Medical assistant certification can help take your career to the next level. With the growing heath care industry, the need for well-trained certified medical assistants is in demand. It used to be that having only a high school diploma was enough to land a job as a medical assistant, however this is no longer the case as the majority of employers more often end up hiring candidates who have not only completed a medical assistant training program, but who have also received medical assistant certification as well.
Although not required, getting certified has many benefits for those heading out into the job market. Certification demonstrates to potential employers that the medical assistant they are considering to hire for the position has met a standard of skills and has a broad and current understanding of health care procedures required for the job. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, job seekers “particularly those with certification—should have the best job opportunities, since employers generally prefer to hire these workers.” Those who are certified also are more likely to receive a higher paying salary and have better promotional prospects than medical assistants who have not been certified.
There are many associations that award medical assistant certification, including the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), American Medical Technologist (AMT) and the American Registry of Medical Assistants (ARMA) to name a few. Before applying for the certification exam, all certification associations call for applicants to meet certain eligibility requirements. In general, an applicant must have recently graduated or is in the process of completing a medical assisting training program, including an externship, which is accredited by the Commission Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). Applicants are also eligible if they have previously taken the exam and have been awarded certification and need to be recertified. Those applicants who did not complete a medical assistant training program, but are currently employed and have had at least 3 years of on-the-job training may also be eligible for certification through some associations.
However, there are reasons why an individual would not be considered eligible to apply for the certification exam, such as the applicant is currently not enrolled or has not graduated form a medical assisting program that is accredited by either the CAAHEP or the ABHES, or the applicant has been found guilty of a felony or pleaded guilty to a felony. However, depending on extenuating circumstances, the certifying association may grant the applicant a waiver, in which case, the applicant will need to contact the association directly for more information regarding their situation, and will most likely need to submit written evidence that demonstrates that the felony conviction or plea should not prevent them from taking the certification exam.
Studying is key for all applicants who want to successfully pass the exam in order to be rewarded with certification. Typical exam questions cover general, administrative and clinical medical assisting topics, which include medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, medical law and ethics, patient relations, finance and bookkeeping, insurance processing, pharmacology and laboratory procedures among others. To help you prepare for the exam, check with the certifying association you choose to take then exam from for an examination content outline along with lists of books and publications they recommend to refer to when studying. Some associations may also provide sample or practice questions as well.
Certification examinations are typically multiple-choice questions, though depending on which association an applicant seeks certification from, the actual details of the examination may possibly differ. Fees to apply for the examination also vary from association to association which can range anywhere from $95 to $250.
It must be understood that certification is not permanent and in order to keep that credential, medical assistants must get recertified throughout the duration of their career. How long certification lasts from each association varies; for instance, certification from the AAMA requires medical assistants to recertify every five years, while the AMT requires recertification every three years.
Though medical assistant certification is completely voluntary, doing so will certainly improve your chances of employment and career advancement, and demonstrates that you are up-to-date and aware of new developments within the ever-changing health care field, thereby giving you that competitive edge over non-certified medical assistants.