Hi,

Becoming a medical assistant calls for a combination of formal education and hands-on training, which can be completed via numerous avenues. Those who want to earn certification must have some level of formal education in order to do so. Though certification is not required in order to work as a medical assistant, many students opt for certification in order to look more attractive to potential employers.

There are two primary tasks for medical assistants. First, they engage in administrative tasks such as filling out insurance forms, processing medical bills, answering the telephone and handling patient scheduling. Second, they assist other health care providers, such as doctors, nurses and physician assistants, in providing medical care to patients. For example, they often take a patient’s weight, blood pressure and other basic vital sign readings at the beginning of an appointment. They also collect fluid samples and tissue specimens for laboratory testing. Depending on the medical office or healthcare setting, medical assistants may work exclusively in one of these areas or work in both. Generally, the smaller the office, the more likely a medical assistant will take on both roles.

While certification is not required, many employers prefer to hire certified medical assistants. That’s because certification indicates that the medical assistant possesses a certain level of knowledge that has been proven through testing. This preference by employers also means that certification will enhance a student’s postgraduate marketability. The following certifications are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies:

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)

Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)

Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the NHA

National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) offered by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT)

Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) offered by American Medical Technologists (AMT)

Most organizations require applicants to pass an exam and graduate from an accredited program. However, some organizations, such as AMT, allow students to sit for the RMA examination without a degree or diploma from an accredited institution if they have already gained extensive work experience as a full-time medical assistant.

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