You must be certified to practice as a medical assistant in California.
Not all medical assistants must have certification. Many receive on-the-job training, though they must have a high school diploma. However, certification in medical assisting is usually preferred by most medical facilities because certification ensures you have met certain standards of practice. To be certified, you must pass an exam as well as maintain your certification once you receive it.
Graduate from Accredited School
Succeeding in an accredited medical assistant program will make you eligible for medical assistant certification.
To attain certification for medical assisting, consider attending school beyond high school. Many vocation, technical schools and community colleges offer short-term programs. In these programs, you can usually earn a diploma in one year or an associate's degree in two years. These programs make you eligible for an exam as long as your school is accredited. You may also opt to specialize in a particular field such as pediatrics or cardiology. However, if you received on-the-job training, you may still qualify for the exam as long as you currently work as a medical assistant for a licensed physician. You must also have maintained that employment for two to five years.
The Exam
You must pass an exam to be certified as a medical assistant.
The California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants (CCBMA) issues the exam for those who wish to receive certification as a medical assistant. To take the exam, you must already work as a medical assistant, be a recent graduate of an accredited medical assistant program,or be a teacher of medical assisting. The exam consists of three parts covering basic medical assisting information; administrative information in medical assisting; and medical assisting clinical procedures information. To receive certification, you must pass the basic section and only one of the other sections. You may also opt for a second specialty. The test is given at different locations throughout California in paper and computer formats. The paper test is given twice a year and the computer test is given year-round. Depending on your specialty focus, the test fees range from $115 to $155, minimum, as of 2009.
Maintain Certification
Certified medical assistants must get re-certified every five years through an exam or medical education credits.
Once you have received your certification, you must maintain it. You must get re-certified every five years. You can do this by taking the exam again or by participation in continuing medical education (CME). If you choose the CME method, you will need to earn 60 credits within the five year period. Depending on your specialty, you will need different credits for different categories. For instance, if your specialty is administrative medical assisting, you will need 30 of your CME credits in the basic section and 15 credits in your specialty. The other 15 credits can come from basic, administrative or clinical areas. You can earn credits through membership with the Certified Medical Assistants Association (CMAA). You may also attend local or regional educational seminars that offer CMEs; or earn credits through the CCBMA or through internet and community education courses that cover computer education, CPR, first aid, etc. Be sure to keep records of every credit opportunity and turn them in with your re-certification application to the CCBMA.
Tags: medical assisting, medical assistant, your specialty, certification medical, earn credits, five years
