Medical assistant certification is not a legal requirement to work as a medical assistant, but with nine out of ten medical assistants now choosing to pursue a certification the competition is increasing and your level of employability will be a lot higher if you have yours.

Benefits of Medical Assistant Certification

There are a variety of benefits to getting certified if you are serious about a career as a medical assistant. These include:

Being able to take on more varied tasks - in some states you will only be allowed to perform tasks such as making x-rays, starting IV lines, or taking blood if you have a certificate.

Being eligible to apply for any job - although it is not a legal requirement, some employers may ask for certification when you apply for a medical assistant job.

Providing reassurance to your patients – the trust between patients and medical assistants is vital, and your patients will feel they are in safer hands if they know you have a certification.

Options for Medical Assistant Certification

There are a wide variety of courses and tests available for your medical assistant certification. To be eligible for any of these you will need to have graduated from a medical assistant training program accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP). You can also apply for certification if you have five years work experience as a medical assistant.

Three of the most well known organisations that offer certification programs are:

The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)

American Medical Technologists (AMT)

The National Healthcareer Association (NHA)

All of these programs will require an enrolment fee and there will be a fee to take the certification test. With some you may have to pay an annual fee to maintain your certification. You will almost certainly have to renew your certificate every five years, or commit to a certain number of hours of further training within a three to five year period to ensure that your knowledge is up to date.

Beware of Fake Medical Assistant Certificates

It is worth following a program with one of the above three highly respected organisations because you know your qualification will be recognised and valid. Although there are some highly reputable smaller organisations offering certification, there are also a lot of online scams and so-called medical assistant schools offering fake diplomas or certificates.

Beware of distance learning courses or online certifications that seem to be offering deals which are too good to be true. It would be a shame to pay for a certification course only to end up with a worthless piece of paper.

Medical assistant certification can give you a real step up in your career and can help you gain the respect of your colleagues, build trust with your patients, access a wider range of medical tasks, and increase your employment eligibility. There are a wide variety of courses to suit all schedules and budgets, so start looking for a school today.

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