Program Tips

General Information

Academic Advising & Student Success

Academic advisors assist students with developing academic plans based on their degree evaluations. Their goal is to plan the right pathway to graduation by maximizing students' potential and ensuring success based on the student's previous academic experience, career path, and responsibilities outside of being a student. Student success specialists assist students in overcoming barriers that many students encounter over their academic career. Their goal is to help students become academically successful by assisting with goal setting, interpersonal issues, success plans, and community-based referrals. More information can be found on Commons (Student Services & Support).

Library & Academic Support

Free academic help including drop-in tutoring, test preparation, and technology support available online and face-to-face. More information is available in Commons.

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)

CPL offers CVTC students and opportunity to earn college credit toward and associate degree or technical diploma for previous knowledge and mastered skills directly related to program curriculum. Previous knowledge and skills may be the result of work or volunteer experiences, certifications, apprenticeships, military experience, and courses at other institutions. If a student wishes to attempt CPL for a course in progress, it is imperative that CPL is attempted within the first week of class (or sooner) to be eligible for a tuition refund. More information can be found at cvtc.edu/CPL.

Successful completion means the student received a "B-" or better as a final grade.

For the Medical Assistant program, common CPL courses would include:

Financial Aid Consideration

Courses must be part of the student's program to be eligible although some specific courses may not be eligible for financial aid. Students must follow their program requirements to be eligible for financial aid. To be eligible for financial aid, students must maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress of a 2.0 Term GPA, 2.0 Cumulative GPA, complete 67% of attempted credits each semester, and complete their program by the time 150% of the published credits have been attempted.

Students with Disabilities

CVTC welcomes individuals with disabilities. We will provide and coordinate reasonable accommodations for all individuals with documented disabilities. Students that might benefit from accommodations during their college experience at CVTC can contact the Student Success and Accessibility team at 715-833-6234 or access@cvtc.edu to determine what accommodations they may be eligible for and what documentation may be required.

Title IX Pregnancy and Related Conditions

CVTC does not discriminate against any student on the basis of pregnancy or related conditions and will fully comply with Title IX regulations. Absences due to medical conditions relating to pregnancy and maternity leave will be excused for as long as deemed medically necessary by a student's medical provider, and students will be given the opportunity to make up missed work. Students are encouraged to contact the Student Success and Accessibility team to set up an appointment as soon as the pregnancy is known to determine if any reasonable modifications are appropriate.

Pre-Program Information

Students who have pre-program status have been accepted into the college but not into the program. Pre-program status may be granted because the program is filled to capacity, admission requirements need to be satisfied, or the program start date is in the future. For more detailed information, visit the Pre-Program Health Advisement page.

Criminal Background Check

Students will be provided direction on how to request a criminal background check from a third-party vendor. Upon receipt of the criminal background check results, if a student has a criminal history, they will be advised of the possibility of being denied clinical placement. This denial will result in not being able to attend clinical(s) or graduate from the program. Additional background checks may be required during the student's enrollment in the program based on clinical site requirements. Students will be informed by CVTC if they need a criminal background check renewal.

Demanding Coursework

The Medical Assistant program is academically rigorous. Students are encouraged to complete courses as a pre-program student in order to lighten credit load once in the core program. Note: A grade of "B-" or better (80%) is required in all courses of the program.

Courses Available to Pre-Program Students

By completing the courses listed below ahead of time, students can decrease their credit load when they reach the highly demanding core program courses and increase their success rate in the program. It is strongly recommended that pre-program students complete these courses while waiting to enroll (or before enrolling) in the core program. Students who complete these courses as pre-program students will NOT be able to finish the program early; core program courses must be taken sequentially.

This program is NOT designed to be part-time. However, students are encouraged to complete some or all of the following courses prior to entering the program. The following courses are offered to pre-program Medical Assistant students on a space available basis and are not guaranteed:

The following courses are available to pre-program students:

• 836-113 Prep for Basic Biology (If needed for admission to the program.)
• 501-107 Digital Literacy for Healthcare
• 509-302 Human Body in Health and Disease (Prerequisite: 836-113 or High School Biology). Most students are pre-program MA because they still need to complete the biology admission requirement. You must have successfully completed biology previously to be able to take this course.
• 509-309 Medical Law, Ethics & Professionalism 

Please Note

• 530-182 Human Diseases for the Health Professions is NOT equivalent to 509-302 Human Body in Health & Disease, and will not count toward graduation requirements for the Medical Assistant program.
• 530-103 Medical Insurance & Billing is NOT required, nor will it count toward graduation requirements for the Medical Assistant program.
• If a student is not successful in 509-303 Medical Assistant Laboratory Procedures 1 or 509-304 Medical Assistant Clinical Procedures 1, the student will be required to reapply for program admission.

Review your Program Requirement Sheet carefully! Take your prerequisites before enrolling in subsequent courses.
If you have questions, please contact the program director or academic advisor.

Program Information

Technology Requirements

Students must have regular access to a computer with an internet connection. Additionally, students will be required to have a web cam and headset with a microphone and speakers. Students may purchase a webcam and headset from anywhere they choose. The following items meet the recommendations: Logitech USB Headset Mono 650 and the Logitech Webcam C310 HD.

Having access to a laptop/computer with reliable Wi-Fi will be necessary. Please check your laptop/computer to make sure that it meets the minimum recommended specifications below:

Pre-Entrance Health History and Physical Exam

A pre-entrance health history and physical examination must be completed and on file three weeks prior to entering the core courses of this program. CVTC will notify students at the appropriate time with a specified deadline.

Healthcare Prep Seminar

This program requires attendance at a two-day in-person Healthcare Prep Seminar the week before the fall semester begins. Students will be sent invitations to these sessions via mail and email. Students will get to meet their cohort and faculty, learn more about the program and resources, and how to be successful in the program.

Second Semester

If you are a program student (this means you are registering for 509-304 MA Clinical Procedures 1), you can take selective second semester courses. If you have already completed some first semester courses, you can take these courses from the second semester to lighten your final semester of the program:

• 509-307 Med Office Insurance & Finance (2 credits) (must have completed 509-302 Human Body in Health & Disease with a "B-" grade or better)

Practicum Requirements (current through practicum)

• Successful completion or standing in all other program courses
• CPR-BLS Certification
  • Course options at CVTC - To see course offerings and register go to: Login to COMMONS at www.cvtc.edu. Hover over RECORDS & REGISTRATION and select Search Course Offerings. Scroll down and in the “Looking for more courses” box, click CPR Certification. When the page loads, all of the CPR courses appear. Course options you can take:
    • CPR-BLS PROVIDER: About a 4.5-hour class that provides both the theory and skills in one course. Held at one of the CVTC campuses.
    • BLS PROVIDER SKILLS SESSION: This is a two-part course – online portion through AHA and then the skill session at CVTC. Please read the note under the Class Detail header, which provides information on how to register for the first half of the course with AHA. Students also then need to register for the CVTC portion.
    • CPR RENEWAL – BLS PROVIDER: This 2.5-hour class is only for those that have a BLS Provider certification that is expiring.
  • Red Cross “CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers” class and your card would indicate “Basic Life Support” online + classroom option is acceptable
  • American Heart Association “BLS (Basic Life Support) for Healthcare Providers”
  • An active instructor card for either of the above mentioned BLS courses
• TB Test and current influenza vaccine
• Approval of program faculty
• Compliance with WI Caregiver Law
• Program Health Requirements are met

Clinical Compliance

To be in compliance with CVTC's partnering clinical agencies and the agencies' regulating bodies, for example the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), students must be prepared to abide by vaccination mandates and health and safety guidelines as dictated by those bodies. Students will receive an email invite from Clinician Nexus to login and upload their own clinical compliance documents. Students are responsible for maintaining their own records.

Patient Services Specialist – Embedded Technical Diploma

The Patient Services Specialist technical diploma will be awarded to you automatically upon completion. You will see that, along with any other degrees awarded, noted on your official transcript. If you would like a diploma printed after successfully completing all courses listed, please go to Commons > Forms > Embedded Diploma/Certificate Request Form (under Records & Registration). If you are opting out of the Medical Assistant program after completing the required courses for this technical diploma, email Records & Registration at registration@cvtc.edu from your CVTC student email account and let them know you will not be continuing with the Medical Assistant degree.

This 11-credit embedded technical diploma requires a passing grade in the following courses:

• 501-107 Digital Literacy for Healthcare (2 credits)
• 509-301 MA Administrative Procedures (2 credits)
• 509-302 Human Body in Health and Disease (3 credits)
• 509-307 Medical Office Insurance and Finance (2 credits)
• 509-309 Medical Law, Ethics, and Professionalism (2 credits)

Certification

Completion of the Medical Assistant program enables students to take the American of Medical Assistant national certification exam and upon successful completion of this exam, the title Certified Medical Assistant [CMA (AAMA)] may be used.

Last Updated: April 23, 2025 @ 10:00 a.m.