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Degree at a Glance

Degree Type

Associate of Applied Science

Location

Greeley Campus

Credits

60

Tuition*

In-District
$5,620
In-State
$8,500
WUE
$12,400
Out-of-State
$29,440

*Check Cashier's Office for current tuition rates

Related Links

Allied Health Professional

Related Resources

Allied Health Professional

Allied Health ProfessionalRequirements

Start your coursework by studying healthcare law and ethics, diseases, and pharmacology for medical assistants. You'll choose three certificates from the following list and customize your allied health professional coursework that matches your career goal: 

To complete your degree, you will take Basic Anatomy and Physiology, General Psychology and Human Growth and Development, English and Math. The coursework for each associate in allied health degree program path culminates with an internship. Spend a semester applying all that you’ve learned in an actual medical office or hospital, with guidance from experienced instructors.

Degree Requirements

  • Introduces student to the study and application medico-legal concepts in medical careers. This course seeks to establish a foundation for ethical behavior and decision making in health professions. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    2
  • Covers basic knowledge of the deviations that occur in the human body with disease and injury. An integrated study of signs/symptoms, diagnostic tests and treatment. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    4
  • Provides an in-depth study of the structure of medical terms with emphasis on using and combining common prefixes, roots and suffixes. This course includes terms related to major body systems, oncology, and psychiatry as well as clinical laboratory and diagnostic procedures, and imaging, and provides accepted pronunciation of terms and relative use in the healthcare setting. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
Total Degree Required Credits 9

General Education

  • Focuses on basic knowledge of body structures and function, and provides a foundation for understanding deviations from normal and disease conditions. This course is designed for individuals interested in health care and is directly applicable to the Practical Nursing Program, Paramedic Program and the Medical Office Technology program. It is recommended that ENG 1021 be completed prior to or be taken concurrently with this course. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    4

  • Select one of the following courses:

  • Emphasizes the planning, writing, and revising of compositions, including the development of critical and logical thinking skills. This course includes a wide variety of compositions that stress analytical, evaluative, and persuasive/argumentative writing. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-CO1 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
  • Develops skills one can apply to a variety of technical documents. Focuses on principles for organizing, writing, and revising clear, readable documents for industry, business, and government. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-CO1 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3

  • Select one of the following courses:

  • Covers material designed for career and technical students who need to study particular mathematical topics. Topics include measurement, algebra, geometry, statistics, and graphs. These are presented at an introductory level and the emphasis is on applications. Course readiness is determined by review of high school transcripts, assessment, and/or meeting with an Aims Academic Advisor. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
  • Covers the fundamentals of financial mathematics. Topics include pricing, taxes, insurance, interest, annuities, amortization, and investments. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
  • Introduces descriptive and inferential statistics, with an emphasis on critical thinking and statistical literacy. Topics include methods of data collection, presentation and summarization, introduction to probability concepts and distributions, and statistical inference of one and two populations. This course uses real world data to illustrate applications of a practical nature. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-MA1 category. Course readiness is determined by review of high school transcripts, assessment, and/or meeting with an Aims Academic Advisor. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
  • Focuses on the scientific study of behavior including motivation, emotion, physiological psychology, stress and coping, research methods, consciousness, sensation, perception, learning, and memory. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SS3 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
  • Examines human development from conception through death, emphasizing physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial factors. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SS3 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
Total General Education Credits 16

Degree Electives

Select a minimum of thirty-five (35) credits from the following courses: 

  • Introduces students to customer service theory and techniques specifically in the healthcare arena. This course will discuss therapeutic communication, conflict resolution and negotiation, as well as employee/employer relations. Exploration of diverse populations and cultural sensitivity will be addressed. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    2
  • Covers the duties associated with the practice of venipuncture, capillary puncture, and special collection procedures. This course provides experience with quality control, infection control, safety procedures, as well as laboratory computer systems. Successful completion of this course, with an adequate number of blood draws, will constitute eligibility for application for a National Phlebotomy Registry Examination. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Phlebotomy department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    Course Prerequisites
    Permission of instructor is required
    4
  • Provides an in-depth study of the structure of medical terms with emphasis on using and combining common prefixes, roots and suffixes. This course includes terms related to major body systems, oncology, and psychiatry as well as clinical laboratory and diagnostic procedures, and imaging, and provides accepted pronunciation of terms and relative use in the healthcare setting. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
  • Provides students with the opportunity to supplement coursework with practical work experience related to their educational program. Students work under the immediate supervision of experienced personnel at the business location and with the direct guidance of the instructor. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Phlebotomy department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information. Course is repeatable with a maximum of 12 credit hours.
    Course Prerequisites
    Permission of instructor is required
    0 to 12
  • Facilitates transition from student to graduate through a comprehensive application of knowledge by preparing students to take their national certification exam as required by industry for employment. Course is repeatable with a maximum of 12 credits.
    0 to 12
  • Introduces the administrative duties specifically used in medical offices. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Medical Assisting department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    4
  • Covers the practical uses of accounts and records with emphasis on accounting principles and analysis for use in a medical office. This course introduces outpatient coding with an ultimate goal to present a clear picture of medical procedures and services performed, such as Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, correlating the diagnosis, symptom, complaint or condition, and International Classifications of Diseases (ICD) codes, thus establishing the medical necessity required for third-party reimbursement. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Medical Assisting department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    4
  • Provides an overview of pharmacology language, abbreviations, systems of measurement and conversions. The Controlled Substances Act, prescriptions, forms of medications, patient care applications, drug classifications/interactions, and safety in drug therapy and patient care are presented. Information regarding the measurement of medications, dosage calculations, routes of administration, and commonly prescribed drugs in the medical office is provided. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    3
  • Introduces basic, routine laboratory skills and techniques for collection, handling, and examination of laboratory specimens often encountered in the ambulatory care setting. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Medical Assisting department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    4
  • Provides hands on experience with clinical skills required in medical offices. Delivers theory and skills presentations allowing for students to properly demonstrate techniques for a variety of medical needs. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Medical Assisting department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information.  Course is not repeatable for credit.
    4
  • Prepares the candidate sitting for the National Registration/Certification examination for Medical Assistant through review and practice. These examinations are given with the intent of evaluating the competency of entry-level practitioners in Medical Assisting, supporting quality care in the office or clinic. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    1
  • Provides the opportunity to supplement coursework with practical work experience related to their educational program, working under the immediate supervision of experienced personnel at the business location and with the direct guidance of the instructor. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Medical Assisting department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information. Course is repeatable with a maximum of 12 credit hours.
    Course Prerequisites
    Permission of instructor is required
    0 to 12
  • Provides supervised placement in contracted facility for guided experience in the psychomotor, cognitive and affective learning domains acquired in an educational program. Positions are non-paid. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Medical Assisting department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information. Course is repeatable with a maximum of 12 credit hours.
    Course Prerequisites
    Permission of instructor is required
    0 to 12
  • Focuses on bringing acquired knowledge to issues faced specifically by medical practice managers and is the culmination of knowledge the student has learned in the program. Includes management priorities, principles of practice management, financial, clinical, personnel, and service, financial management control, information management systems, marketing, managed care contracting and negotiations, basic business policies of medical office compliance, coding and documentation. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the Medical Assisting department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/allied-health-professional for contact information. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    Course Prerequisites
    Permission of instructor is required
    4
  • Prepares the student to perform the fundamental skills of the nurse aide. Basic nursing skills, communication skills, restorative services, personal care skills, safety and emergency care issues are covered. Includes knowledge and/or principles of asepsis, OSHA and HIPAA regulations. Ethical behaviors, cultural sensitivity and principles of mental health will be addressed, as well as patient/resident rights. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the nurse aide department for more information. See the department web page at  https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/nurse-aide for contact information. Co-Requisite: NUA 1070. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    Course Prerequisites
    Permission of instructor
    4
  • Applies knowledge and skill gained in NUA 1001 to patient care. Department approval is required. This course has admission requirements.  Please call or email the nurse aide department for more information. See the department web page at https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/nurse-aide for contact information. Co-Requisite: NUA 1001. Course is repeatable with a maximum of 6 credit hours.
    Course Prerequisites
    Permission of instructor.
    0.25 to 6
  • Reviews the job skills needed for the sterile processing technician. Includes the fundamentals of the central services department, instrument processing and important regulatory protocols. Includes a comprehensive review of medical terminology, anatomy and microbiology. Infection prevention and important environmental control and safety factors are included. The importance of professionalism, clinical advancement and workplace communication is presented. Differential tuition rates apply. Restricted to Sterile Processing Technician majors only. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    4
  • Reviews hands on knowledge and job skills needed by the sterile processing technician. Includes a comprehensive review of surgical instrumentation, including instrument categories, design and construction, assembly, care and maintenance. Tools and equipment utilized for instrument processing is presented. Instrument decontamination, cleaning, processing and various methods of sterilization is discussed. Differential tuition rates apply. Restricted to Sterile Processing Technician majors only. Course is not repeatable for credit.
    4
  • Complete 400 hours of clinical internship in the sterile processing department. Restricted to Sterile Processing Technician majors only. Course is repeatable with a maximum of 12 credit hours.
    Course Prerequisites
    SPI 1000 and SPI 1001 with grades of "C" or better
    0 to 12
Total Degree Elective Credits 35
Total Credits for A.A.S. Degree 60