Medical Assistant Apprenticeship

Program Number: 50-509-1
Apprenticeship
Campus: Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac, West Bend
This program is not eligible for financial aid

Prepare for a rewarding career in health care and join one of the fastest-growing fields with Moraine Park Technical College’s Medical Assistant apprenticeship. This apprenticeship program allows someone to earn a wage while they learn and gain hands-on work experience. Apprentices build industry connections and accumulate work experience that can make them more competitive in the job market upon completion.

About the Program

This apprenticeship is aligned to the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Medical Assistant technical diploma degree program within the WTCS. Related instruction hours may vary by college.

Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by a physician. The medical assistant profession is one of the fastest growing occupations in the U.S.

What You’ll Learn

In Moraine Park’s Medical Assistant program, students learn how to record medical histories, obtain vital signs, prepare patients for examination, collect and prepare laboratory specimens, perform CLIA-waived laboratory tests, and instruct patients about medications or special diets. As graduates, these clinical tasks are performed under the supervision of a physician and vary according to state law. Moraine Park expects to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.

Additional Information

Certification Disclosure: Moraine Park’s Medical Assistant apprenticeship prepares students to obtain the educational requirements necessary to sit for the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) examination offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) certification examination offered by the American Medical Technologists (AMT). See Professional Licensure and Certification Disclosure for more details.

Certifying Organizations: American Association of Medical Assistants, American Medical Technologists

Application/Admission Information

Students interested in an apprenticeship do not complete standard admissions with Moraine Park.

Interested students/employers should contact the training representative listed below to start the apprentice/employer apprenticeship contract application:

Lavelle Gill, Apprenticeship Training Representative
Phone:  (262) 340-1143
Email:  almonl.gill@dwd.wisconsin.gov

Learn more at www.wisconsinapprenticeship.org 

Application Requirements

This is a Wisconsin registered apprenticeship for a Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Medical Assistant technical diploma accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health and Education Programs (CAAHEP). Therefore, prior to beginning the registered apprenticeship, the applicant must: *

• Obtain a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Complete a health certification form.
• Complete a caregiver background check as described in the Wisconsin Caregiver Law.
• Satisfy entry requirements for the CAAHEP-accredited WTCS Medical Assistant technical diploma.
• Satisfy the individual technical college and program academic and other requirements.

*These requirements are "minimum qualifications for apprentice applicants." They are included here for reference but will not be in the contract version for an apprentice. Instead, they will be in sponsors' apprenticeship standards.

Approximate Costs

Tuition

Training Period

• 1-year apprenticeship under the hybrid model (both time-based and competency-based)
• Total of 2774 hours
• Training includes 990 hours of paid related instruction
• Complete Transition to Trainer course in the final year

Working Conditions

Medical Assistants work directly with providers and patients, with the goal of providing healthcare and ensuring patient safety. It is a profession with a great deal of responsibility. As with any healthcare position, there are certain occupational risks that come into play with being a medical assistant, and those hazards include the following:

• Exposure to infectious diseases
• Sharps injuries
• Bloodborne pathogens and biological hazards
• Chemical and drug exposure
• Ergonomic hazards from lifting, sitting, and repetitive tasks
• Latex allergies
• Stress

At the same time, there are protections set up with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and those protections are particularly important within a healthcare environment. OSHA has a series of standards that protect the safety of healthcare workers and patients. Accredited medical assisting programs are required to teach students about the hazards that they face on the job and the protocols that can be put into place to ensure a workplace culture that prioritizes safety.

Note: Students will sign the Medical Assistant Program’s Professionalism Contract and MPTC’s Acceptance of Risk and Responsibility Release Form prior to core student and clinical placement. Students are expected to adhere to all standards set forth within the Moraine Park Technical College Program Handbook. Any violation may result in dismissal from the course, service-learning event, clinical site and/or program

Tools and Equipment

Students must comply with the dress code for the clinical/field placement site to which they are assigned and with the specific uniform requirements of the program. Students will be responsible for any costs associated with a uniform and supplies (such as a stethoscope and watch).

Course Requirements

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Semester 1		Credits
103-159	Computer Literacy - Microsoft Office	1
509-301	Medical Assistant Administrative Procedures	2
509-302	Human Body in Health and Disease	3
509-303	Medical Assistant Laboratory Procedures 1	2
509-304	Medical Assistant Clinical Procedures 1	4
509-320	Medical Terminology for Medical Assistants	2
	Credits	14
Semester 2
509-305	Medical Assistant Laboratory Procedures 2	2
509-306	Medical Assistant Clinical Procedures 2	3
509-307	Medical Office Insurance and Finance	2
509-308	Pharmacology for Allied Health	2
509-309	Medical Law, Ethics and Professionalism	2
509-310	Medical Assistant Practicum	3
801-136	English Composition 1	3
	Credits	17
	Total Credits	31

This apprenticeship incorporates Credit for Prior Learning for the Medical Assistant Practicum course (509-310). 

Credit for Prior Learning

Transform the skills and abilities developed through previous experience into college credit through MPTC’s Credit for Prior Learning process. 

• Transfer credit from other colleges/universities
• Earn college credit for your military training and experience
• Earn college credit via Advance Placement, CLEP, DANTES/DSST or MPTC Challenge Exams
• Earn college credit from previous/current work and life experiences

Visit MPTC’s Credit for Prior Learning page for more information.

Additional Program Requirements

Prior to completing the registered apprenticeship, the apprentice must:

• Obtain health provider CPR certification.
• Obtain one of these certification credentials: Certified Medical Assistant; Registered Medical Assistant.
• Graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited WTCS Medical Assistant technical diploma program.
• Successfully complete the Transition to Trainer course in the final year of the registered apprenticeship.

Program Outcomes

• Perform medical office administrative functions.
• Provide patient care in accordance with regulations, policies, laws and patient rights.
• Perform medical laboratory procedures.
• Demonstrate professionalism in a healthcare setting.
• Demonstrate safety and emergency practices in a healthcare setting.

Career Opportunities