MEDICAL ASSISTANT CERTIFICATION – What You Need To Know

Hi there!

Welcome to my website About Medical Assistant Certifications and the Career in General. My name is Ryan and I would like to serve you by providing many useful informations on the things that you would need to know on how to Become a Medical Assistant.

My site entails significant articles that would help you to understand mostly anything that is relevant on becoming a Medical Assistant.

The site also provides juicy information regarding Medical Assistant Certification, Medical Assistant Training, Medical Assistant Schools, Medical Assistant Salaries and Medical Assistant Jobs.

It is my pleasure to present you these information that I have gathered across the Internet and from my own personal experience. If you find some things that are missing or inaccurate, kindly bear with me, for this site is still undergoing continuous updating and information gathering.

Nevertheless, I am sure and confident that if you need the most basic and most practical answers about Medical Assistants, my site caters it. I am always glad to assist you.

 

Here are just interesting and Quick Insights About Medical Assistants…

 

 1. The Outlook for employment of Medical Assistants is faster than average (20%). It is now one of the fastest growing careers for the 2008-2018 decade. This can be attributed to the proliferation of health clinics and health centres across North America.

2. Looking for a Job as a Medical Assistant would be great as there will be a huge demand for this career.

3. Medical Assistants are not new in the healthcare system. The United States have created the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) when it was founded in 1956

4. Almost half (62%) of Medical assistants work for Physicians.

5. Some Medical Assistant learn while being on the job, while many complete 1-2 year programs.

 

Should You Become a Certified or Registered Medical Assistant?

 

Although a person can become a Medical Assistant while learning on the Job, Being Certified or Registered gives you the professional edge that many employers are seeking. This can also translate to better job security and potentially higher wages.

If you live in the United States, you’re in luck because you have four Organizations that are available to choose from. While in the US, the certification for a Medical Assistant is entirely Voluntary, most Employers that will potentially hire you would look for a legitimate Certification or Registration which is not the same as I will try to explain later.

 

  • If you would like to be designated as a “Certified Medical Assistant” then you’ll need to take the certification from AAMA(http://www.aama-ntl.org). If you want to take this route, you’ll need to consider if you are eligibile first and you’ll need to enroll in a Medical Assisting Program from a CAAHEP or ABHES Accredited program.
  • After Completing this Medical assisting program from your Accredited Medical Assistant School, you’ll then need to apply for the exam.
  • A member or AAMA or CAAHEP/ABHES pays $125 for the exam while non-members pay $250.
  • Mail your Completed Application to AAMA and they would reply to you within 30 days. If not you can Contact the Certification Department at 800/228-2262 or by emailingthem. Include your name, graduation date and school accreditation code.
  • If you’re application has been approved you can now then schedule an appointment with the testing center. You can schedule it throughout the year. You can use this time to study and prepare for your Medical assistant exam.
  • Pass and excel your Medical Assistant Certification exam. Once you pass the Exam from AAMA you will now have a designation of CMA(AAMA) besides your name. You can now direct potential employers to verify your status.
  • Renew or Recertify every 60 months – To keep updated with the changes and trends in the healthcare environment, it is important to get continuing education units.

The Certification Test That you Need To Take the CMA (AAMA) Certification Examination offered by the AAMA Certifying Board in consultation with the National Board of Medical Examiners, the very same people who administer the physician tests.

 

If you are interested in having a designation of Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) then you would need to be registered with American Medical Technologist (AMT). They have started since 1972 and you’ll still need to pass a CAAHEP or ABHES Accredited Medical Assisting Program. But if you have 5 years of Medical Assistant Experience you can take the exam and challenge it.

 

Another Certifying body is the National Healthcareer Association. It has certified over 200,000 health care professionals. NHA offers certification that is split into 2 different categories: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) or Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA). NHA CCMA can also offer a certification in Phlebotomy.

 

The last Certifying body for Medical Assistants is the National Center for Competency Training. Unlike the others, it is an independent Third Party Organization certifying individuals since 1989. While some offer automatic and lifetime certification, NCCT certificants are required to complete a minimum of 14 clock hours of continuing education annually. They have a stringent certification process ensuring highly qualified medical assistants. NCCT also certifies ECG Technicians, Phlebotomy Technicians, and Pharmacy Technicians.

 

What are The Duties and Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant?

Medical Assistants also answers the phone, greets the doctor’s patient, prepares the medication, handles billing, bookkeeping, assists during diagnostic procedures and so much more.

Here’s a short list of what Medical assistants can do: (May depend on Health care facility protocols)

  • Sterilize Medical Equipments and Materials
  • Gives Instructions to Patients about Meds and Special Diets
  • Can Also Draw Blood Specimens and send it to the Laboratory
  • Assists in the smooth flow of communication between the client/patient and the health care provider.
If you are interested to become a Medical Assistant and start a new and rewarding career, I would strongly advise that you decide if you want to be certified or registered. It is both a designation that can be added to your name.
When you are Certified and Registered you would immediately gain an advantage over other Medical Assistants when looking for a Job as more employers are requiring certification or registration before hiring someone.

 

The Outlook for Medical Assistants are really great, because the US Department of Labor has predicted that Medical Assistants have become one of the fastest growing occupations up to the year 2018.

 Some Updates on the World of Medical Assisting

This is a Short Video of A Medical Assistant Instructor about capillary punctures. Learn more by watching the video below.

One of the Clinical Duties that can be performed by health care providers is IM or Intramuscular Injection. Watch this video on How To Prepare for Intramuscular Injection.

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