California Medical College

Professional Medical Technician Program

The objective of the Professional Medical Technician Program is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and professional work habits pursuant to gaining employment in an entry level position in a medical facility such as a hospital, clinic, rehabilitation facility, physician's office, insurance organization, or research institution.

A high school diploma, GED, or equivalent may be required to take these exams.

The 320 hour Program is taught:

Monday and Wednesdays evening from 6:00PM to10:00 PM
For five modules: MED 100, MED 101, MED 102, MED 103, MED 104

For module: MED 110 /- Clinical Externship days and hours vary.

Professional Medical Technician Course Description:

MED 100

Medical Terminology
Quarter Credit Units: 3.20

This course provides the student with the building blocks of basic medical terminology. Such understanding will facilitate learning of scientific and medical principles encountered during more advanced career preparation. The relationship of word parts to their anatomical counterparts will be studied. Rules for combining word parts into complete medical terms will be stressed. Accurate pronunciation and spelling of word parts and complete terms will be emphasized throughout the course.

This course will focus on the many components of a medical term and how to break down a medical term by simply knowing the meaning of the prefix or suffix. By learning the individual parts of a medical word, you will not need to memorize hundreds of complex medical terms and their definitions.

MED 101

Medical Assisting
Quarter Credit Units: 3.20

An instructional course that prepares individuals to support physicians by providing assistance during patient examinations, treatment administration and monitoring; by keeping patient and related health record information; and by performing clinical, administrative and laboratory duties.

This course prepares individuals to perform routine clerical and reception duties in patient care and within a health care facility. Class includes instruction in receiving and directing patients, transcribing medical records, medical records management, preparation of forms, appointment scheduling, client billing/collections and insurance.

MED 102

Anatomy & Physiology
Quarter Credit Units: 3.20

Those entering various healthcare fields will find this Anatomy and Physiology course to be extremely beneficial. Course Goals include the following: 1) Be able to identify the major body systems and understand what each body system does, 2) Be able to relate how each body system works, 3) is able to identify and explain major cells, tissues, and organs, and 4) Be able to identify the explain functions of central muscles and bones.

Class lessons will cover the following topics: Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry Basics, Cells (Foundation of Life), Tissue (Different Types and Functions), The Integumentary System, The Skeletal System, The Muscular System, The Nervous System, The Sensory System, The Endocrine System, The Cardiovascular System, The Lymphatic System, The Respiratory System, The Digestive System, The Urinary System, and The Reproductive System.

MED 103

EKG
Quarter Credit Units: 3.20

This comprehensive ECG/EKG Technician course prepares students to function as ECG/EKG Technicians and to take the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) exam. This course will include important practice and background information on anatomy of the heart and physiology, medical disease processes, medical terminology, medical ethics, legal aspects of patient contact, laboratory assisting, electrocardiography and echocardiography. Additionally, students will practice with equipment and perform hands on labs including introduction to the function and proper use of the EKG machine, the normal anatomy of the chest wall for proper lead placement, 12-lead placement and other clinical practices.

ECG/EKG Technicians are responsible for performing electrocardiogram tests in order to monitor and record electrical impulses transmitted by the heart. These tests include basic EKGs, Holter Monitoring (portable EKG which records activity for 24 - 48 hours), 12 lead placement and stress tests (treadmill). They assist a physician in diagnosing and treating cardiac and blood vessel irregularities. EKG Technicians work in physician offices, hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities and organizations. EKG Technicians also work for insurance companies to establish health and life insurance policies. Similar to other growing healthcare professions, the demand for EKG Technicians is expected to continue to grow substantially.

In the combined theory and clinical experience, all needed skills to perform and complete a 12 lead electrocardiogram are taught and applied. Portable EKG machines are tools of the remarkable progress in technology and medical procedures and require an intense study of the electrical activity of the cardiovascular system, circulatory system, and respiratory system. Detecting and determining abnormalities while performing an EKG is a necessary and needed skill. The study of EKG techniques and applications include the following breakdown in theory:

Basic anatomy and physiology of the vascular and respiratory systems and the study of their functions.
Ventricle and arterial placement in the body cavity and correlation of these with lead placement.
EKG lead placement and monitoring of T Waves and Rhythm sections.
Proper placement of EKG readings on mounted boards for Physician analysis and diagnosis.

MED 104

Laboratory Procedures / Injections
Quarter Credit Units: 3.20

Students in this course will learn about the clinical laboratory and the associated safety and regulatory guidelines. Students will explore basic microbiology and hematology, and practice using a microscope. Students will learn proper procedures for specimen collecting, processing, and testing. Students will perform venipuncture and capillary puncture. Principles of infection control, asepsis, and sterilization will also be covered. In addition students will perform intradermal, subcutaneous, and intramuscular injections.

MED 110

Clinical Externship
Quarter Credit Units: 5.33

During the externship phase of training, the student will experience various aspects of working in the actual field that they have trained for. The externship will provide the student with the opportunity to experience and participate in the duties typical to a real work place setting. Instruction centers on observing personnel, as well as, participating in actual procedures under close supervision of trained professionals. A minimum of 160 clinical hours must be completed for this portion of training.

This course provides the opportunity to apply clinical, laboratory, and administrative skills in a medical facility. Emphasis is placed on enhancing competence in clinical and administrative skills necessary for comprehensive patient care and strengthening professional communications and interactions. Upon completion, students should be able to function as an entry-level healthcare professional.

Final course emphasis is geared towards preparing the students for national certification exams with NHA and/or NCCT for Medical Assistant, Medical Office Assistant, EKG Technician, Patient Care Technician or Insurance and Coding Specialist.