Course

Medical Office Foundations I

Faculty
Health Sciences
Department
Health Information Management
Course code
MOAD 1100
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
30
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
Upon successful completion of the course, students will understand the structure and function of the Canadian healthcare system. Students will also be able to identify the social determinants of health in Canadian society and their impacts. Students will learn about the policies, principles, and scope of practices that inform the role of the Medical Office Assistant (MOA). This is a hybrid course with full-time or part-time enrolment options.
Course content
  • Role, profile, and breadth of employment opportunities for the MOA
  • Terms of employment and working conditions for MOAs
  • Language and abbreviations commonly used in the medical office
  • Structure and governance of the healthcare system in Canada
  • Role of WorkSafe BC in healthcare
  • Organizations that regulate and support physicians and specialists
  • Medical ethics and Canadian law
  • Legislative framework for privacy and patient rights in the BC healthcare system
  • Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA)
  • Electronic Data Security and BC’s E-Health Act
  • Release of Information regulations
  • Professional communication
  • Critical thinking and attention to detail
  • Cultural diversity in healthcare
  • Social determinants of health and health inequity
Learning activities

Learning activities are varied and chosen to align with course outcomes. Learning activities may include, but are not limited to, lecture, independent study, problem-based learning, software applications, hands-on experience, seminar, simulation, and role-playing.

Means of assessment

Assessment will be based on course outcomes and follow the ÌÇÐÄvlog´«Ã½Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. This is a graded course. To graduate from the MOA program, students must earn a passing grade of 65% (C+) in this course.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, within their scope of practice, students will be able to:

  • Explain the scope of practice of the MOA and acronyms and abbreviations commonly used in a variety of healthcare settings;
  • Describe the structure and function of the Canadian healthcare system and principles of externally and internally motivated change management;
  • Explain how social determinants of health impact Canadian society; principles of cultural diversity in Canada, including racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion and the importance of trauma-informed practice in health care settings;
  • Explain core ethical principles of teamwork, communication, and decision-making in the healthcare environment;
  • Describe health information governance and the intersection of ethics and the law in healthcare.

Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided to students at the beginning of the semester. 

Requisites

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see

Institution Transfer details for MOAD 1100
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

Summer 2025