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Medical assistants perform routine tasks such as performing physical examinations, extracting blood samples, measuring vital signs and preparing patients for surgery. The presence of medical assistants enables the healthcare delivery system to run smooth and efficient because they are capable of doing a lot of versatile tasks, may it be in the clinical setting, in the office of health professionals or in the laboratory. They’re activities greatly rely on their work environment.
In order to work as a medical assistant, an individual must first enter the medical assistant program offered by many medical schools, community colleges, health agencies, and some hospitals. The medical assistant program can usually be finished in two years, garnering an associate’s degree or certificate. Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is important when choosing a school. Having graduated from an accredited program makes the graduate eligible to take the certification exam administered by certain certifying agencies.
Although certification is not necessarily required by employers and the State for medical assistants to practice, many of them prefer more certified or registered medical assistants compared to non-registered ones. Certification or registration is achieved by taking the certification exam administered by certifying organizations such as the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) or the American Medical Technologists (AMT). The AAMA certification grants the title Certified Medical Assistant, while the AMT certification grants the title Registered Medical Assistant. In addition to national registration, state registration is also required so that the State can also recognize the competency of a medical assistant.
A registered medical assistant must be able to maintain the title through recertification by collecting continuing education units or credits (CEU). A total of 60 CEU’s must be completed. CEU’s can be obtained by participating or attending national meetings of health agencies, seminars and workshops about healthcare, and doing home-based studies through magazines, books, or online resources among others. In addition, 10 units must be about general concepts relevant to medical assisting, 10 about clinical practice, and another 10 about the administrative roles of medical assistants. The remaining 30 must be from the certifying agency, such as AAMA and AMT. However, the certifying body that certified the medical assistant determines the exact requirements for recertification. They have the authority to approve (based on their set criteria) the seminars, workshops, and conferences if they are worth continuing education units. Registered medical assistants have five years to comply with the recertification requirements.
As medical assistants deal with health, it is important that they keep themselves sharp and up to date with the changing trends in healthcare. Coping with the changes in the health industry enables medical assistants to provide better services to the patients, as well as promote their continuous personal growth.