Students have until Jan. 2 to apply for admission to a new medical assistant program that Coeur d'Alene's North Idaho College plans to launch in its spring 2009 semester, which begins Jan. 12.

The five-semester associate's degree program will prepare students for entry-level jobs in settings such as physician's offices, health-care clinics, and hospitals. Medical assistants work under the supervision of a physician or other designated professional in office management, patient care, and collection and processing of laboratory specimens.

The final semester of the program is an "externship" during summer session, the school says.

NIC has been planning the program for some time, says college spokeswoman Stacy Hudson. New students will be accepted twice a year.

To be admitted to the program, students must meet several qualifications and have completed prerequisites, including satisfying math-skill standards and have completed classes in such subjects as medical terminology, human biology, introduction to allied-health lab, and basic keyboarding.

Hudson says the program is limited to 16 students, and as of mid-November that cap hadn't been reached.