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 or by 10, continuing education units |
| 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 is qualified to perform a job to professional standards.
Registration, on the other hand, does not guarantee an individual’s competence. Instead, registration is the granting of a title or license by a board that gives permission to practice in a chosen profession. Once credentialed, you earn the right to wear a pin that is obtained through the credentialing organization.
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. As discussed in the Medical Assisting Organizations, many credentials are available for medical assisting by 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. The US Department of Education recognizes two national entities that accredit medical assisting educational programs:
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, (CAAHEP) works directly with the Medical Assisting Educational Review Board (MAERB) of Medical Assistants Endowments 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 an CAAHEP- or ABHES- accredited medical assisting programs 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