Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science at Forsyth Technical Community College

Embark on a transformative journey into healthcare with Forsyth Technical Community College's Medical Assisting program. This comprehensive associate degree equips you with versatile administrative and clinical skills, preparing you for dynamic roles in diverse medical environments. Through hands-on experience and a curriculum emphasizing anatomy, medical terminology, and healthcare ethics, you'll gain the foundational knowledge and practical expertise necessary for career success. This program fosters essential organizational and communication skills, preparing you for certification exams and empowering you to make an immediate impact in the healthcare field.

Program Details:

• Cost: 5548 USD
• Duration: 2 years (typically completed in six semesters)
• Schedule: In-person with hands-on externships/clinical rotations
• Prerequisites: Readiness for college-level English and Math, high school diploma or equivalent
• Accreditations: CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs)
• Career Outcomes: Prepares students for certification exams and equips them with versatile skills in both administrative and clinical healthcare roles, fostering readiness for diverse medical environments.

The Pharmacy Technology Program prepares individuals to assist the pharmacist in duties that a technician can legally perform and to function within the boundaries prescribed by the pharmacist and the employment agency.

Students will prepare prescription medications, mix intravenous solutions and other specialized medications, update patient profiles, maintain inventories, package medications in unit-dose or med-card form and gather data used by pharmacists to monitor drug therapy.

Employment opportunities include retail, hospitals, nursing homes, research laboratories, wholesale drug companies and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. Graduates from the program may be eligible to take the National Certification Examination to become a certified pharmacy technician.

The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology curriculum provides the basic knowledge to develop skills necessary to work with residential and light commercial systems.

Topics include mechanical refrigeration, heating and cooling theory, electricity, controls, and safety.  The diploma program covers air conditioning, furnaces, heat pumps, tools and instruments. 

Diploma graduates should be able to assist in the start up, preventive maintenance, service, repair, and/or installation of residential and light commercial systems. 

The Practical Nursing curriculum provides knowledge and skills to integrate safety and quality into nursing care to meet the needs of the holistic individual which impact health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.

Course work includes and builds upon the domains of healthcare, nursing practice, and the holistic individual. Content emphasizes safe, individualized nursing care and participation in the interdisciplinary team while employing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics.

Graduates are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) which is required for practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Employment opportunities include hospitals, rehabilitation/long term care/home health facilities, clinics, and physicians’ offices.

The Welding Technology curriculum provides students with a sound understanding of the science, technology, and applications essential for successful employment in the welding and metalworking industry.

Instruction includes consumable and non-consumable electrode welding and cutting processes. Courses may include math, print reading, metallurgy, welding inspection, and destructive and non-destructive testing providing the student with industry-standard skills developed through classroom training and practical application.

Graduates of the Welding Technology curriculum may be employed as entry-level technicians in welding and metalworking industries.  Career opportunities also exist in construction, manufacturing, fabrication, sales, quality control, supervision, and welding-related self-employment.