Medical Assistant-Administrative & Clinical
Welcome, MA-Administrative & Clinical Students!
This page will provide specific details and resources for MA-Administrative & Clinical residency & externships.
Welcome, MA-Administrative & Clinical Students!
This page will provide specific details and resources for MA-Administrative & Clinical residency & externships.
Update 8/21/24: Please be advised externship placement services for all cohorts after 6/30/24 will begin with your instructor Max Zendejas. If you are requesting an externship, you first must contact Ms. Zendejas at mzendejas@euhsd.org for approval and next steps. Do not contact our office or fill out a request form until you have received instructor approval.
Students, please be advised all answers to questions regarding externships can be found on this website. If you have further clarifying questions please address them with your instructor Max Zendejas at mzendejas@euhsd.org, the EAS College & Career Technician, Blanca Rojas at brojas@euhsd.org.
We will not respond to voicemails or phone calls regarding externship questions. All questions must be submitted via email and contain a detailed description of what it is you need to be clarified. If you have not filled out the Externship Request form you will not receive a response. Students are serviced in the order their EAS Externship Request Form submission is received.
MA-Clinical students must complete ALL Complio compliance requirements BEFORE you are eligible for an externship. Compliance requirements vary depending on your externship location. Please see instructions below.
*Please READ all sections below to understand essential procedures and standards of
practice specific to medical assistant externships.*
The 180-hour, on-site occupational externship must be conducted under the supervision of a certified industry professional.
An MA-Administrative student interested only in front office work may choose to do a 180-hour MA-Administrative on-site externship under the supervision of an industry professional. Please contact the externship coordinator if you would like to do an MA-Administrative-only externship.
Unlike some other healthcare programs, a Medical Assisting externship is NOT required for employment. If you would like to seek immediate employment after your program OR are offered employment for an MA position, you are welcome to take the job. However, most students find health care employers will not hire Medical Assistants without work/externship experience.
Students are welcome to pursue an externship at any of the affiliated healthcare facilities EAS has a partnership with or a new partner. If you would like to do an externship at a different location, please indicate your preference when you fill out the EAS Externship Request Form.
There are FOUR steps students need to complete to satisfy residency & externship requirements. Please see each step detailed below.
If you have not read ALL of the requirements listed on the EAS Externship website "Home" page, GO BACK and read the Home page FIRST before continuing.
Palomar Hospital or any PHMG facility
If you are requesting an MA externship with Palomar Hospital or any of the Palomar Health Medical Group locations you will have to complete additional compliance requirements over and above those listed below.
All Palomar externship requests are subject to limited availability, Palomar administration, MA Instructor, and EAS Externship Coordinator approval.
Placement requests and procedures cannot begin until AFTER your graduation date and take approx. 8-10 weeks for approval to apply. All students interested in PH or PHMG externships will be required to attend a Palomar externship workshop.
Please be sure to specify your interest in the EAS Externship Request Form or email the EAS Externship Coordinator with your specific request.
Please note students are NOT eligible for an externship or to begin the externship process UNLESS:
The student has paid their tuition in full.
The student has completed the minimum attendance hours required for their coursework.
It has been less than a year since the student completed their coursework.
You have filled out the Externship Request Form.
The student has submitted an appropriate resume in their Externship Request Form. See the EAS Employment Skills Course available through CANVAS.
The student has reasonable availability. Most of our business partners require externs to be available for shifts anytime Monday-Friday and anytime between their business hours; typically 8am-5pm with the exception of some sites that have earlier or later hours. Schedules vary based on individual supervisor and location needs. If you have limited availability, please specify in the EAS Externship Request Form, and depending on your availability, you may have to seek out your own externship placement. See the "Home" page for details on how to set up your own externship placement.
All externships must be started and completed in one continuous block of time. Students cannot begin an externship, take time off (for any reason) and then restart an externship. If a student misses an externship shift three times (for any reason) you will be removed from the externship and we will not place you in any additional externship. Our business partners may have their own policies and may request you be removed if you miss any of the shifts you are assigned. Please plan accordingly.
EAS has the right to refuse externship placement services to any student that does not comply with EAS Externship protocols, does not demonstrate professional behavior, or does not meet acceptable health & medical industry working standards.
Contact the Externship Coordinator to verify requirements have been met before pursuing an externship placement. It is the responsibility of your instructor to digitally record your attendance hours.
The environment of the externship experience necessitates students complete specific requirements and screening to obtain clearance to enter facilities for student program training. Some of the requirements are meant to prevent potential harm to the immunocompromised patient population, while other requirements are meant to protect the student from potential harm.
There are inherent risks in a healthcare setting, such as exposure to transmissible diseases. Escondido Adult School cannot eliminate these risks but we do take steps to mitigate as much risk to students, staff, and patients as possible.
Students will need to complete the following requirements to be able to be a part of our Medical Assistant- Clinical externship program.
STEP 2.1: Use the EAS MA Clearance Guide to complete all of the necessary requirements prior to beginning your MA-Clinical externship.
Please understand you will be solely responsible for the fees associated with the on-boarding/clearance process.
The clearance guide will provide all of the specific information as to how to satisfy each component of the clearance process.
Students MUST use the documents provided/linked here and in the clearance guide. ONLY these documents are accepted, no other attachments or documents will be compliant.
Two out of three students have their profiles rejected because they do not follow directions. Be sure to READ every word of the clearance guide before starting your profile and then continue to check off every component of the guide as you go to avoid missing essential deadlines or details required.
Completing this clearance packet does not guarantee externship placement. You still have to follow through with all of the EAS requirements listed on this website and adhere to the protocols and practices we outline beyond this initial phase.
Documents linked in the EAS MA Clearance Guide
STEP 2.2: Once all Complio verification is received you will need to request your Complio package be cleared by EAS.
Access the Complio Clearance & Start Date Request Form to request your Complio package to be reviewed for EAS clearance and to request an externship start date.
Externship start dates are subject to availability and the facilities' needs. You can request a start date but are not guaranteed any such date until it is confirmed with the facility's coordinator.
You may not request a start date sooner than 14 days from your submitted form. For example, if you submitted this request form on Wed. June. 10th then the EARLIEST you can begin your externship is Wed. June 24th.
You should receive an email with either confirmation of compliance or rejection with steps to clear your profile in 3-5 business days. Your start date will also be confirmed or rejected depending on your clearance status and the facility's approval.
You may not begin your externship until the Externship Coordinator has verified your placement.
If you are scheduled to begin an externship you must complete the "Current Externship Form".
Once students secure an approved externship placement they will need to:
Download and read thoroughly, all the required externship documents provided.
Make sure you are using the CORRECT documents for your specific externship.
Ask for clarification or any questions regarding requirements detailed in the externship documents provided.
Properly complete and attain all signatures each document requires in order to receive externship certification.
Print and/or fill out each document digitally or using a pen. All signatures required must be hand-signed.
All documents requiring a signature must be returned to the Externship Coordinator for verification and processing of certification.
Students must use the official EAS externship documents provided below. No other documents will be accepted. You may make as many copies as needed.
The Medical Assistant-Clinical Externship Packet & Medical Assistant-Administrative Externship Packet each contain all the documents you need conveniently combined for easy printing and reference. Below are links to each specific document for quick reference or if you need to print individual extra pages.
The Medical Assistant-Clinical Externship Packet & Medical Assistant-Administrative Externship Packet contain:
The following sections provide detailed instructions for each of the externship documents you will use during your externship experience.
Students and supervisors are expected to:
Use the occupational competencies document as a guide for hands-on practice of the knowledge, skills, protocols, and procedures a working employee would be expected to perform or understand on the job.
Ask their supervisor to provide when appropriate, hands-on training or experience for each competency listed.
Review the occupational competencies listed.
Develop a schedule and plan to discuss or practice each competency during their scheduled shifts over the course of the 180 hours externship.
You are NOT expected to complete all of the occupational competencies listed. Only those that apply to your specific externship environment should be experienced.
The Medical Assistant Training Plan is required for students to use to:
Document when a student experiences each competency and whoever provides the student their training.
Although a student might have one supervisor for their externship, different medical facility employees can provide students training to meet the expectations for the competencies listed in the training plan.
Log each competency experience with:
The trainer's full name
The date when the experience occurred
The supervisor's initials for each competency listed.
Sign and date the training plan document
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
*Note: Every competency listed does not have to be experienced. However, you need to have experienced at least two-thirds of what is listed.*
The Medical Assistant Training Evaluation is required for the externship supervisor to use to:
Evaluate a student's externship performance.
Preview each of the evaluation criteria with the student before they begin their externship.
Keep an open dialogue regarding the evaluation expectations.
Students should:
Ask your supervisor to communicate any concerns they have regarding your performance as they occur. This will give you the opportunity to adjust or improve your performance before your externship ends.
Ask your supervisor throughout your externship if you can do anything to improve your performance.
Be open to constructive criticism.
If you have any concerns regarding your experience during your externship, please contact your Externship Coordinator immediately. This will give us the opportunity to assist you with any issues that may arise.
Students are required to:
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
The Medical Assistant Training Time Sheet is required for the student to:
Log the scheduled shifts throughout the 180 hours of the externship term.
Students should:
Discuss their weekly availability as well as the availability of hours they can schedule monthly with their supervisor prior to beginning their externship term.
Although not required, students should try to work out a schedule with their facility that allows them to complete their externship in 8 weeks. This would allow students a minimum of 20-25 hours a week and provide a steady schedule to meet the goals of the 180-hour externship.
When a schedule is agreed upon, students are required to:
Complete the externship time sheet weekly with the required signatures for their supervisor.
Make sure to use the "Time Sheet Instructions" document to correctly fill in the hours worked.
You may make as many copies of this document as necessary to log all of the hours and weeks you complete throughout your externship.
All externship hours must be logged and signed using the official EAS pharmacy technician time sheet. Nothing else will be accepted.
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
The Certificate of Competency for Injections and/or Venipuncture is required for the student to have:
Verified and signed by a qualified medical professional.
Although injections and venipunctures are listed in the training plan, the separate certificate of competency document must also be completed and signed.
Students should:
Make sure to discuss when they will have opportunities to practice injections and venipunctures and who will be able to provide training. Students need to make sure they do not wait until the end of their externship to try and complete the requirements of this certificate.
Students are required to:
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
Students are responsible for completing all of the steps outlined in the externship process.
Once all hours are completed, competencies are met, all documents are filled out appropriately, and all signatures required attained; students will need to:
Send their completed documents to lheredia@euhsd.org via email
OR, students can drop them off at our Escondido Crest campus in a sealed manilla envelope with their full name and program name clearly labeled on the front.
Please fill out the Post Student Externship Survey and provide us with your valuable feedback.
Once all documents are received and verified you will be eligible to request a Medical Assistant Externship Certificate here: Health and Medical Certificate Request Form
Please allow 7-10 business days to process your externship certificate request.
*Any documents not completed in their entirety will not be accepted and returned at our convenience and discretion to the student for completion.*