Achieving a credential

Medical assistants have several options if they choose to become credentialed. Being a credentialed medical assistant has certain benefits:

• Passing the exam indicates that medical assistants have the knowledge to perform medical assistant duties.
• Some employers require the credential prior to hiring or to obtain certification within a certain time period.
• Some employers will pay more to a person that has achieved a medical assistant credential.

There are several national agencies that provide credentials to medical assistants upon successful completion of their exam. It is important for graduating medical assistants to research whether credentials are preferred or required by local employers. It is also important to identify which credential is most required by local employers. Your instructors are excellent resources if you have additional questions on credentials for medical assistants.

Agency/website:	Credential:	Recertification methods:
AAMA	CMA	Recertify every 5 years by exam or earning 60 continuing education units
AMT	RMA	Recertify every 3 years
NHA	CCMA or CMAA	Recertify every 2 years and complete 10 continuing education credits
NCCT	NCMA	Recertify by exam every year or 14 continuing education units
AMCA	CMAC	Recertify every 2 years by completing 10 continuing education units

Certification is confirmation by an organization that an individual has met professional standards, usually by passing a competency exam.

Registration is the granting of a title by a board that maintains a listing of qualified practitioners. Don’t mistake “registered” for a lower bar than “certified” - a registration-based credential such as the RMA (AMT) also requires passing a national competency exam. The two terms mainly describe different naming conventions among credentialing organizations, not different levels of competence. Once credentialed, you earn the right to wear a pin that is obtained through the credentialing organization.

Licensure versus certification

Licensure and certification sound similar, but they work differently and come from different kinds of organizations. Licensure is mandatory permission to practice a profession, granted by a government agency - usually a state licensing board - after that board determines the applicant is competent, typically through education, examination, and background requirements. Without a current license, a person may not legally practice a licensed profession, such as medicine, nursing, or pharmacy, in that state.

Certification works differently. It’s generally voluntary recognition granted by a nongovernmental professional organization, such as the NHA or AAMA, to someone who has met that organization’s standards, usually by passing a competency exam. Certification isn’t required by law, though an individual employer may require it as a condition of employment.

Medical assistants are not licensed in most states. What a medical assistant is permitted to do is set by state law and delegated by the supervising licensed provider - not granted by a certification. Holding a certification doesn’t itself authorize you to practice medicine or perform specific tasks; it demonstrates that you’ve met a professional organization’s competency standard.

Once you earn a certification, you maintain it by renewing it on the issuing organization’s schedule - usually by earning continuing education credits or units and paying a renewal fee. See the recertification methods in the table above for each organization’s specific requirements. If you let your credential lapse, you can’t represent yourself as credentialed until you renew or reinstate it.

Medical assistant credentials such as certification and registration are not always required to practice as a medical assistant. However, employers today are aggressively recruiting medical assistants who are credentialed in their field. Many credentials are available for medical assisting from various organizations. Small physician practices are often being consolidated or merged into larger providers of healthcare, such as hospitals, to decrease operating expenses. Human resource directors of these larger organizations place great importance on professional credentials for their employees. Hiring credentialed medical assistants may lessen the likelihood of a legal challenge.

Program accreditation

Accreditation is the process by which programs are officially recognized. Two national entities accredit medical assisting educational programs. CAAHEP is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and ABHES is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education:

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) works directly with the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB), CAAHEP’s committee on accreditation for medical assisting programs, to ensure that all accredited schools provide a competency-based education. CAAHEP accredits medical assisting programs in both public and private postsecondary institutions throughout the United States that prepare individuals for entry into the medical assisting profession.
• Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). ABHES accredits private postsecondary institutions and programs that prepare individuals for entry into the medical assisting profession.

Accredited programs must cover the following topics:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Medical terminology
• Medical law and ethics
• Psychology
• Written and oral communication
• Laboratory procedures
• Clinical and administrative procedures

High school students may prepare for these courses by studying mathematics, health, biology, office skills, book-keeping, and information technology. You may obtain current information about accreditation standards for medical assisting programs from the AAMA.

Medical assisting programs also must include a practicum (externship) or work experience. This applied training is for a specified length of time in an ambulatory care setting, such as a physician’s office, hospital, or other healthcare facility. Additionally, the AAMA lists its minimum standards for accredited programs.

This list of standards ensures that all personnel-administrators and faculty alike- are qualified to perform their jobs. These standards also ensure that financial and physical resources are available at accredited programs. Your practicum (externship) or work experience is mandatory in accredited schools. The length of your experience will vary, depending on your particular program, so familiarize yourself with the program requirements as soon as possible. Because this is a required part of the program, no matter how good your grades are in class, if the work experience is not completed, you will not graduate from the program.

Graduation from an accredited program helps your career in three ways. First, it shows that you have completed a program that meets nationally accepted standards. Second, it provides recognition of your education by professional peers. Third, it makes you eligible for registration or certification. Students who graduate from a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited medical assisting program are eligible to take the CMA (AAMA) or RMA (AMT) immediately.

Continuing education

For a professional medical assistant, it is important to stay up to date with the newest medications, treatments, diagnostic testing, and latest medical technology. Education beyond your medical assistant degree is considered continuing education. Most healthcare professionals need to do continuing education to renew their certification. There are many opportunities for continuing education:

• Reading professional journals and reputable health websites
• On-the-job educational conferences
• Local, state, and national medical assistant conferences or webinars
• Additional continuing education opportunities exist if a medical assistant is a member of an organization