Additional Information
Since externship experience is of major importance in the educational process, absences will not be allowed. Any time missed from an assignment must be made up. If the time is not made up, the student will receive a grade of U/I for the externship component. There are no excused absences.
Students who are going to be absent from their externship site must notify the voluntary externship coordinator AND the college program coordinator. Notification must be done as early as possible the morning of the day of the scheduled externship assignment. If the student is aware the day before, the appropriate individuals should be notified immediately. Make-up time should be arranged with the college externship coordinator.
If the college is closed due to snow or inclement weather the student is excused from clinic that day but the missed hours must be made up.
Students are responsible for their own transportation.
Students are responsible for the cost of their meals, transportation, and other expenses incurred.
The Medical Assisting Program adheres to all policies regarding students as set forth in the College Student Handbook. Be certain to familiarize yourself with the contents of this publication. It can be obtained from the campus Admission’s office. This is your responsibility.
Students will not be assigned experiences in a manner that would permit them to replace a regular employee and may not be paid for externship hours.
Your appearance and conduct are the standards on which most of the lay public's impressions of the field of Medical Assisting are based. It is expected that you will be concerned about this and will conduct yourself accordingly.
In keeping with the objectives of the profession, your work with patients demands dignity, respect, understanding, and kindness. The patients come to your care under serious circumstances, and your conduct while caring for them must be fitting and proper.
Always remember that you have access to information that is extremely personal; avoid betrayal of confidences even in "shop talk". Any sharing of information about a patient should be based on your need to understand and help solve a problem, never as a topic of idle conversation. A good general rule to apply to the treatment of your patients is to imagine how you yourself, or a member of your immediate family would want to be treated. Violations of HIPAA will not be tolerated and students may be dismissed from the program for violations.
Your performance in the externship/practicum will be continually evaluated both by practical examinations and informal evaluations at the discretion of the individual instructor. The faculty reserves the right to withdraw a student from the externship/practicum site if the above criteria are not satisfied. While at the clinical facility, your performance will also be evaluated. The objectives for this part of the program are included in the handbook.
Check lists and performance criteria are provided to document competency in each area of study.
It is your responsibility to have the list in your handbook checked during each externship experience. You should keep a notebook with all of these in it so that you can verify your competency in each area. Although we perform all competencies on campus, you should provide this checklist to your voluntary faculty and perform as many competencies as possible in the actual workplace/clinical site. This is a requirement for each rotation. An example is included in your handbook. Additional copies will be available. Be absolutely sure to take your handbook with you to each site. This is your responsibility!
Externship competency is exhibited by performing within reasonable time frames and degree of accuracy, as defined at each externship site.
Not each competency can be performed at each externship site. Just do the areas that you can. COMPETENCIES are also performed on-campus.
Remember - if you are not busy in your area—ask your supervisor if there is anything you can be doing such as QC, inventory, etc.
This is important - ask questions--show interest! BE ALERT--You are assuming responsibility and should become aware of abnormalities in reports. Information to which you have access is "classified" information. You are not to discuss who the patient is, what they had done, or anything else outside the externship site.
If a situation arises where you feel you are in conflict with the voluntary instructor or other personnel consult with the program coordinator. Report any problems to the college program coordinator. DO NOT argue with externship site personnel.
Problems arising from absences, tardiness, dress, emotional problems, etc. will be referred to the Program Coordinator.
Professional aptitude of the students will be monitored by the supervising faculty at each site. An evaluation will be completed at the end of each rotation. A copy of the evaluation form is included in this handbook.
Numerical evaluations of student performance will be pooled from all rotations for the semester and converted to a grade. See the “Externship Evaluation of Student” form.
These evaluation points are averaged and used to calculate the student’s grade. Evaluations of each student are reviewed when received. If a student’s evaluations indicate major problems or an unsatisfactory performance, the student will be notified. A conference with the program coordinator will be required.
Students will have the opportunity to evaluate externship instructors and sites at the end of each semester. This provides feedback to the clinical coordinator and college officials regarding the effectiveness of on-site instruction. See the “Student’s Evaluation of Practicum Site” form.
Students will also be asked to complete the following forms near the end of MAI 284:
- Exit survey
- Exit questionnaire
- Faculty evaluations
- Resources survey
These will be anonymous, confidential, and used to help improve the program.
In the event a student wishes to appeal an externship evaluation, he or she should notify the program coordinator in writing. The written request should clearly specify the issue(s) to be appealed.
A conference with the student will be held in an attempt to resolve the dispute. The program coordinator/director shall then issue a written decision on the appeal.
Any further appeal must follow KCTCS required procedures for student appeals and can be obtained from the Admission’s office or on the HCC website in the KCTCS Code of Student Conduct.
An individual student may not confront, dispute or take any other action that might be misconstrued as coercion towards any volunteer faculty or patient.
Should an appeal require voluntary faculty input, that input will be obtained in the appropriate appeal process. Students will not discuss issues of appeal or dispute with any voluntary faculty without the presence of a program official. Students may be dismissed from the program for failure to follow this protocol.
