Medical Office Administration Certificate

(Currently Not Accepting Enrollments)

Description and Outcomes

Effective June 7, 2023, this program will no longer be accepting enrollments or reentries. Students interested in a similar program may consider the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration or Medical Billing/​Coding Certificate.

The objective of the Medical Office Administration Certificate program is to prepare you with the knowledge, technical skills, and work habits to pursue entry-level positions in medical offices. The program concentrates on helping you develop skills to submit medical claims for reimbursement, process bills, and develop a working knowledge of various insurance plans as well as administrative procedures. The certificate program provides a broad education to help you develop advanced technical and communication skills.

Upon graduation, you may be eligible to take the examination given by the American Medical Technologists to become a Certified Medical Administrative Specialist (CMAS), the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) examination sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), and the National Certified Medical Office Assistant (NCMOA) examination given by the National Center for Competency Testing. Refer to the Certification, State Board, and National Board Exams section for important program disclosure information.

Workplace duties may include appointment management and scheduling, medical records management, insurance processing, insurance coding and billing, and fundamentals of financial management. Competence in the field also requires that a medical office assistant display professionalism, communicate professionally, and provide instruction to patients.

Externship Experience

This program blends online coursework with an on-ground experience. If you enroll in the online program, you will need to complete a minimum 160-hour supervised externship in a physician's office or clinic to complete the course of study. Refer to the General Policies section for criminal background check information and the Progression Requirements section for additional requirements.

Program Length

The Medical Office Administration Certificate program consists of a minimum of 57 quarter credit hours. Upon successful completion of the program, you will be awarded a certificate in medical office administration.

Program Outcomes

Discipline-Specific Outcomes

  1. Administration: Exhibit proficiency in clerical and administrative functions required of medical office staff.
  2. Standards, Laws, and Ethics: Employ professional, ethical, and legal standards in health care practice.
  3. Foundational Knowledge of Allied Health Sciences: Integrate knowledge from behavioral and biological sciences as a basis for allied health practices.
  4. Professionalism: Embody professional behaviors as defined by the disciplines of allied health.

Program Availability

For program availability, please refer to the U.S. State and Other Approvals section and Program Availability Information.

Policies

Progression Requirements

  1. You will be withdrawn from the program if you are unable to successfully complete MO290 Medical Office Administration Externship and Evaluation and Evaluation on the second attempt.
  2. Prior to beginning the first clinical experience, you must provide documentation of completion of an approved health care provider CPR training course. Approved courses include: American Heart Association (Basic Life Support for the Healthcare Provider), American Red Cross (BLS for Healthcare Providers), and ProCPR (Healthcare BLS).
  3. Prior to the first clinical experience, you are required to submit a health clearance form signed by a MD, DO, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant. You will also be required to provide evidence of two MMR vaccines or a positive blood titer; tetanus vaccination within the last 10 years; varicella vaccination, a positive titer, or documentation of disease; negative tuberculin test within the last year; three Hepatitis B vaccines, a positive titer, or a written waiver opting out of vaccination; and completion of a COVID vaccine or an approved medical or religious exemption. If you fail to submit the required immunizations and health clearance, you will be removed from the course prior to the start of the term.
  4. As an online student, you must:
    1. Provide notice of intent to enroll in clinical courses and externships 3 months prior to the beginning of the term in which you wish to enroll. Notification must be submitted to the Health Sciences Clinical Placement Department using the appropriate application form.
    2. Complete a clinical orientation workshop and pass a criminal background check prior to placement at a clinical, practicum, or externship site.
    3. Enroll in EL206 Academic Prior Learning Portfolio in your second term if you are interested in pursuing credit for experiential learning. You must complete the portfolio development and assessment process by the end of the third term or by the time you have accumulated 30 credits within your program.

Certification, State Board, and National Board Exams

Certification and licensure boards have state-specific educational requirements for programs that lead to a license or certification that is a precondition for employment. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information.

Licensure-track programs may limit enrollment to students in certain states; please see Purdue Global’s Program Availability Information to determine enrollment eligibility.

You are responsible for understanding the requirements of optional certification exams. Such requirements may change during the course of your program. You are not automatically certified in any way upon program completion. Although certain programs are designed to prepare you to take various optional certification exams, Purdue Global cannot guarantee you will be eligible to take these exams or become certified. Your eligibility may depend on your work experience, completion of education and/or degree requirements, not having a criminal record, and meeting other certification requirements.

The Medical Office Administration Certificate program is designed to prepare you with the administrative skills to provide outstanding patient care. The program is structured to provide appropriate academic preparation if you are interested in pursuing national certification as a medical administrative specialist. After completion of the program, you may be eligible to take the Certified Medical Administrative Specialist examination given by the American Medical Technologists and the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) examination sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).