American National University’s Administrative Medical Assisting Associate degree program is designed for students looking to become an integral part of the fast-growing medical field. This program will help you effectively communicating with patients and other care givers while performing operational office functions for medical practices. The goal of the program is to prepare competent entry-level administrative medical assistants in the knowledge, skills, and behavior learning domains. The practical and comprehensive coursework will include anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, electronic health records, medical office management and finance, and healthcare billing and coding.
In addition to the principal course of study, students in the program will receive a background in computers. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) exam administered through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). Students may also take the Certified Supervisor certification exam offered through the Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM) as part of BUS117 Supervision.
This program can also provide the foundation to joining ANU’s Medical and Health Services Management bachelor’s degree program.
ANU’s online administrative medical assisting associate degree program will cover these essential topics:
Available through ANU eUniversity as an eLearning program.
Check out our “Not-What-You-Would Expect” Guide to Medical Assisting to learn more about this high-demand field.
96 credit hours required/192 quality points required. All courses are 4 credit hours
Program Core (Required) 48 total credit hours required
BUS117 Supervision
4 Credit Hours
Students taking this course will learn how to be effective supervisors. Topics for discussion include how supervisors inspire, empower and develop people so that they become more effective in their working roles, the supervisory function for employee and workplace safety, and the supervisor’s responsibilities for planning and decision-making.
BUS225 Business Communications
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq.- ENG090) A comprehensive course in business communication, that includes the study and practice of concepts and skills as they apply to business and professional settings including written communication, business and professional presentations, interpersonal and group dynamics. Special attention is given to learning to communicate effectively in multiple formats as professional in today’s digital, social, and mobile world.
COM151 The Microsoft® Office
4 Credit Hours
This is an introductory course that provides a comprehensive study of The Microsoft® Office. This course is a combination of lecture and hands-on training.
EHR100 Electronic Health Records
4 Credit Hours
This course introduces the basic concepts of medical charting which are applied to an Electronic Health Record (EHR). Topics include concepts of implementation, skill development for basic navigation of an electronic health record, components of the electronic record, technology that is used for input into the record, and privacy and security issues affecting access to the patient information. Other topics introduced are ethical and legal aspects of the patient’s medical record in a hospital or clinic setting.
MED107 Medical Terminology
4 Credit Hours
Medical terminology is the language of medicine. Students will be taught using a systematic approach to word building and term comprehension based on the concepts of word roots, prefixes and suffixes. This course will provide the student the primary skills to use terminology to accurately describe the body and associated components, conditions, processes, and procedures. Students will learn terms pertaining to all the body systems and terms pertaining to pharmaceutical treatment.
MED160 Health Care Law and Ethics
4 Credit Hours
Introduction to law and ethics pertinent to medical careers. Topics include legal issues that are important to health care professionals, including the foundations of law and ethics as well as professional, social, and interpersonal health care issues.
MED200 Medical Office Management
4 Credit Hours
This course introduces a systems approach to the medical office management and the vocabulary used in a medical office management setting. Topics include the importance of monthly planning meetings, the value of time management skills, emergency preparedness procedures for a medical office setting, and the difference between an office procedure manual and a personnel policy manual.
MED208 Medical Office Procedures
4 Credit Hours
Course includes skills needed to handle administrative duties in a busy medical office including reception, telephone procedures, computer skills, and scheduling and office equipment usage. Topics include the electronic healthcare record, patient navigator, written and oral communications skills. A minimum letter grade of “C” is required for successful completion of this course and a score of 70% on all skill-based competencies.
MED218 Communication for the Healthcare Professional
4 Credit Hours
Effective communication is a critical skill for the healthcare professional. This course provides the basic skills to communicate orally and in writing within an interdisciplinary, multicultural, and multigenerational healthcare environment. The essential of communication and the “soft-skills” needed for entry level healthcare jobs and career success are taught.
MED247 Health Insurance Billing and Coding
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – BIO201, BIO202) This course provides information about major insurance programs and federal health care legislation. Topics included in this course are diagnosis and procedure coding systems, reimbursement methodologies, and the roles to accurately process medical insurance claims.
MED285 Medical Office Finances
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – MED208, MAT090 if applicable) This specialized course is designed to teach basic medical office skills. Instruction will be provided in the preparation of various medical forms and reports, and medical office financial procedures such as recording payments, reconciling bank statements, and general bookkeeping procedures. This course also provides detailed instruction in processing insurance claims including: ICD and CPT coding, completion of CMS1500 and other specialized insurance forms, and third party billing and reimbursements. A minimum letter grade of “C” is required for successful completion of this course and a score of 70% on all skill-based competencies.
AMA298: Administrative Medical Assisting Exam Success Class
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – Should be taken in the final term and student must have completed all MED courses.) This course is designed to prepare the student for success on the certification exam through a structured classroom review and testing to reinforce the student’s recall and knowledge of materials presented throughout the program.
Electives (Required) Select 6 – 24 credit hours required – students may only choose one additional COM course from the selection below.
BIO206* Diseases of the Human Body
4 Credit Hours
This course examines diseases affecting the various tissues, organs and body systems. Topics include genetics, mental health disorders, and diseases affecting children and the older adult.
BUS101 Introduction to Business
4 Credit Hours
This introductory course in modern business focuses on basic business terms, business concepts, organization structures, and the functions of business.
BUS218 Customer Service Management
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq.-BUS101) The focus of this course is Customer Relationship Management (CRM), a strategic methodology emphasizing the centrality of customers to an organization’s existence. The course examines best practices in enhancing customer relationships over time which enhances an organization’s competitive position and increases its profitability.
Through case studies, class discussion, projects and presentations, the student will gain a firm understanding of the key decision variables required to successfully adopt and use the CRM methodology in marketing environments. Strong customer relationships also rely upon personal selling and sales strategy, featured in the second part of this course.
BUS227 Human Resource Management
4 Credit Hours
This course examines the principles of employee selection, job design, performance appraisal, compensation, training and development, safety and health, and labor relations. Upon completion of this course students are eligible to sit for the Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR) certification exam through Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).
COM234 Desktop Applications
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – COM151) Students taking this course will learn how to use Microsoft® Word and Microsoft® PowerPoint to prepare documents and presentations.
COM235 Spreadsheet Applications
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – COM151) Students taking this course will learn how to use Microsoft® Access and Microsoft® Excel to prepare databases and spreadsheet applications.
HIM201 Clinical Classification Systems I
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – BIO201, BIO202; Co-Req. – BIO206) This course introduces students to the organization, principles and practices of ICD10–Diagnosis coding. They are given an overview of ICD code sets related to diagnosis coding. Students learn to assign ICD-10-CM codes to medical diagnoses using the current codebook following current coding guidelines.
HIM202 Clinical Classification Systems II
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – HIM201) In this course students learn the ICD-10-CM chapter specific guidelines continuing from the Clinical Classification Systems I. Students are introduced to the organization, principles and practices of ICD-Procedure Coding in this course. They are given an overview of ICD code sets related to procedure coding. Emphasis is on following current regulations and established guidelines in code assignment.
*this program requires this course as a selection
General Education: At least 1 from each discipline required; 24 total credit hours required
Written and Oral Communication
ENG102 English Composition
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – ENG090 if applicable) Students taking this course will study and discuss rhetoric, style, and composition, with special emphasis on written communication skills.
ENG126 Oral Communication
4 Credit Hours
Students taking this course will develop the ability to express themselves effectively in public and private settings.
Mathematics, Statistics, and Logic
LOG215 Thinking Critically
4 Credit Hours
This course introduces students to the process of critical thinking and offers knowledge and experience that can be applied to academic, professional, and personal growth. Students will learn to examine and evaluate the information they are exposed to, confidently select appropriate evidence from conflicting data, and craft that evidence into viable answers, arguments or solutions.
MAT101 Understanding Mathematics
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – MAT090 if applicable) Students taking this course will examine the fundamental principles of mathematical theory and grow to understand the logic and inter-relationship of various mathematical functions.
MAT214 Algebra
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. – MAT090 if applicable) Students will learn algebraic problem solving, radicals, quadratic equations, polynomials, inequalities, and applied problem solving.
MAT220 Algebra and Basic Statistics
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq. MAT090, if applicable) This course introduces algebra topics and basic elements of exploratory data analysis. This course will cover constructing, evaluating and analyzing mathematical models, specifically linear and exponential functions, to represent relationships in quantitative data.
Arts and Humanities
ETH205 Ethics
4 Credit Hours
Students taking this course will study ethical thought and ideals, with emphasis on the central assumptions of personal and social morality. Students will also investigate ethics and related problems in industry, civil society, and the typical American community.
GEN241 Cultural Appreciation
4 Credit Hours
The need for cultural awareness doesn’t just apply to one’s relationship with others; conflicting cultural perspectives often exist within the individual. Students will learn to appreciate their own heritage and understand how their heritage influences their perspectives while gaining an appreciation for the cultural heritage of those around them. Students will be challenged to think and discuss their beliefs and opinions in light of cultural influence and understand how those values affect their work ethic and working relationships. Course content will incorporate experiences similar to those that will occur in the vocation’s students have chosen to study.
Social and Behavioral Sciences
POL202 Political Science
4 Credit Hours
This course provides the student with the means and opportunity to engage their government as a concerned individual. Global political systems and principal theories will be examined and compared to events and decisions affecting each student at the local level. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to become participants in their local government and to recognize and understand the various challenges that influence local decisions. The information and skills students learn in this course may be applied to many professional fields.
PSY127 Psychology
4 Credit Hours
This course provides students with an overview of the fundamental principles and methods of psychology. Topics for discussion include biological basis of behavior, sensory and perceptual processes, learning, motivation, developmental changes, personality, social behavior, and behavioral disorders.
PSY200 Human Growth and Development
4 Credit Hours
This course is designed to study human growth and development across the life span with emphasis upon normal growth and milestones achieved in the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional systems. Professional consideration is given to understanding changes that occur at different stages of development, and how care and interaction with individuals needs to be appropriate for their stage of development.
SOC103 General Sociology
4 Credit Hours
This course is a combination of applied sociology, communications and interpersonal relations designed to acquaint the student with the tools for self-examination and understanding of business and social relationships.
Physical/Natural Science
ENV101 Environmental Science
4 Credit Hours
Environmental Science is a general course for non-biology majors in which students will explore the following basic principles: concepts required to understand interrelationships of the environment and the natural world; environmental problems both natural and man-made; risks associated with air, water, land pollution; health of humans and ecosystems; deforestation and climate change; overpopulation, and environmental law, economics, and ethics.
BIO101 Introduction to Biology
4 Credit Hours
Introduction to Biology is a general biology class for non-biology majors in which the following basic principles are explored: Characteristics of Life, Basic Biochemistry, Cell Structure and Function, Cell Metabolism and Reproduction, Genetics and Heredity, and Scientific Method. This class is intended for students who have never studied biology or who need to review basic biology.
BIO201 Basic Anatomy and Physiology I*
4 Credit Hours
A study of the anatomy, physiology and medical terminology of the skeletal, muscular, respiratory, cardiovascular, lymphatic, immune, hematological, digestive, and reproductive systems. This course covers human development, birth and genetics.
BIO202 Basic Anatomy and Physiology II*
4 Credit Hours
(Prereq.-BIO201) Students taking this course will study the anatomy, physiology and medical terminology of the cell, tissues, membranes, and structures of the nervous system, the sensory system, the integumentary system, the digestive, the urinary system, and the endocrine system. This course will discuss the basic chemistry, water acids, bases, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and classes of macromolecules in cells.
For all courses: See course description for applicable prerequisites.
* This program requires this General Education course or equivalent