Medical Office Assistant Certificate is a certificate in Health Sciences programme taught at Okanagan College in Kelowna, Canada. The programme runs for 1 year, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 4,140 per total for local students.
This part-time certificate runs for one year and totals 336 hours, combining a blended online format for the first seven months with a 90-hour in-person practicum, arranged in the student's home community, over the final two months. Coursework covers medical terminology and pharmacology, computerized medical billing and office systems, professional communication with medical staff and patients, the medical and legal aspects of health care, office procedures and time management, and use of electronic medical record systems. Classes meet Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings into early afternoon. Admission requires B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent, English 12 at a minimum of 60 percent, a negative tuberculosis test within six months, and a clear criminal record check; a typing speed of 40 to 50 words per minute is noted as an employer expectation rather than an admission requirement. The program prepares graduates for administrative roles in doctors' offices, medical centres, clinics, health units, and complementary health offices, typically as a medical office assistant or clinical assistant.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Admission requires B.C. secondary-school graduation or equivalent, or standing as a mature applicant at least 19 years of age and out of secondary school for at least one year. English is met through English 12 at a minimum of 60 per cent, or an accepted alternative the page does not itemise; no IELTS, TOEFL or other standardized test score is published. Applicants must provide a negative tuberculin test taken no more than six months before applying (or evidence of appropriate follow-up if positive) and clear a criminal record check from the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General's Criminal Records Review Office by the deadline the college sets. Good computer literacy is recommended, with a self-paced Computer Fundamentals course available before the program starts, and the page notes a typing speed of 40 to 50 words per minute may be required by some employers. Intakes run in September at the Kelowna campus and January by distance delivery.
Application Details
Start Date:Intakes published by Okanagan College for this program: January 2027 (Distance). Campus availability differs by intake and the program page shows which are still open.
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants: there is no fixed closing date. Okanagan College opens applications on October's first business day each year, and programs that run several intakes across the year - Entry-Level Trades Foundation and health programs other than Nursing and Dental among them - keep taking applications for those intakes over the following ten months. Most programs accept applications right up to the start date and close only when the seats are gone, so apply early and check each intake's status on the program page. Apply through EducationPlannerBC, choosing Continuing Studies as the faculty; the fee is $30 CAD. This program is offered to domestic applicants only.
