THIS IS AN INFORMATIONAL SITE:
Are Certified Medical Assistants Preferred?
Does it frustrate you that your hard-earned medical assistant diploma seems worthless unless you have
experience? Call it a Medical Assistant's catch-22! Year after year new medical assistant
school graduates enter the job market only to discover how highly competitive the job market has become...
Most employers
demand:
"We want EXPERIENCE before we
hire!"
Most employers are seeking medical assistants with either 1-2 years of experience, or reliable documentation of
their skills. But how can you get experience if no one wants to hire you? And how do you reliably document
your knowledge without experience? This is where your certifications can open doors that otherwise would
remain closed.
YOUR CERTIFICATIONS
Don't put off your certification any longer!
Your success is YOUR responsibility.
Certification gives you recognized designations (your credentials!) and verification of your qualifications. It
is portable to all places that you work, now and in the future, and gets you better chances when doctors want
certified medical assistants simply because they prefer them, or their state medical board, or malpractice
insurance carrier mandates it.
EXPLORE MEDICAL ASSISTANT
CERTIFICATIONS HERE!
 NHA Medical Assistant Certifications
 AMT Medical Assistant
Certifications
- Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential
- Certified Medical Administrative Specialist (CMAS)
- Registered Phlebotomy Technician (RPT)
- Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)
- Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) and more!
Who Should Consider Certification?
Although most doctors and facility managers understand that medical assistants are expertly trained
and well prepared for the job they still want some form of proof of their knowledge and skills as an assurance of
the applicant's qualifications. This is where medical assistant certifications come into play for which you will
sit at the designated location and date.
"I
Graduated from an Accredited School - Am I Certified Now?"
No, just graduating from an accredited school doesn't make you a
certified professional! Certification is NOT automatic just because you have graduated and received your
diploma. To get certified in the medical assistant discipline you must have graduated from a CAAHEP, or ABHES
accredited vocational training program, and this allows you to apply for the certification exam.
Both, the NHA's and AMT's
certifications enjoy equal success and nationwide recognition, meaning that a medical assistant who passed
their written tests is certified to work in any
state.
"I Didn't Graduate from an Accredited School
- Can I Get Certified,
Too?"
If you have 1-5 years,
or more, experience as an MA you can sit for the CCMA exam through NHA, or the RMA exam through AMT.
Both associations, NHA and AMT, offer their certifications to graduates from qualified vocational
training programs, as well as those who did NOT graduate from a medical assistant school,
but have several years of experience and are presently working in their field. This
allows experienced medical assistants to demonstrate that they are just as knowledgeable
and proficient the rest, and gives them tangible proof of their dedicated to the medical
assistant profession.
RMA tells us in our Medical Assistant Forums
Re:
RMA vs CMA-One better than the other?
"Here are the facts guys: RMA vs. CMA credentials = no difference at all (except
different professional membership associations, and fees). If a job requires you to be a CMA,
and you are a RMA you are qualified and can apply for the job. Both designations mean the same thing. Its'
s the same as the LPN and LVN title, where in some states you are called a LPN, and some are called a LVN
. Same title same job! Both tests are basically the same, based on multiple choice in the clinical and
administrative knowledge. I have taken both. Some jobs just want to make a bias on qualifications. I
seen where they want you to be certified by one, or the other, and otherwise won't accept you. I am not sure if
this is legal, and therefore that should be checked into. Now my personal opinion: "I think AMT is a better
certifying body cause they recognize people who have been working the field five years or more. A MA with 5-10
years of knowledge, then takes the exam and passes might be better training than a MA fresh out of school and
just or moderately passes the AAMA exam, after all you can meet the minimum score on both test and still be
called a CMA, or RMA, just my opinion though." (end quote)
Steve Verno, a certified medical biller recently told us this: "Doctors
can be tricky per their wants and desires. Some have been burned badly by a previous employee, so they don't
want that to happen again.
My certifications come from a nationally recognized professional membership association.
Doctors have never said I don't want you because you don't have a college degree. One doctor told me my
education and certifications surpass a person with a Masters Degree. He hired me and kept me for 10 years
until he retired."
 What Fake Schools Don't Want You to Know!
REMEMBER: A medical assistant "certificate of completion" from a simple online self-study course is not the same
as a medical assistant diploma from a college and vocational training program that is recognized and approved by
the U.S. Department of Education, or CHEA! Know the difference. Diploma mills are casting their lure!
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) hundreds become victims of online scams that offer certificates and
school diplomas for cash each year. Therefore, consumer beware of fake schools and diploma mills.
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