How to Maintain Medical Assistant Certification?
In the USA, several states do not endorse or certify the medical assistants. As a replacement for this, official recognition for those medical assistants is offered through private institutions and other organizations. In general, one can find lot of such organizations in any specific state in the USA. However, the majority of the states want the MA candidate to apply for re-certification in order to maintain his/her certification or accreditation status. This re-certification renewal needs to be done in every sixty months or 5-years interval.
Most of the re-certifying associations are autonomous and they are independent of each other. Basically, all these associations sketch out their own guiding principles for re-certifying a candidate as a medical assistant. On the other hand, scores of organizations or associations encompass analogous requirements. On the whole, re-certification is obligatory for every 5 years in order to maintain your ‘active’ certification status. If you do not re-certify your credentials on the dot, your medical assistant certificate will expire. As a result, you may not be able to make use of your credential for further employment reasons. Following are the requirements to sustain medical assistant certification:
Gather required credits within specific time duration
The majority of re-certifying associations embrace the condition that the essential requirements for re-certification to be completed within 60 months time period if you wish to renew your medical assistant certification through continuous education.
For instance, the California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants (CCBMA) has the rule that requests all medical assistants to earn:
- 30 basic
- 15 administrative and
- 15 of either basic, clinical or administrative credits at some stage during the five year period.
On the other hand, the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) asks for:
- 10 administrative
- 10 clinical
- 10 common
- 30 extra credits of basic, clinical or administrative credits.
Attending the approved programs offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) is the simplest means to make certain that your re-certification points are legitimate. On the other hand, the AAMA will acknowledge only certain programs for re-certification. That is to say, you should provide evidence to show that your subject matter is pertinent to the occupation. Verify the AAMA before starting a program to know whether the re-certification points you get will add up to your re-certification. Re-certification by means of sustained education will cost around $65 for members of the AAMA, and non-members should pay $130.
Receive the mandatory credit hours
If a candidate does not possess an adequate number of credits, a lot of associations give the opportunity for him/her to gain credit hours. This can be achieved by means of self-study examinations that are offered by the association or by the medical assistant- associated assignments that are offered by an accredited local community college or edifying facility. The California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants (CCBMA) may allow a candidate to take courses such as, first aid, CPR and other online computer courses. Make contact with your local association to know more about their credit necessities. The CCBMA exemplifies 1 credit as 1 hour of interaction with patients that is gathered while working, or as fifty minutes of classroom instance.
Get in touch with the nationalized or private association
Contact the nationalized or private association that offered your certification. If you don’t have the adequate credits, make contact with an association that your company is on familiar terms with in an attempt to plan a re-examination. In general, the re-test will be bordering on the original certification test.
Fill out the application form for re-certification
Often, the application form for your re-certification is made available on the association’s website. Hence, you can download it online. If not, you can make a call to the association and request them to mail the application form to your address. Make sure to specify your name and correct certification number in the appropriate fields.
Include the re-test scores or records for credits
Get ready to prepare the essential documentations that needs to be sent. In order to organize the essential records of credits for the California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants (CCBMA):
- Include the right name of the program guarantor, for instance, the institution’s name
- Include the date on which the credits were received
- Include the subject in which the credits were earned
- The total number of categories (i.e. Basic, clinical or administrative) & the total number of your credits
On the other hand, the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) wants you to submit an official record or copy of your credits. Keep in mind that the ‘AAMA Certifying Board’ has the authority to ask for a duplicate copy of your certificate, diploma or degree at whatever instance.
Send your completed application
Include the filled out application form, the necessary (additional) credentials or documentation along with the re-certification fee and send them to the association. After reviewing your application carefully, the association committee review will approve it (if your application and additional documentations are satisfactory). As a final point, you will receive your re-certification in medical assistance.