MiraCosta College’s Medical Administrative Professional Program offers training in procedures used in medical offices, clinics, and hospital settings, as well as HIPAA compliance. The program prepares a variety of students—fresh out of high school in preparation for entry-level positions, as well as older adults furthering their careers, job transitioning, or reentering the workforce—for career opportunities in outpatient settings, such as a doctor’s office, urgent care centers, specialty clinics, and some hospital-level positions.
Students go from learning to earning in as little as one year with MiraCosta College’s Medical Administrative Professional certificate program. Providing essential training for the high-demand and secure healthcare industry, it prepares students for careers as a medical biller, medical coder, medical front office assistant, medical receptionist, medical records clerk, and medical scheduler.
Rich Dicker, faculty lead for the program, explains that students take a curriculum of coursework ranging from an introduction into the broad range of career options to technical skills including electronic health records, insurance billing and coding, patient advocacy, medical terminology, and basic human anatomy and physiology.
“The completion of this program can lead to industry credentials in billing and coding and national certification as a medical administrative assistant,” Dicker explains. “To further bolster the program, we are now in our third year of offering a certificate in clinical Medical Assisting, which medical administrative students can transition into for additional credentials and employment opportunities.”
Dicker notes, “Many previous students are currently employed with organizations such as Kaiser Permanente, Scripps, and numerous specialty and private practices in the San Diego County region. The education, coupled with industry credential opportunities, has allowed previous students to gain employment throughout the country, with recent graduates working in Tennessee, South Carolina, and Washington.”