Medical Office Assistant Diploma (In-Class)

This course serves as an introduction to medical terminology, intended to serve as a foundation for all subsequent courses, studies and practice. Students will become familiar with various medical words, word parts and their spelling, and will develop fluent pronunciation. They will also become skilled at examining the structure of medical terms to decipher their meaning effectively.

This course focuses on the study of body systems and sense organs. Instruction on each system and organ will include learning about both general and specific bodily functions, parts, location, and relationships between systems. There will also be an exploration of common pathologies. This will involve developing familiarity with some lab diagnostic tests, as well as basic signs, symptoms and prognosis of various pathologies. At the discretion of the instructor, a discussion of pharmacology may be included.

The course includes the study of formal and informal business communication formats, including letters, memos and business presentations. Students will study formal and informal documents, methods of communications and technological tools, as well as their proper, effective and ethical use. They will also learn about selecting the best communication method depending on the communication purposes and the audiences.

The students will develop familiarity with medical keyboarding, advanced keyboarding, medical language, grammatical and office skills. This will involve the study of documents, such as forms and medical reports. Students will focus on further developing their overall keyboarding skills, progressing to a speed of least 65 words per minute with 90% accuracy while using medical terminology.

This course is the introduction to various administrative skills that a clerical healthcare worker will require. It includes reception skills and processes, focusing mainly on record management procedure. Subjects such as scheduling, inventory control and communication techniques (over the phone, e-mail and interpersonal) will also be dealt with.

The course serves as an introduction to terminology and procedures unique to pharmaceutical and medical billing. This, among other topics, will involve exploring the communication of information between pharmacists and physicians regarding medications. The importance of classifications, spelling and pronunciation of the most commonly ordered prescription medications will be emphasized, as will the study of appreciations, symbols and systems of measurements surrounding prescriptions.

Students will become familiar with the procedures, forms and processes related to different types of billing. This will include familiarity with the Preamble and Fee Schedule from the Medical Services Plan of British Columbia. Students will also learn the procedures, forms and processes related to alternative forms of billing. The study includes, but is not limited to, learning about the WCB (Workers’ Compensation Board), ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia), Department of Veterans’ Affairs, out-of-province billing, and medical-legal billing.

Students will learn the skill of preparing medical documents through the use of transcription. They will be exposed to various reports, forms and formats used in preparing medical-related documents. This will involve developing familiarity and skills with transcription equipment and software. At the end of the course, students will demonstrate comfort with the application of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology. Legality and accuracy will serve as overarching themes throughout the course.

Students will spend 80 hours in a clinical environment under the supervision of a practising professional, demonstrating their aptitude in the various skills developed throughout the program.

Are you a domestic student?

You must prove the following:

• You have successfully earned a high school diploma or Adult Graduation Diploma
• You are at least 19 years old before the first day of your program or you have parental or guardian consent

Are you a domestic student?

You must show your language proficiency in ONE of the following ways:

• You achieved 70% or higher in Canadian provincial or territorial English 12, English Literature 12 or an equivalent course
• You have completed two or more years in a row of full-time post-secondary education in English in one of the approved countries listed below
• You achieved a minimum score on one of the approved tests listed below

Approved Countries

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malta, Mauritius, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe 

Approved English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores

• Cambridge English Advanced (CAE): minimum score of 58
• The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): minimum score of 60
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): academic level 4L and CELPIP-General level 7 in all components
• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB): minimum score of 7
• International English Language Testing (IELTS): academic level with a minimum overall score of 6.0
• International Test of English Proficiency (iTEP): academic level 3
• Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (MELAB): minimum score of 76
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based test: academic level with a minimum score of 79-80 and a minimum of 19-20 on each band
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) paper-based test: minimum score of 550 and a minimum of 23 each for reading, writing, and listening
• Duolingo: minimum score of 110 (temporary option available until December 2021)

Are you an international student?

You must prove the following:

• You have successfully earned a high school diploma or Adult Graduation Diploma
• You are at least 19 years old before the first day of your program or you have parental or guardian consent

Are you an international student?

You must show your language proficiency in ONE of the following ways:

• You achieved 70% or higher in Canadian provincial or territorial English 12, English Literature 12 or an equivalent course
• You have completed two or more years in a row of full-time post-secondary education in English in one of the approved countries listed below
• You achieved a minimum score on one of the approved tests listed below

Approved Countries

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malta, Mauritius, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Approved English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores

• Cambridge English Advanced (CAE): minimum score of 58
• The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): minimum score of 60
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): academic level 4L and CELPIP-General level 7 in all components
• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB): minimum score of 7
• International English Language Testing (IELTS): academic level with a minimum overall score of 6.0
• International Test of English Proficiency (iTEP): academic level 3
• Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (MELAB): minimum score of 76
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based test: academic level with a minimum score of 79-80 and a minimum of 19-20 on each band
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) paper-based test: minimum score of 550 and a minimum of 23 each for reading, writing, and listening
• Duolingo: minimum score of 110 (temporary option available until December 2021)

Do you identify as a mature student?

To qualify, you must meet the following requirements:

• You are at least 21 years of age
• You have not completed a high school diploma or an Adult Graduation Diploma or you have not attended high school in the last four years and you have not earned a degree or diploma for a college or university

Application Requirements

Mature Students are accepted at the discretion of the Registrar, who may require you to submit the following:

• Transcripts of completed high school or post-secondary education
• 1 or 2 professional references from your current or past employers
• A written letter outlining your career goals and why you feel you will succeed in the program
• A written personal profile
• Other forms of documentation to support your application

Additional Requirements

You must meet all of the program-specific and non-academic requirements where listed. In some cases, you may need to complete a placement exam to determine academic readiness.