Medical Assistant

Often the first face a patient interacts with, medical assistants have the ability to put patients at ease and make a difference in their day. With care and organization, their work is important in ensuring that everyone receives quality treatment.

In as little as two semesters and one practicum, you could enter the workforce as a medical assistant. Medical assistants are cross-trained in administrative and clinical duties to support physicians and other health care professionals.

As a medical assistant, you will perform various office-related and clinical tasks, including taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood and administering medication as directed by a physician. Administrative duties could include scheduling, billing, and office management.

You’ll be eligible to take a national certification exam after successfully completing the program.

Certificate

The Medical Assistant Certificate prepares students for careers in a medical office or ambulatory care setting. The medical assistant performs a variety of administrative and clinical skills to assist physicians or other health professionals. Students will learn skills in accordance with the standards and guidelines recommended by the Medical Assistant Education Review Board. Upon successful completion of the program, the graduate is eligible to take a national certification exam.

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What's Next?

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Take Career Assessment

Enrolling at Oakton College can save you thousands of dollars and help you earn more over the course of your career. Our tuition is among the lowest in the region, and we offer many ways to bring your costs down even more.

99 percent of Oakton students graduate without debt.

To help you get there, you can apply for a scholarship, which you don’t have to pay back. We award $12 million in scholarships annually. Financial Aid includes grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance that can reduce your costs of attending college.

We offer payment options that give you control over how you pay. Pay all at once or spread your payments over the course of the semester.

Learn more about your options for paying for your education

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As your community college, we serve students from various backgrounds. We aim to make the application process as easy and as clear as possible for everyone.

We can help you get started on a degree or certificate. Applying to Oakton is fast and easy.

Your first step before you begin your studies is filling out an admission application and completing your enrollment process.

Get Started at Oakton
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Important Information

  • High school graduation or High School Equivalency certificate.
    • Foreign high school graduates or students with foreign college credits need to send English-translated copies of their transcripts to Educational Perspectives. Students with foreign college credits should request a catalog match.
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
  • Provide proof of successful completion of EGL 101 or demonstrate entry-level competency for EGL 090/097 by placement testing.
  • Limited Enrollment Health Career Reading Placement test, taken at Oakton’s Testing Center. Required minimum score of 250.
  • Placement in MAT 060 or higher.
  • Satisfactory interview with MLT (Phlebotomy) faculty. (Note: The phlebotomy certificate courses are a part of Medical Assistant Certificate).

Those admitted will be required to submit a current and complete physical examination record, clear criminal background check and drug screen. Additionally, each medical assistant student must be able to perform each of the following essential skills.

We also recommend that you view our Information Session video below prior to applying.

Applications are accepted until the program is at full capacity.

  1. New students should apply online. Current Oakton students should apply through their myOakton account.
  2. View your Admission Checklist online. Your New Student Portal includes Admission Checklist and next steps.
  3. Submit admission documents, including transcripts (high school, college, AP, military) and proof of residency.
  4. Complete the minimum requirements for admission.

Prior to applying, all applicants are encouraged to meet with Julie Rosenberg, the health career specialist at jmrosenb@oakton.edu.

Foreign high school graduates or students with foreign college credits need to send English-translated copies of their transcripts to Educational Perspectives. Students with foreign college credits should request a catalog match.

Clinical placements require a health assessment, certain immunizations, yearly flu vaccine, substance abuse testing, criminal background check, specific skill certification (i.e., CPR) and health insurance. These requirements represent an additional cost to the student.

All Oakton College Health Career students in nursing, physical therapist assistant, medical laboratory technology, pharmacy technician, phlebotomy, health information technology, cancer registry management, and medical assistant programs must have "clear" criminal background checks and drug screens in order to participate in any and all clinical components of any health career program courses. See the career programs pages for further details.

To comply with state statutes and clinical affiliation agreements, and to provide a safe environment for students, employees, and patients cared for by students, those accepted into Oakton's health career programs will be required to complete a criminal background check and drug screening through a company contracted by the College. Health Career students will be charged a fee for this service.

Timelines for completing criminal background checks and drug screens may vary among the various programs. Deadline dates for each program will be provided by the individual department chairs at the time of a student's acceptance into a health career program.

Students without a clear criminal background check and/or clear drug screen will not be allowed to enroll in clinical practicum courses or attend clinical programs. This would further necessitate that the student withdraw from the health career program at that time.

Students who refuse a criminal background check and/or drug screen will not be considered "clear" and will not be authorized to participate in the clinical component of the health career program, necessitating withdrawal from the program at that time.

Individual results of student background checks and drug screens are considered confidential.

Determination of whether or not a student can participate in the clinical component of a particular health career program will be communicated to the respective department chairs by the Background Check/Drug Screen vendor. Students may view their personal results on the vendor's website.

In compliance with the Americans with Disability Act, Oakton College does not discriminate on the basis of disabilities in admission policies of applicants to the Medical Assistant Program. Students admitted into the program must meet certain physical, communicative/cognitive and emotional/psychological criteria (listed below) with or without use of assistive devices or other approved techniques.

Physical Requirements

Motor

  • Transfer another person
  • Manual Dexterity (cutting, grasping, pinching, carrying, pulling and pushing, keyboard data entry)
  • Endure prolonged walking, standing, or sitting
  • Hand-eye coordination
  • Provide physical /support to another person
  • Lift and position another person Visual
  • Acuity
  • Depth
  • Color Perception

Auditory

  • Auscultate body sounds
  • Distinguish body sounds

Sensation

  • Tactile
  • Temperature

Communication

  • Articulate ideas and communicate clearly (verbally and written)
  • Demonstrates interpersonal skills for effective interaction with others Comprehension
  • Interpret and simplify information
  • Proficiency in math and algebra skills

Retention

  • Ability to retain data Team Interaction
  • Consultation/negotiation skills
  • Communicative/Cognitive Requirements
Psychological/Emotional Requirements

Attitude/Behavior

  • Exhibit flexibility in response to changing priorities
  • Demonstrate ethical standards of the profession
  • Demonstrate a professional manner in interactions, appearance, and attitude Coping Abilities
  • Exhibit appropriate and mature responses to stressful situations

This is a limited enrollment program. All Oakton College Health Career students in nursing, physical therapist assistant, medical laboratory technology, pharmacy technician, phlebotomy, health information technology, and medical assistant programs must have “clear” criminal background checks and drug screens in order to participate in any and all clinical components of any health career program courses. To comply with state statutes and clinical affiliation agreements, and to provide a safe environment for students, employees, and patients cared for by students, those accepted into Oakton’s health career programs will be required to complete a criminal background check and drug screening through a company contracted by the College. Health Career students will be charged a fee for this service. An additional drug screening may be required prior to the student’s practicum experience.

Health Career curricula are governed by specific objectives, rules and regulations formulated by the College, accrediting bodies, and participating clinical facilities. Students should familiarize themselves with these standards. Each student’s right to participate in the clinical portion of the curriculum is also contingent upon compliance with the rules of the clinical facility. The clinical facility has sole discretion to determine when its rules have been violated. Clinical placements require a health assessment, certain immunizations, yearly flu vaccine, substance abuse testing, criminal background check, specific skill certification (i.e., CPR), and health insurance. The requirements represent an additional cost to the student.

Below is a suggested sequence of courses:

  • First Semester: MAP 120, MAP 180, HIT 104, MLT 105, MLT 107
  • Second Semester: MAP 185, MAP 230, HIT 105, MLT 204
  • Third Semester: MAP 260

Meet Your Faculty and Experts

Meet our part-time faculty

Myrthe Potts
Lecturer
A.A. Health Administration, University of Phoenix
B.S. Health Administration, University of Phoenix
mpotts@oakton.edu
847.635.1684
Office: 100, Lee Center, Des Plaines

Denise Alessi, CMA, CPC, CMM
Office Administrator
Oak Mill Medical Associates Associates

Raj Khurana, MBA
Owner and Director of Business Development
UltraMed Urgent Care

Myrthe Potts
Adjunct faculty, MOA Program
Oakton College


Ex-Officio Members:

Maribel Alimboyoguen
Dean of Health Careers
Oakton College

Margaret Gas MPA, MSN, RN
Program Chair, Associate Degree Nursing
Oakton College

Julie Rosenberg
Health Career Advisor Medical Assistant Program
Oakton College

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