Medical Assisting

Admissions Requirements

Students must complete an application to Lakeland's Medical Assisting Program to be considered for application. (See Documents & Forms)

The medical assisting program at Lakeland Community College is a 12 month program. Students are admitted once a year in the fall semester. Courses on campus consist of clinical and administrative medical assisting courses as well as related health science and general education courses.

During the summer session, students participate in a practicum at an affiliated clinical site, putting into practice those skills learned in the previous semesters. Students who cannot attend full time may take the required courses over a longer period of time, usually two years. A student who chooses this route should verify plans with a counselor or the program director.

The following is a description of the physical and mental abilities needed to complete the medical assisting program and to work in the field of medical assisting.

A candidate for the medical assisting program must have abilities and skills as follows:

1. Observation
   Candidates must have sufficient sensory (level of vision and hearing) capacity to observe in lecture and clinical settings. Sensory and tactile skills must be adequate to observe a patient's condition and gather information through procedures regularly required in comprehensive medical assisting patient evaluation. Must be able to hear and respond to auditory tones and signals from monitoring and testing equipment.
    
2. Communications
   The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients in order to gather information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture; assess nonverbal communication; and be able to effectively and efficiently transmit information to patients, fellow student, faculty and staff. Candidates must demonstrate effective writing skills. Students must be able to respond and react immediately to verbal instructions or requests.
    
3. Motor
   The candidate must have sufficient motor function to gather information from patients by appropriate diagnostic or therapeutic maneuvers; be able to perform basic tests; be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. You must be able to apply up to 10 pounds of pressure to staunch bleeding. Must be able to stand for long periods of time and assist in moving patients from wheelchair to exam table. Must be able to lift, carry, push and pull carts. Must be able to stand, stoop and crouch as well as reach above and below shoulders.
    
4. Intellectual/Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities
   The candidate must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze and synthesize. Problem solving, a critical skill demanded of allied health practitioners, requires all of these intellectual abilities. Candidates must be able to read and understand medical literature.
    
5. Behavioral and Social Attributes
   The candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to care of patients and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients. Candidates must also be able to tolerate taxing workloads, function effectively under stress, adapt to a changing environment, display flexibility and learn to function in the face of the uncertainties inherent in clinical problems of many patients.
   
   Reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities will be considered on an individual basis, but a candidate must be able to perform in an independent manner. There will be no discrimination in the selection of program participants based on race, creed, color, gender, age, marital status, national origin, or physical or mental disability, providing mandatory standards can be met.

• Download the medical assisting program application
• Upload your completed medical assisting program application