Misconceptions Revolving Around Medical Assistant Certification

To clear up some common misconceptions about medical assistant certifications let's just put it this way:

Although there are certain educational requirements to sit for certification exams, neither the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), nor the National healthcareer Association (NHA), or American Medical Technologists (AMT) require an Associates Degree to take their medical assisting certification exams. AMT doesn't even require formal training from a medical assistant school if you can show that you have at least 5 years of directly related experience in the medical assisting field or received your training in the Armed Forces (eg. military medic training). Once you have completed your training and/or have gained enough job experience you are ready to apply for AMT certifications.

  Who Typically Qualifies?

• Graduates from approved accredited training programs
  
• Experienced individuals - based on 5 years of experience in the profession
  
• By reciprocity (AMT) for those who have already passed a generalist medical assistant certification exam by another approved certification body and are working in the medical assisting field 

AMT's Registered Medical Assistant Certification Process

The only requirement to sit for the nationally recognized medical assisting certification exams is that you have a high school diploma and obtained your medical assistant vocational training diploma from an accredited school approved by the certifying organziation. Additionally, the AMT's Registered Medical Assistant also allows medical assistants with at least 5 years of continuous experience through employment in that specific discipline to sit for their RMA certification exam. Questions are multiple-choice, the number depending on the certification specialty. If taking a test via computer (either at the school or at a testing center), you will immediately know if you've passed.

karmaadm shared the following with us:
Re: RMA vs CMA (AAMA) - One better than the other?

"The RMA focuses a lot on lab and technical aspects of MA profession. Many of my employers have preferred RMAs, instead of CMAs. And some vice-versa. Also, some employers don't even recognize a difference between the credentials: with either agency, you still are CERTIFIED..."