These are two questions you probably have if you’re considering becoming a medical assistant. The official title of this profession is “Certified Medical Assistant” (CMA). It just so happens that having the certified part in your resume makes it stand out above others. And to ensure that we provided you with all the correct details, we took the help of team MedAssistantEdu in creating this article.
A medical assistant assists registered nurses and physicians during patient examinations, tests, and treatments. They take care of administrative and other essential tasks to free up the superior’s time to concentrate on nursing. The medical assistant will also answer patients’ questions, take their medical histories, and call for assistance as needed.
Certification is a process that acknowledges an individual’s status as having met specific predetermined qualifications within a profession or vocation. It is issued by independent organizations that set standards related to an occupation or particular role in an organization or industry. Certification provides conclusive evidence that its possessors meet the minimum competency requirements necessary for professional success and protection of clients/patients and society. This goes back to our earlier discussion: the certification gives you more credibility than those without it! You can use this line in your resume to convince prospective employers that you have the experience and skills necessary for the position.
For example, here’s a line from an actual CMA certification: “The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) is a graduate of a medical assisting program who has been certified by one of the member boards of the American Association of Medical Assistants.” (“AAMA Certification Requirements”) By having this certification, you’re demonstrating to your employer that you’ve earned it—and that means they can rely on your proven abilities as a MA. With this solid foundation, there’s no stopping you from going places in this career path!
In addition, with AAMA Certification, students learn about elements such as professional standards and ethics; interpersonal skills; documentation compliance, confidentiality, and security; medical law, forms, and supplies; human anatomy, physiology, and pathology; laboratory procedures; office management procedures; computer applications; medical coding (ICD-10 CM); clinical medicine (including cardiopulmonary resuscitation – CPR); clinical practice including examination room dynamics, patient care standards, interviewing techniques and communication skills. This all leads up to the AAMA Certification, administered at Prometric test centres around the country. Those who pass this exam are awarded their certification on graduation day.
So what will you need to do to qualify for your CMA Certification?
Well, let’s look at some of the requirements. Firstly, you’ll need a high school diploma or equivalent certificate before enrolling in an accredited medical assisting program and must also be at least 18 years old. There are also some minimum GPA (grade point average) requirements depending on the country where you take your tests.
As for your medical assisting program, there are two types of accreditation: institutional and specialized. Institutional is when a school or university has all their related programs accredited by one agency; whereas specialized accreditation is awarded to individual programs that stand alone. You’ll want to make sure that the institution where you’re planning on taking your certification tests is using a curriculum that’s been accredited—and it can’t hurt to ask! Your institution may even provide required transcripts if you request them—remember, this could save you money in ordering fees later down the line, so it’s a good idea to ask about this when you receive your program materials.
Different Internationally recognized organizations
Right now, four Internationally recognized organizations offer accredited certification exams: the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), the American Medical Technologists (AMT), the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), and the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT). You can find out more about these organizations here: AAMA | AMT | NHA | NCCT. Each organization has its requirements for testing eligibility which you’ll want to make sure you meet to be able to sit their respective exam. For example, one condition may be related to experience in a medical office or laboratory, while another may require a certain GPA from your program.
You may be thinking, “Do I have to pick one organization and stick with them?” The answer is no! There are several reasons you should consider sitting more than one certification exam: 1) Depending on your circumstances (where you live, the availability of testing locations, etc.), it may not make sense to sit in both exams, or 2) You could be working and earning experience in a location where all testing centres only offer one type of certification test; 3) Maybe you’re like me and can’t seem to resist finding out what’s under that next rock…or certification test 😉 Regardless, no requirement says you must choose just one.
You can take as many exams as you want—however, you cannot sit the same exam more than once without applying for recertification.
This brings up an interesting point: choosing which certifications to pursue. First off, you won’t be able to earn all of them before you graduate, so that means it’s essential to do some initial research into what’s available, where and when they’re offered – then plan your course accordingly! Secondly, if your program requirements specify a particular certification test(s), those are the only ones worth focusing on.
