What Is a Medical Assistant Certification?

Medical Assisting is one of the best careers that women between the ages of 18 and 40 can choose, as this field of medicine is very popular. There is a difference between working as a certified medical assistant and a registered medical assistant, but there are also similarities between these two professions. In order for you to work as CMA, you need medical assistant certification and this can be obtained after you follow an accredited medical assistant program and you take the CMA exam. In the United States, the certification is offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants. The credentials constitute a proof of knowledge and medical expertise.

Certification Benefits

If you have the certification, you will be able to obtain a well-paid position in the healthcare industry. While a certification is not imposed by law, many women choose to become certified in order to prove their serious intentions to pursue a career in healthcare. The law only requires you to have a high school diploma to be an MA, but you need certification to become a CMA. Doctors need the help of CMA’s, as these employees can perform administrative tasks, take blood samples from patients, deal with booking or billing problems and complete insurance forms. The duties that are performed depend a lot on size of the medical office that the employees are part of.

The Exam

The CMA exam is a set of two hundred questions that is split in different segments and that is computer-based. While the details of the content can change from one year to another, the basics are always the same. The questions from the test are varied and include domains like psychology, medical terminology, anatomy, communication, office management, information technology and diagnostic testing. In order to be eligible for the exam, you need to meet some strict requirements. The answers to the questions are the multiple-choice type and you have forty minutes to complete each segment of the test.

Who Is Eligible and Who Is Not?

If you have enrolled in a medical assistance program that will provide you the necessary training, this program must be accredited and only a maximum of thirty days must pass from the completion of the training program to the date of the exam. You must be a recent graduate of a medical assistance program and take the exam in the first twelve months after graduation. You can also choose the option called re-certification, which is necessary for women who were certified five years ago, as the certification has an expiry date. If you are guilty of a felony, you cannot take the test. There are also other cases in which you are not eligible for the exam, such as the case in which you already have a denied certification or license.

How to Be Prepared

You have to gather all the materials necessary for study first. Then, make sure you have at least a few weeks to learn from them. Women who have been through such an exam usually say that the test is not easy, so it is always to be prepared well.