Play an integral part in a professional medical office upon graduation of UCW Academy of Health’s Medical Office Assistant Certificate. Gain specialized knowledge and skills in standard administrative duties and learn how to assist with patient examinations and medical transcription. Find career opportunities in a variety of work environments such as private medical offices, clinics, and hospitals.
As a pre-requisite, all students must have at least one year of clerical/administrative work experience in addition to proficiency in Microsoft Word and a typing speed of at least 40 words per minute. Students enrolled in the certificate program develop these basic skill sets by taking administrative courses with topics including reception, human relations, records management, banking and financial records, and word processing. Technical skills in medical terminology, human anatomy, and medical machine transcription are also taught in order to enhance a graduate’s knowledge of medical sciences for a future administrative position.
To complete the Medical Office Assistant Certificate, students must participate in a mandatory 4-week practicum at a medical office job site. This opportunity gives students a real-world perspective about their future career. UCW Academy of Health supports each student by offering a Career and Employment Strategies module which teaches students job planning, searching, and interviewing.
"Our instructors keep on top of health care trends and incorporate this training into the curriculum.” Dr. Betty Koo, Health Care Instructor
Program Courses
The program outline below is for British Columbia.
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| ATME |
Anatomy and Terminology / Machine Transcription |
180 |
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- This course provides an introduction to the human body and its functions. The basic anatomical structure of each body system is studied, along with the most common pathological conditions, fundamental clinical procedures and abbreviations relating to each of the body systems. This course also combines the medical machine transcription component which familiarizes the student with various medical letters and reports routinely dictated by the medical profession. The student utilizes transcription equipment to practise the correct formatting, spelling, and grammar used in these reports. The subject matter is closely aligned to the anatomy to further reinforce medical terms and procedures.
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| MPAE |
Medical Office Practice and Assisting |
80 |
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- This course introduces the student to the standard administrative functions in a typical medical office, along with the non-invasive elements of assisting with patient examinations ¾ preparing and positioning patients, taking initial history, and checking vital signs. In addition to learning manual methods of health care billing, students are also exposed to a medical office management software package that meets the provincial Ministry of Health requirements.
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| WPAE |
Document Formatting |
65 |
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- Students learn to apply standard formatting to a variety of typical business documents, while continuing to develop their keyboarding speed and accuracy and proofreading skills.
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| CESE |
Career and Employment Strategies |
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- This course looks at the planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up stages of an interview.
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- This program includes a practicum component consisting of a specified number of weeks of work at a job site. This practicum work experience is a mandatory diploma requirement and the business organization does not pay for the services of the student during the practicum. The number of practicum hours varies between programs. To learn more about the specific practicum hours for a specific program, speak with an Admissions Representative.
