Medical Assistant (MA) Program Curriculum and Rotation
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Curriculum Overview
The Northwestern Medical Assistant program is a part-time, 10-month program (40 instructional weeks) that provides 9 months of part-time didactic instruction followed by a 1 month, 160-hour, full-time externship. ​

Semester I (September - January)

• Introduction to Medical Assisting, Medical Terminology, and Medical Law and Ethics
• Integumentary, Sensory, and Nervous Systems, and Patient Care
• Musculoskeletal System and Human Relations
• Clinical and Administrative Procedures I, and Pharmacology
• Cardiopulmonary System, Electrocardiography, CPR, and First Aid

Semester II (February - late June/or early July)

• ​Urinary and Digestive Systems
• Endocrine and Reproductive Systems
• Respiratory System and Clinical Procedures II
• Administrative Procedures II and Career Development
• Externship

Program Grading Scale 
The following grading scale is used:

A: 90-100%
B: 80-89.9%
C: 70-79.9%
D: 60-69.9%
F: below 60% 

Clinical Sites
The Medical Assistant program utilizes various clinical sites across the Northwestern Medicine system and students may be placed at externship sites up to 50 miles away from the downtown campus.

​Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
The Medical Assistant program requires that all students maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout enrollment. A student maintains SAP if their cumulative (overall) and current (most recent term) grade point averages are 2.0 or better. A student must also achieve a final course grade of 70% in all didactic courses and a grade of PASS in all clinical courses throughout each term, adhere to the clinical competency plan per the course syllabi, maintain satisfactory performance pace (completion of all attempted courses), and comply with all institutional and program policies. Student performance will be monitored in an ongoing manner throughout clinical and didactic activities with evaluation at the end of each term. A grade for each course will be issued at the end of the term.
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Program Delivery
The Medical Assistant program utilizes a traditional, residential format. 
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Program Hours
9 months: part-time (20 hours per week)
Monday through Thursday 8:00am - 1:00pm
1 month: full-time Externship (160 hours, 40 hours per week)
Monday through Friday, full-time, daytime hours

​Students will be off six regular holidays per year. Those are:

• New Year's Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas

Students will have a 2-week winter break and 1-week spring break; dates vary each year.

The program begins every September and ends in late June.
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