Passing medical assistant certification exam is essential for becoming a certified medical assistant. Working in the offices of physicians, chiropractors, podiatrics and the other healthcare practitioners, medical assistants undertake various clinical and administrative tasks. The duties and responsibilities of medical assistants vary depending on the size and location of office and the specialty of the practitioner. However, they need to perform various duties, such as greeting patients, scheduling appointments, handling correspondence, answering telephones, book keeping, bill handling, recording vital signs, taking medical histories, assisting physicians, preparing laboratory specimens, draw blood, removing sutures, taking ECGs and X-rays, administer medications, dispose of contaminated supplies, etc. A certified and accredited medical assistant training program covers all these areas.
Nature of Medical Assistant Certification Exam
You can appear for medical assistant certification exam after the successful completion of an associate degree program or medical assistant training program from an accredited healthcare institution or college. The examination covers both written and practical tests. It is a timed examination and the students need to answer for 200 multiple choice questions. Usually, the written examination is computer based and the students can instantly know its results. They will receive letter with their official score within ten weeks after the completion of the examination.
The medical assistant certification exam will be based on subjects such as clinical and administrative theory, medical terminology, keeping patient’s record, physiology, pharmacology, human anatomy, patient care, laboratory procedures and basic processes. The questions will also be from mathematics and other general skills. The examination aims to evaluate the overall abilities of a medical assistant to perform various responsibilities effectively. You should be prepared with your class notes and lectures. Examinations are conducted in a professional testing center. You are not allowed to bring mobile devices, notes, or any reference material. It will help you to appear in examination with a relaxed mood.
American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), American Medical Technologists (AMT) and National Healthcare Association (NHA) are the major licensing bodies for overseeing medical assistant certification. The examinations are conducted by National Board of Medical Examiners. The exams will be held in January, June and October. The Board takes around two months to approve an application. So you should send your application a few months before the stated months. You must also provide authentic documents and supporting credentials along with your application. You will not be eligible for appearing in examinations if you provide false documents. You should also be a graduate from an accredited medical assistant program or have five years experience in working in the same field.
If you pass certified medical assistant examination, you must appear for re-certification examination after 60 months. The fee for both certified and re-certification examinations are same. The examination fee will be less if you have membership in the American Association of Medical Assistants.
You will get various study questions from your test centers for preparing the examinations. Besides, you can attend lots of sample tests, which are available in internet. You can improve the chances of passing medical assistant certification exam if it is held in a quite and controlled environment. Medical assistant certification is essential for getting a highly paid job. though a certification is not mandatory for working as medical assistants, today, large number of employers prefer to hire certified medical assistants (CMAs) and registered medical assistants.