Medical Assistant Certification Launches Your Career
You want to get into a career quickly, and no field is hotter than the medical assisting realm! So, you probably already know that you can get into the field with no experience and no training in the eyes of the law, but realistically, it’s highly unlikely that you will find an employer willing to chance their practice and career by hiring untrained medical assistants. Getting yourself employed will require you taking the time to attend training and then testing to earn your medical assistant certification. Classes generally take between 9 months and a year, but there are ***medical assistant training schools that offer associates degrees in the field. Degreed MA’s tend to be on a career path aiming higher than the general duties of a medical assistant, so if you want to move up later on, to become an RN, it’s recommended to earn the two year degree.
Registering for the Medical Assistant Certification Exam
Because of the convenience and popularity of the Internet, most of the accrediting agencies offer the examination online. However, there are testing centers nationwide, so it’s really a personal preference as to which route you take. Choose the one that makes you feel most comfortable. The tests are both timed, so don’t think that you’ll get any extra time by testing at home, and don’t make the grievous error of thinking that you’ll have the benefits of books and notes – you won’t have time. Online tests are timed very quickly to avoid such incidences, so keep all this in mind when choosing your style for testing purposes. Regardless of the method of testing, registration is necessary. Either you will be able to process the paperwork through your school in person, or you will need to mail in the application, fees, and required documentation to the certifying board that you want to be associated with throughout your ***medical assistant work career. The most popular certifying agencies are the:
- National Healthcareer Association or NHA
- American Association of Medical Assistants, or AAMA
- American Medical Technologists, or AMT
Most students choose to go with the AAMA because their accrediting program is the only one that allows the recipients to be titled CMAs, or Certified Medial Assistants, in a formal sense. Realistically, there is not difference in getting certified through one agency or another beyond the title that comes with exam completion, and each agency’s requirements are very similar when it comes to sitting for the exam.
What to Expect on the Medical Assistant Certification Exam
Whether you are choosing to be an administrative or clinical medial assistant, you will typically need to answer questions that exhibit your competency in both areas. Material covered on the standardized exam tests you on your knowledge concerning, pharmacology, anatomy, physiology, phlebotomy, infection control, and all of the clinical duties that you learned in your internship. Expect to answer numerous questions about the administrative side of the job including basic coding, managing patient appointments, phone skills, recordkeeping, and basic intake procedures. Essentially, you need to study hard and be well versed on all skills that were taught during your medical assistant training school. The exam is multiple-choice, and there is no hand-on testing required, unlike many other medical certification exams, which is why it can be taken 100% online! That’s pretty sweet, especially for the busy potential medical assistant candidate.