Congratulations. You have earned a diploma, a certificate, or an associates’s degree in medical assistant. You’ve worked hard and you’ve earned your degree. Now what? Well, before you rush out and try to get a job in your new field, you may want to consider getting a medical assistant certification first.

What is a Certified Medical Assistant?

A certified medical assistant has passed the Certification/Recertification Examination issued by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Certification is, essentially, a professional “seal of approval” attesting that you have the necessary knowledge to work as a medical assistant.

To be eligible to take the Certification/Recertification Examination, you must have completed a degree program in medical assisting from an accredited school and have completed your externship.

Benefits to Becoming Certified

There are no state laws or regulations that require that medical assistant be certified. . You can still work in any medical facility, clinic, hospital, or doctor’s office without certification—legally. But more and more employers are requiring certification for their medical assistants.

The benefits to becoming certified are many:

• Employability. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that certified medical assistants will have the best job prospects in the future.
• Earning potential. According to Payscale.com, certified medical assistants earned 3 cents more per hour than did non-certified assistants.
• Employment growth. Certified medical assistant may be trusted with more responsibilities than their non-certified counterparts, which could lead them to more, and better, promotion opportunities.

Getting Started

As mentioned earlier, to take the Certification/Recertification Examination, you must have graduated from an accredited medical assistant training program.

But not any accreditation meets this requirement.

There are only two accreditations that the AAMA recognizes—the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

Before registering in a medical assistant training program, make sure that the school is accredited by one of these two agencies.

Becoming Certified

There are three essential steps that you must take in order to become certified:

STUDY. According to the AAMA, in order to pass the Certification/Recertification Examination, you need to be familiar with medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and lab procedures. They recommend that you review these subjects in medical assisting publications. You may also take an exam review course, study content outlines, and take practice exams. Contact the AAMA for information on where you can find, and how you can participate, in these invaluable study aids.

APPLY. You can take the Certification/Recertification Examination throughout the year. To register for the exam, you need to fill out an application and supply the requested documentation.

PAY. The fee to take this examination ranges from $125 to $250 (as of 2009). Recent graduates of a CAAHEP or an ABHES accredited school pay the lower fee. But have your credit card, cash, or a cashier’s check ready—the AAMA will not accept your personal check.

Getting Set

Within 45-days of the application deadline, the AAMA will notify you of your status. Once your application is approved, they will send you a scheduling and instruction on whom to call to schedule the examination.