This comprehensive and visually appealing text covers all aspects of both the AAMA and AMT national curricula for medical assisting, including medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, and pathophysiology. The text is written in a reader-friendly style, and integrates features designed to foster a greater awareness for students of the consequences of their actions on the job, as well as to develop greater empathy for the patient's experience. A recurring Ripples on the Pond analogy emphasizes this "ripple," or consequences effect. Case scenarios at the beginning of chapters challenge students to put the chapter content into a real-world perspective, with follow-up questions at the end of chapters that are designed for self-reflection, homework assignments, or class discussion. An integrated package includes an interactive skills software program in the text, a student workbook with recall, application, and critical thinking exercises, a complete instructor's package, and a companion website.A Ripples on the Pond theme is designed to help students become more aware of the consequences and the cause-and-effect of their actions on the job. This theme is reinforced visually, and in content features throughout the text.Patient-Centered Professionalism boxes throughout chapters help students think about the chapter content in the perspective of the patient's experience so they can develop empathy for the patient and consider how their actions will be experienced