given by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

Students pursuing the Associate of Science in Medical Assisting with a concentration with Patient Navigator will develop advanced skills in patient care built around the patient. Develop skills to support individual patients through the continuum of the health care environment.  Patient Navigators work in a variety of settings, including but not limited to: community, hospitals, PCMH (patient-centered medical home), primary care facilities and other third-party entities. There is a need for trained patient navigators to assist a growing population to navigate the ever-changing health care environment.

Program contact: Learn more

This degree program contains one or more embedded certificates which will be automatically awarded when the certificate requirements are completed. If you do not want to receive the embedded certificate(s), please notify the Office of the Registrar at RegistrarOffice@tri-c.edu.

Related Degrees and Certificates

• Medical Assisting, Certificate of Proficiency
• Patient Navigator, Short-Term Certificate
• Medical Administrative Specialist, Certificate of Proficiency​
• Medical Billing Specialist, Short-Term Certificate

  Related Training and Credentials

• State-Tested Nursing Assistant   
• State-Tested Nursing Assistant (Accelerated)  
• Community Health Worker    
• Comprehensive Patient Access Specialist    

Program Admission Requirements

Application may be submitted to the Health Careers Enrollment Center while meeting the following requirements:

• Students must request an application packet from the Health Careers Enrollment Center (216-987-4247) for comprehensive admissions information.
• High School Diploma/GED
• GPA required: 2.00 overall
• Non-native English speaking applicants:  Admission into Cuyahoga Community College is premised on a complete and accurate initial application to the College, including, if applicable, proof of English Language Proficiency Requirements for admission as indicated on the English Language Proficiency Requirements for Admissions to the College, and available on the web at: http://www.tri-c.edu/get-started/international-students/english-language-proficiency-requirements-for-admission.html
  To be accepted into any selective admission programs, students must successfully complete English as a Second Language (ESL) course/s, as referenced above,  if deemed necessary by the College at the time of enrollment.  Admission is conditioned upon achieving the necessary grade point average (GPA), English language proficiency requirements and any specific pre-requisite courses, and by meeting program accreditation or licensing requirements as evidenced in the Program Handbook for the specific program.
• Completion of the following courses with a grade of “C” or higher:

Other Information

• 15 students per semester per campus accepted per year
• Criminal background check required

• Students in the medical assisting program must achieve a grade of “C” or higher in all program required courses.

Program Learning Outcomes

This program is designed to prepare students to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1. Identify, administer and document medications based on usage outcomes, side effects and according to the principles of the six rights.
2. Collect, process and test diagnostic specimens and document follow-up on results.
3. Apply current up-to-date quality control and safety principles in the workplace.
4. Skillfully perform and document routine clinical procedures according to office protocol.
5. Perform and document routine administrative procedures according to office protocol.
6. Maintain ethical standards and confidentiality for patient privacy and practice integrity.
7. Effectively utilize an EMR program for documentation and insurance purposes.
8. Identify medical law and regulatory guidelines as it pertains to the ambulatory setting.
9. Determine patient’s understanding of their plan of care and identify barriers to following the plan of care.
10. Assist patient in navigating the healthcare system and outside resources in order to comply with their plan of care.
11. Use effective communication with diverse patient populations and healthcare team to support positive patient outcome
12. Work independently and as a member of a health care team within scope of practice to support patient outcomes.
13. Review patients electronic medical record and identify patient needs requiring navigation of care.

Suggested Semester Sequence

¹

 MA-1020 Medical Terminology I will be accepted in place of MA-1010 Introduction to Medical Terminology

²

BIO-2331 Anatomy and Physiology I and BIO-2341 Anatomy and Physiology II together will be accepted in place of BIO-1050 Human Biology and BIO-105L Human Biology Laboratory.

MATH-1140, MATH-1141, MATH-1200, MATH-1270, and MATH-1280 can no longer count towards fulfilling the college-level mathematics requirement.  These courses were re-classified as developmental mathematics by the state of Ohio in 2016.  Tri-C established a 5-year transitioning window for students who had completed these courses prior to 2016 to apply them towards meeting graduation requirements, which expired in Summer 2021. It is highly recommended to see a counselor to determine the appropriate math required for your current major.