SECTION 127.427. Medical Assistant (One Credit), Adopted 2021

(a) Implementation. The provisions of this section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.

(1) No later than August 31, 2022, the commissioner of education shall determine whether instructional materials funding has been made available to Texas public schools for materials that cover the essential knowledge and skills identified in this section.

(2) If the commissioner makes the determination that instructional materials funding has been made available, this section shall be implemented beginning with the 2022-2023 school year and apply to the 2022-2023 and subsequent school years.

(3) If the commissioner does not make the determination that instructional materials funding has been made available under this subsection, the commissioner shall determine no later than August 31 of each subsequent school year whether instructional materials funding has been made available. If the commissioner determines that instructional materials funding has been made available, the commissioner shall notify the State Board of Education and school districts that this section shall be implemented for the following school year.

(b) General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 11 and 12. Prerequisite or corequisite: Anatomy and Physiology. Recommended prerequisite: Medical Terminology. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course.

(c) Introduction.

(1) Career and technical education instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards, industry-relevant technical knowledge, and college and career readiness skills for students to further their education and succeed in current and emerging professions.

(2) The Health Science Career Cluster focuses on planning, managing, and providing therapeutic services, diagnostics services, health informatics, support services, and biotechnology research and development.

(3) The Medical Assistant course provides students with the knowledge and skills to pursue a career as a medical assistant and to improve college and career readiness. Students will obtain communication skills, clinical ethics knowledge, safety awareness, and information related to medical assisting career opportunities.

(4) To pursue a career in the health science industry, students should learn to reason, think critically, make decisions, solve problems, and communicate effectively. Students should recognize that quality health care depends on the ability to work well with others.

(5) Professional integrity in the health science industry is dependent on acceptance of ethical and legal responsibilities. Students are expected to employ their ethical and legal responsibilities, recognize limitations, and understand the implications of their actions.

(6) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as career and technical student organizations and other leadership or extracurricular organizations.

(7) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

(d) Knowledge and skills.

(1) The student applies professional standards/employability skills as required by business and industry. The student is expected to:

(A) apply appropriate verbal communication in a clear, concise, and effective manner;

(B) apply appropriate non-verbal communication in a clear, respectful, and effective manner;

(C) apply appropriate adaptability skills such as problem solving and creative thinking;

(D) create or evaluate a career plan using methods such as identifying educational pathways, professional organizations, career goals, continuing education opportunities, and individual aptitudes;

(E) demonstrate teamwork;

(F) create an occupation-specific resume; and

(G) identify and demonstrate soft skills desired by employers in health care.

(2) The student evaluates the roles and responsibilities of the medical assistant as a member of the healthcare team. The student is expected to:

(A) explain the role of the medical assistant in various healthcare settings;

(B) discuss the scope of practice, including responsibilities and limitations of a medical assistant;

(C) explain the level of authority within the healthcare professional hierarchy; and

(D) identify the members of an interdisciplinary healthcare team and their roles such as licensed vocation nurse, registered nurse, primary care provider, specialists, and other allied health professionals.

(3) The student applies professional communication skills to provide information to patients and team members in a healthcare setting. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate the ability to report abnormal results in writing and orally to the patient's provider;

(B) demonstrate how to communicate with patients, caregivers, and the interdisciplinary team to assist in the planning, delivery, and coordination of patient-centered care;

(C) evaluate different communication techniques for responding to the needs of individuals in a diverse society;

(D) practice conflict-resolution techniques such as cooperation, contribution, compromise, and collaboration in various situations; and

(E) practice providing patient education on health-related topics such as clean catch urine collection, the risks and benefits of vaccinations, use of a peak-flow, and nebulizer treatments.

(4) The student demonstrates knowledge of healthcare ethical principles in their practice of medical assisting. The student is expected to:

(A) evaluate principles of ethical behavior, including beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and autonomy;

(B) debate ethical issues related to technological advances in health care such as stem cells, robotics, and immunologic therapies in health care;

(C) evaluate ethical issues and legal ramifications related to malpractice, negligence, and liability; and

(D) summarize legal and ethical standards, including Patient Bill of Rights, Advanced Directives, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

(5) The student demonstrates knowledge of the administrative duties of a medical assistant in a healthcare setting. The student is expected to:

(A) identify considerations for scheduling a patient such as availability of test results, availability of staff, patient flow, triage, and coordination of care;

(B) discuss considerations related to managing an office schedule such as types of scheduling, under booking, over booking, cancellations, add-ons, and no-shows;

(C) define the terms used in medical billing such as diagnosis codes, billing codes, billing cycle, co-pay, deductibles, maximum out-of-pocket, and time of service;

(D) describe the elements of completing patient registration such as recording demographics, emergency contact, and insurance information;

(E) analyze different types of health insurance coverage, including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), private insurance, employer-based insurance, and workers' compensation;

(F) identify the components of an insurance card such as plan name, group number, ID number, patient co-pay, co-insurance, and phone numbers;

(G) define insurance plan terminology such as prior authorization, formulary, explanation of benefits, denial, appeal, and referrals;

(H) define electronic health records systems and their components such as demographics, financial insurance information, orders and referrals, correspondence, and test results; and

(I) analyze the benefits and risks of electronic health records systems.

(6) The student uses appropriate medical terminology as a medical assistant. The student is expected to:

(A) use directional terms and anatomical planes related to body structure;

(B) use occupationally specific terms such as terms relating to the body systems, surgical and diagnostic procedures, diseases, and treatment; and

(C) apply knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and root words to translate medical terms to conversational language to facilitate communication.

(7) The student practices or models patient intake skills as a medical assistant. The student is expected to:

(A) collect and document patient information during an intake interview, including chief complaint; patient care team; past medical, surgical, social, and family histories; patient allergies; and comprehensive medication list;

(B) explain how to use a medical chart to identify patient care needs;

(C) identify normal ranges for vital signs per age group, including blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation;

(D) measure and record accurate vital signs, including manual blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and pain scale;

(E) measure and record accurate anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, and head circumference; and

(F) calculate accurate conversions between different units of measurement such as kilograms to pounds, centimeters to inches, and Fahrenheit to Celsius.

(8) The student demonstrates knowledge and application of point of care testing as a medical assistant. The student is expected to:

(A) define point of care testing;

(B) identify and correlate specimen types and collection methods, including throat swabs, capillary blood, and urine used in point of care testing;

(C) describe tests that might be performed as a point of care test in an office such as rapid strep, rapid flu, glucose, urine dip, urine pregnancy, vision screening, and electrocardiogram (EKG) tests;

(D) perform and document a vision screening using the Snellen eye chart; and

(E) locate landmarks for performing a 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG).

(9) The student demonstrates knowledge of medication preparation and administration in a clinical setting specific to the role of a medical assistant. The student is expected to:

(A) apply the six rights of medication administration, including right patient, right medication, right dose, right time, right route, and right documentation;

(B) identify drug classifications and the indication for use;

(C) define drug-related terms, including adverse event, therapeutic response, side effect, drug interactions, and allergic reaction;

(D) calculate the amount of medication to administer based on the dosage ordered and the strength of medication supply on hand;

(E) evaluate a patient for known allergies and contraindications prior to administering any medication;

(F) identify routes of medication administration, including oral, buccal, sublingual, inhaled, intranasal, otic, ophthalmic, intravaginal, anal, topical, transdermal, intradermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, and intrathecal;

(G) use proper technique when preparing medications for administration, including injections, oral, sublingual, inhaled, otic, ophthalmic, and topical;

(H) use proper technique when administering medications, including injections, oral, sublingual, inhaled, otic, ophthalmic, and topical;

(I) identify appropriate muscle groups for intramuscular injections, including deltoid, vastus lateralis, and ventrogluteal;

(J) explain the factors that influence intramuscular injection site selection, including patient size, patient age, viscosity of medication, and muscular density;

(K) explain the factors that affect needle size and gauge selection, including medication viscosity, patient size, muscular density; and

(L) demonstrate knowledge of syringe styles and markings on various size syringes such as Luer Lock, oral, insulin, TB, 1ml, 3ml, 5ml, and 10ml syringes.

(10) The student demonstrates knowledge of collecting, labeling, storing, and transferring lab specimens. The student is expected to:

(A) identify how to properly store and transfer lab specimens such as blood, urine, fecal, and sputum samples;

(B) list the proper order of draw for blood collection tubes;

(C) select the proper collection tubes for specific types of blood tests such as complete blood count (CBC), comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), and lipid panel;

(D) locate veins used for blood draws;

(E) demonstrate proper technique and post procedural care for veinous blood draws; and

(F) demonstrate proper labeling of lab specimens, including patient name, date of birth, source, date, time, and initials of collector.

(11) The student demonstrates knowledge of patient populations and their specific care considerations. The student is expected to:

(A) discuss and identify stages of development throughout a patient's lifespan;

(B) describe coping and defense mechanisms exhibited by patients such as emotion-focused behaviors, problem-focused behaviors, denial, displacement, intellectualization, projection, rationalization, and regression;

(C) identify and discuss end-of-life considerations such as advanced directives, power of attorney, stages of grief, and family support;

(D) practice appropriate methods of care for working with patients with mental, physical, and developmental disabilities;

(E) explain how socioeconomic factors such as income, transportation, access to community resources, employment, and education level can influence patient outcomes; and

(F) explain how various multicultural values can affect patient care decisions.

(12) The student demonstrates knowledge of safety practices and procedures as related to medical assisting. The student is expected to:

(A) employ standard precautions in a healthcare scenario;

(B) identify various modes of disease transmission, including vector borne, air borne, direct or indirect contact, and vehicle;

(C) distinguish between the types of isolation precaution signage used to address modes of disease transmission such as contact, droplet, and airborne;

(D) identify personal protective equipment (PPE);

(E) apply the knowledge of PPE used in various situations such as venipuncture, collecting a throat swab, or dipping urine;

(F) demonstrate proper putting on (donning) and removing (doffing) of PPE;

(G) define the use of a sharps container, biohazard container, shredding bin, and trash receptacle;

(H) practice safe handling of sharps such as not recapping after injection and prompt disposal in a sharps container;

(I) identify symptoms of anaphylaxis and the proper emergency response;

(J) explain storage requirements for medications, vaccines, and lab specimens;

(K) locate and use the safety data sheets (SDS) to retrieve information such as proper storage, clean up, and exposure response; and

(L) define and apply knowledge of medical asepsis.

Source Note: The provisions of this §127.427 adopted to be effective April 26, 2022, 47 TexReg 2166