This curriculum guide consists of materials for use in teaching a competency-based course to prepare students for employment as medical secretaries or medical office assistants. The first part of the guide contains introductory information, including a description of the development of the guide, an equipment list, a list of criteria for evaluating the mailability of typewritten or processed documents, a sample word processing concepts course outline, descriptions of different office environments, an outline of procedures in the word processing cycle, and a task list for medical secretaries and medical office assistants. The 145 tasks addressed in the guide are organized around the following 13 job duties: receiving and interviewing people; performing telephone operations; handling mail; performing accounting, banking, credit, and payroll functions; preparing documents, correspondence, and reports; maintaining files, records, and logs; duplicating and assembling documents; performing word processing; maintaining inventories; maintaining machines and office equipment; performing medical specialties; supervising and training; and performing clinical tasks. Included on the task sheets are a task statement, achievement indicators, evaluation criteria, lists of equipment needed, student learning activities, teacher activities, and a performance test description. A 20-page bibliography is also provided. (MN)