Medical Office Assistant Diploma

Brief Course Description
The study of formal and informal business communication formats including letters, memos and business presentations. They will study formal and informal documents, methods of communication, technological tools, and their proper, effective, and ethical use. They will also learn how to select the best method for communicating information based on purposes and audiences.

Students will also learn how to communicate with pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and insurance companies. This includes professionalism in the workplace, understanding diversity in health care settings and the impact of health equity on different populations and obligations around confidentiality.

Course Prerequisites

None.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Write effectively using appropriate organization, mechanics, and style (word choice, tone, spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure)
• Communicate ideas, issues, and conclusions clearly and effectively
• Gather, incorporate, and interpret source material in their writing
• Plan, draft and write professional communications effectively (reports, emails, faxes, instant and text messages, memos, letters, etc.)
• Evaluate the importance of the principles of cross-cultural communication and the ethics of business writing and communications
• Communicate effectively with pharmacies, doctors’ offices and insurance companies
• Use time management and problem-solving skills effectively
• Demonstrate professionalism in the workplace

Brief Course Description
An introduction to medical terminology, intended to serve as a foundation for all subsequent courses, study, and practice. Students will become familiar with various medical word parts, their spelling, and develop fluent pronunciation. They will also become skilled at examining the structure of medical terms in order to effectively determine meaning.

Course Prerequisites

MOAD 01 – Business Standards & Communication

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Describe the origins and purpose of medical terminology
• Recognize medical terminology word parts such as root words, prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms
• Spell, pronounce, and use terminology accurately within written and spoken contexts
• Understand medical abbreviations and acronyms found in health care documentation
• Define and correctly utilize medical abbreviations and symbols correlated by body system
• Define and correctly utilize medical terminology describing body structures, functions, conditions and disorders, body regions, cavities, areas, and landmarks
• Understand and utilize proper resources to clarify medical terms and conditions, including: medical dictionaries, drug reference books, and electronic resources

Brief Course Description

The study of body systems and sense organs. Instruction on each system and organ will involve both general and specific 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 the prognosis of these pathologies. At the discretion of the instructor, a discussion of pharmacology may be included.

Course Prerequisites

MOAD 01 – Business Standards & Communication

MOAD 02 – Medical Terminology

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Identify, locate, and describe the major body parts and their functions
• Understand structural units of the body including cells, tissues, organs, and systems
• Understand anatomical structures, their location, and associated physiological functions
• Accurately discuss the relationships between parts of body systems
• Accurately define and use the terms anatomy, physiology, and pathology in relation to the major body systems
• Understand types of medical interventions including: counselling, pharmaceutical, surgical, radiological, biological

Brief Course Description

Developing 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. In doing so, students will develop their overall keyboarding skills, progressing to a speed of at least 65 words per minute with 90% accuracy while using medical terminology.

Course Prerequisites

MOAD 01 – Business Standards & Communication

MOAD 02 – Medical Terminology

MOAD 03 – Anatomy and Physiology

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Accurately type medical business correspondence, consultation reports, pathology reports, history and physical examination reports, operative reports
• Analyzeweaknesses and work on corrective practices
• Perform basic reception duties including: scheduling and managing appointments, standard mailing procedures, telephone etiquette, faxing, filing and electronic messaging

Brief Course Description
An introduction to the various administrative skills that will be required from an individual in the health clerical worker field. This will include reception skills and processes and the record management procedure. Other topics covered will be; scheduling, inventory control, and communication (phone, e-mail, and interpersonal) techniques.

Medical law and ethics will feature heavily in this course, given the nature of material and information that a medical office assistant will have access to and work with on a regular basis.

Basic clinical procedures will be approached, equipping students with an understanding of the most common procedures and tests completed in medical office settings. This is crucial due to the role of the medical office assistant as the link between medical professionals and external medical testing and treatment facilities. Students will also learn about common medical emergencies and how to respond to them.

Course Prerequisites

MOAD 01 – Business Standards & Communication

MOAD 02 – Medical Terminology

MOAD 03 – Anatomy and Physiology

MOAD 04 – Medical Keyboarding

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Explain general office policies, practices, and procedures with regards to written or electronic communication, face to face communication, and communication over the phone
• Understand the health care system in Canada
• Explain general hospital procedures and administrative structure of health care
• Effectively organize, identify and locate components of the patient’s medical records
• Manage the booking and confirming of patient appointments
• Perform inventories of supplies and equipment
• Perform routine maintenance of administrative equipment
• Identify and perform correct sterilization and disinfection techniques
• Create and present a medical record with history notes in the designated format
• Perform selected diagnostic tests; screen and report test results
• Demonstrate knowledge of triage procedures
• Recognize and respond appropriately to emergencies
• Demonstrate a command of de-escalation techniques
• Assist the physician and other members of the health care team in clinical procedures related to the examination and treatment of patients, such as room preparation or preparation of surgical trays
• Understand basic pharmacology
• Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician
• Maintain medication records
• Dispose of controlled substances in compliance with government regulations
• Identify classification of drugs based on action and utilize the Physician’s Desk Reference
• Understand the importance of and demonstrate specific knowledge of how to maintain patient confidentiality
• Demonstrate an understanding of the Canadian healthcare system, common standards, and basic health information management

Brief Course Description

An introduction to terminology and procedure unique to pharmaceutical and medical billing. This will involve, among other topics, exploring the communication of information between pharmacists and physicians regarding medications. The importance of classifications, spelling, and pronunciation of the most ordered prescription medications will be emphasized, as will the study of appreciations, symbols, and systems of measurements surrounding prescriptions. Students will also become familiar with procedures, forms, and processes related to all forms of billing. Students will also learn the procedure, forms, and processes related to alternate forms of billing. This will involve the specific study of — though may not be limited to — WCB (Workers’ Compensation Board), ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia), Department of Veterans’ Affairs, out-of-province billing, and medical-legal billing.

Course Prerequisites

MOAD 01 – Business Standards & Communication

MOAD 02 – Medical Terminology

MOAD 03 – Anatomy and Physiology

MOAD 04 – Medical Keyboarding

MOAD 05 – Administrative and Clinical Procedures

Learning Objectives

• Interpret the preambles to the payment schedule of fees and Workers’ Compensation
• Identify services covered by the medical plan and Workers’ Compensation
• Interpret Medical Legal guidelines
• Record charges and payments using the computer
• Perform medical billing
• Complete Workers’ Compensation claim forms
• Prepare insurance claims
• Explain business standards for efficiency and quality of work
• Familiarize with various medical billing software
• Apply ethical standards with respect to privacy, confidentiality, and personal behaviour
• Explain standards regarding privacy and confidentiality with regards to the billing process

Brief Course Description

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 skill with transcription equipment and software, as well as demonstrating their comfort with the application of medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology as previously learned. Legality and accuracy will serve as overarching themes throughout.

Course Prerequisites

MOAD 01 – Business Standards & Communication

MOAD 02 – Medical Terminology

MOAD 03 – Anatomy and Physiology

MOAD 04 – Medical Keyboarding

MOAD 05 – Administrative and Clinical Procedures

MOAD 06 – Medical Billing Procedures

Learning Objectives

Brief Course Description

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

Course Prerequisites

MOAD 01 – Business Standards & Communication

MOAD 02 – Medical Terminology

MOAD 03 – Anatomy and Physiology

MOAD 04 – Medical Keyboarding

MOAD 05 – Administrative and Clinical Procedures

MOAD 06 – Medical Billing Procedures

MOAD 07 – Medical Office Transcription

Learning Objectives

View practicum guidelines and FAQs: www.ashtoncollege.ca/practicum-and-community-field-experience/

Domestic students need ONE of the following:

• Canadian Passport
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence
• Legal documentation from IRCC

And you must prove the following:

• You have successfully completed a B.C. Secondary School diploma or the equivalent of one

Are you a domestic student?

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

• Completion of BC English Studies 12, English First Peoples 12 or Literary Studies 12 with a minimum grade of C+ (or equivalents); or
• Completion of three or more consecutive years of secondary education or two or more consecutive years of post-secondary education at a recognized institution where the language of instruction is English; or
• Achieve the competency standard of a Test of English Language Proficiency as set out in Section 5.4 below. Scores for standardized English language tests are only valid for a 24-month period from the date of testing.

English is presumed to be the language of instruction in the following countries:

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

Approved English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores

• Cambridge English Advanced (CAE): minimum score of 58 or C
• The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): minimum score of 60
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): academic level 4L
• Duolingo: minimum score of 110 (temporary due to COVID)
• International English Language Testing (IELTS): academic level with a minimum overall score of 6.0
• 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

International students need:

• A valid passport from their country of citizenship and a valid study permit

And you must prove the following:

• You have successfully completed a B.C. Secondary School diploma or the equivalent of one

Are you an international student?

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

• Completion of BC English Studies 12, English First Peoples 12 or Literary Studies 12 with a minimum grade of C+ (or equivalents); or
• Completion of three or more consecutive years of secondary education or two or more consecutive years of post-secondary education at a recognized institution where the language of instruction is English; or
• Achieve the competency standard of a Test of English Language Proficiency as set out in Section 5.4 below. Scores for standardized English language tests are only valid for a 24-month period from the date of testing.

English is presumed to be the language of instruction in the following countries:

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

Approved English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores

• Cambridge English Advanced (CAE): minimum score of 58 or C
• The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): minimum score of 60
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): academic level 4L
• Duolingo: minimum score of 110 (temporary due to COVID)
• International English Language Testing (IELTS): academic level with a minimum overall score of 6.0
• 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

Do you identify as a mature student?

To qualify, you must meet the following requirements:

• You are at least 19 years of age at the start of their program
• You have not completed a B.C. Secondary School diploma or the equivalent of one

Application Requirements

Mature Students must submit ALL of the following:

• At least one letter of reference from a person who is not related to you
• A statement of intent clearly outlining your career goals and your reasons for believing you will succeed in the program
• A personal profile of 250 words or less

• First Aid Certification (including CPR and AED)
• Applicants will also need to provide the following additional documents. These additional mandatory requirements apply prior to commencing practicum and not at the time of admission.
  • Criminal record check.
  • Up-to-date Immunization(s).
  • Students for practicums will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, regardless of the province, and may have to show proof depending on their province.