Different Types of Medical Assistant Certifications
Getting a certification in medical assistance can offer you the professional boundary that you require in today’s employment marketplace. Earning a certification in medical assistance automatically proves that you have reached the elevated standards of proficiency and skills. Approximately, about ninety percentage of medical assistants wish to get a certification from a recognized medical institution. However, the law does not demand for a certification. For the most part, employers and companies wish to appoint a certified medical assistant. Also, a few states in U.S.A. have need of certified medical assistants to in order to execute definite job tasks like catching x-rays or drawing blood samples.
Certification Requirements
In order to meet the requirements for applying the medical assistant certification, you should get a graduation from a school that is authorized by any one of the below mentioned organizations:
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs (CAAHEP) is the organization that is considered to be the chief edifying organization out of all health science meadow. In partnership with the ‘Committees on Accreditation’, the CAAHEP recognizes and evaluate approximately two thousand enlightening programs or more in about 20 health science vocations.
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is considered to be the sole organization (that is renowned by the American Department of Education) that works as a dedicated official recognition of health organizations which concentrates solely on the health care training and edification.
Types of MA Certifications
Graduates who wish to receive a certification in medical assisting can choose from the following certifications types in Medical assistance:
Registered Medical Assistant (RMA): This is exclusively dedicated to enhance the specialized and individual development and growth of the associated health experts. The ‘American Medical Technologists (AMT)’ honors all eligible individuals with a ‘Registered Medical Assistants (RMA) Diploma’.
In order to receive an RMA title, all medical assistants should receive their graduation from one of the following program:
- A program that is regionally recognized
- An CAAHEP or ABHES credited program
- An official health care service education program of the ‘American Armed Forces’
On top of that, all candidates should meet the crucial experience criterion and should successfully pass a certification examination also. The ‘RMA certification examination’ is an automated (computerized) test that is made available more or less every day of the year (with the exception of Sunday’s and public holidays) at all the examination centers across Canada and United States of America. All medical assistants should restore their ‘RMA certification’ after every 3 years.
Certified Medical Assistant (CMA): This certification is considered to be the ‘gold standard’ out of all medical assisting certifications. Basically, a person holding the CMA title will receive an elevated height of esteem, better employment opportunities and superior job security in the medical assisting field. In addition, the ‘American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)’ honors all medical assistants who graduate from a CAAHEP or ABHES certified training program and successfully pass the certification examination with a ‘CMA Diploma’. All medical assistants who receive the CMA diploma should renew their certification every 5 years once. After 2009, CMA examination was made available to the candidates all over the year.
Other Specialized Certifications: Medical assistants also have the option to receive a specialized or focused certification in a special area of expertise. As a rule, this can be achieved from a few specialized associations or organizations that are functioning exclusively for specific areas of medical expertise. For instance, candidates may receive certifications in medical fields such as, optometry, ophthalmology and podiatry. The following specialized associations or groups supply their individual learning skills, knowledge and test requirements that are required for passing the specialized certification exams:
1. American Optometric Association (AOA)
2. American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants (ASPMA)
3. Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO)
Becoming a successful Certified Medical Assistant will facilitate you to attain some of the the most excellent job opportunities in the medical field in conjunction with a superior earning prospective. Even though, earning a certification in medical assistance will consume your time and costs, it is a concrete asset for your future career growth. Also, in due course, your certification in medical assistance will pay you off by assisting you in earning an excellent remuneration and thereby to accomplish your career objectives. So, invest today in your career accomplishment by receiving a certification in medical assisting.