What does a medical assistant do that’s certified? Certified Medical Assistants actually perform the same tasks as a Medical Assistant that is not certified. However, it is much easier to get a job as a medical assistant, if you are properly certified as either a certified medical assistant or a registered medical assistant. Formal training is not only beneficial for the medical l assistant but also to the physician and/or employer. Most physicians realize that a good medical assistant deserves higher than average wages as it is very costly to hire people and train people. Hiring medical assistants that are certified or registered saves the physician valuable time and money that would need to be spent in training.

So, what does a certified medical assistant do? There are two major categories of duties that medical assistants perform. These are administrative tasks and clinical tasks. Some medical assistants are either Administrative Medical Assistants or Certified Medical Assistants but many are cross-trained. Cross training means that one person is trained to do a variety of different duties. Usually, Medical Assistants in a small office will be cross-trained to do both administrative and clinical tasks. However, in a large setting, such as a hospital, usually a medical assistant has only a few tasks to perform.

 What Does A Medical Assistant Do? | Certified Medical Assistant Administrative Tasks

What tasks does a certified medical assistant do? Common administrative tasks are to greet patients when they arrive in the office and obtain basic information to get the patients registered. This includes entering information in on the computer and assembling the patient’s medical record. Another common administrative task is office accounting, which is usually done electronically. An administrative medical assistant will also take care of filing and adding information to medical records. During medical assistant training, the medical assistant will learn basic knowledge of procedure and diagnosis coding. This will help with completing insurance claim forms, determining a patient’s insurance coverage and any limitations the patient may have.  Medical assistants will also answer the telephones, schedule appointments with patients, update medical records and handle office correspondence.

What Does A Medical Assistant Do? | Certified Medical Assistant Clinical Tasks

If you’ve done a great job on your Medical Assistant Cover Letter and resume then you’ve probably landed a few job interviews. It is essential to follow up after a job interview.  A day or two after your interview, you should write a follow up letter to thank the hiring manager for their time spent interviewing you. This letter should be written in business format, just like your Medical Assistant Cover Letter and be printed on the same paper that you used for your resume and cover letter. It also needs to be checked thoroughly for any spelling or grammar errors, just like you did with your Medical Assistant cover letter and resume.

The purpose of the follow up letter is to provide an opportunity for you to express your interest in the position again and to keep your name on the hiring manager’s mind. You can also briefly restate your experience and skills.

Below is a Medical Assistant Thank You Letter Sample:

Greg Barnes, HR Manager

Seattle Hospital

908 Main Street

Seattle, Washington 98124

Dear Mr. Barnes,

Thank you for scheduling an interview with me last Thursday, May 5^th. At 9:00 AM. I enjoyed discussing the Medical Assistant position open in your hospital and would still like to be considered for the position. After talking with you at the interview, I feel my qualifications are exactly what you are requesting. My customer service skills are excellent for good rapport with the patients, which is a necessary ingredient for a medical assistant.

I look forward to hearing from you on May 15^th, as we discussed in my interview. If there are any questions that you have, please call me or send me an email.

Sincerely,

Ashley Keats

Ashley Keats, CMA

(555) 987-1010

Medical Assistant Interview Follow- Up Phone Call:

After sending your follow up letter, allow time for the interviewer to read your letter and respond. If you do not hear from the interviewer within a week or by the time the interviewer told you that he or she would get back to you, you should telephone to inquire.  When you telephone, ask if you are still being considered for the position of if a decision has been made. Make sure that you are speaking directly into the telephone, using good dictation and voice volume. Also, you need to identify yourself and give some brief details so you can jog the interviewer’s memory. Always be professional and polite and remember to thank the interviewer for speaking with you. It’s best to say goodbye and wait for the interviewer to hang up before you hang up the telephone.

So, you want to learn How to Become a Medical Assistant that’s registered?   The Registered Medical Assistant or RMA certification is a national credential that is offered by the American Medical Technologists or AMT. Medical Assistants are not required to be licensed so taking the exam is voluntary. However, getting your RMA is beneficial for salary and job advancement.  In fact, even though it’s not required by law, many employers do require that you are a certified medical assistant or a registered medical assistant.

 The Registered Medical Assistant Exam:

The RMA exam can be scheduled any day except for Sundays and holidays. There are over 200 testing locations throughout the United States and Canada.  In order to take the exam, you have to have graduated from a medical assistant course that’s accredited by the ABHES or by CAAHEP. You are also allowed to take the exam if you have worked as a medical assistant for five years but have not attended a course.  The registered medical assistant exam fee is $95 and it includes your first year of dues.

What Does the Registered Medical Assistant Test Cover?

The RMA exam covers administrative skills, clinical skills and general skills. Each test is over 200 questions and you are allowed 3 hours to take the paper-based test and 2 ½ hours to take the computer-based test. You must get at least a 70 to pass. You can get practice exams on AMT’s website or in bookstores. These are the two best RMA Exam Book and CMA Exam Books available. Each book covers both of the exams.

Registered Medical Assistant Certification:

You must recertify every year but taking continuing education classes and paying your yearly dues. Your yearly dues provide you with a quarterly magazine called AMT Events that discuss the Medical Assistant profession. The dues also go towards national, state and local meetings that the AMT puts on and towards continuing education classes that you are required to take in order to maintain your Registered Medical Assistant certification. The AMT has a point system that is used to prove that you are compliant with the continuing education requirements. You are required to earn 30 points per year.  The points are earned by continuing education classes, employer evaluations, and formal education.

Registered Medical Assistant Salary:

Registered Medical Assistants can expect to earn more than Medical Assistants that are not RMAs or CMAs. Having your RMA will also help with getting job promotions.

Hopefully, this was informative on how to become a registered medical assistant. We also have articles on how to become a certified medical assistant and general articles about medical assistant programs and schools.

Before electing to undergo medical assistant training programs, individuals may want to know “What does a medical assistant do?” The medical assistant duties and responsibilities are dependent on the employer’s requirements. Medical Assistants may be employed in any health-related site such as a health practitioner’s clinic or office, hospitals, insurance companies, and even commercial establishments. Medical assistants are in great demand precisely because of their ability to competently fill multiple roles simultaneously so it is reasonable to expect that medical assistants would be expected to carry out both clinical and administrative responsibilities.

The medical assistant duties and responsibilities in small clinics or offices of health practitioners such as physicians, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, and chiropractors, typically involve both clinical and administrative tasks, with emphasis on specialized clinical tasks specific to the type of health practitioner. For example, medical assistants working in a chiropractor’s clinic may have the responsibility of taking x-rays, if qualified according to state laws and regulations, and may also take care of the cleaning and upkeep of x-ray equipment. On the other hand, medical assistants working in an ophthalmologist’s or optometrist’s clinic may be expected to instruct patients on the care and use of ophthalmic devices such as contact lenses. The probability that the medical assistant will be expected to manage the books, billing, and insurance is higher when working in a smaller work environment.

In larger institutions, such as general and surgical hospitals, the larger workforce may mean a more specialized job description. Medical assistant duties and responsibilities may be strictly clinical or strictly administrative. The larger the workforce and the patient population, the higher the likelihood that the area of responsibility is more focused. A medical assistant may be assigned only clerical and transcribing work, or may be responsible only for the maintenance of specialized equipment in one sector of the hospital only.

Medical assistant duties and responsibilities in other establishments such as insurance companies and general merchandise establishments may involve less specialized clinical tasks such as simple patient history-taking, obtaining vital signs, and facilitating diagnostic examinations, as well as clerical administrative tasks.

An alternative but lucrative job opportunity is the medical assistant educator. It is important to note that full time educators typically earn comparably larger wages compared to practicing medical assistants. Medical assistant duties and responsibilities are geared towards instructing students in training programs, in accordance to the curriculum. In this case, clinical and administrative tasks are taught and demonstrated, and additional responsibilities include developing class work, continuing medical assistant education to keep updated on the latest changes in the field, evaluating students and maintaining student records and progress notes, among others.

Medical assistants work with physicians and other health-care practitioners, as well as health-care related institutions, and carry out a combination of administrative and clinical tasks. The first step in how to become a medical assistant is choosing an accredited medical assistant training program. A common question asked, however, is “How much does it cost to become a medical assistant?”

To answer how much does it cost to become a medical assistant, one must be aware that not all training programs are created equally. The duration of training can vary from as little as ten months to two years, depending on the credential conferred. Naturally, the costs entailed are usually commensurate to the training program duration, and whether or not you take undertake the training program out of state. It can cost as little as $9,000++ for a 9-month program which confers a diploma or certificate to as much as $45,000++ for a 2-year medical assistant training program that bestows an associate degree. The clinical practicum or externship necessary for graduation comes at no extra cost.

In general, community colleges usually offer shorter training programs to become a medical assistant at more affordable prices. They have the advantage of offering only the necessary courses to equip one with the knowledge and skills to become an entry level medical assistant. On the other hand, two-year training programs that bestow an associate’s degree have comparatively higher tuition and fees. An advantage of medical training programs which bestow an associate degree is that the credits earned can contribute towards a bachelor’s degree if you should decide to apply for additional graduate studies.

Additional expenses can be incurred if you decide to apply for membership with the American Association of Medical Assistants (AMA). The fee would depend on the state you are from as well as the type of membership you qualify for, and would range from $25 to $107. Advantages of membership would include access to CMA today, the organization’s bimonthly magazine, the right to practice, legal advice, networking, insurance benefits, volunteer opportunities, continuing education, and finally, discounted fees for the medical assistant certification, workshops and conference fees.

After graduation from an accredited medical assistant training program, certification by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) will set you back $125 for AMA members and CAAHEP or ABHES students that have recently graduated and $250 for all other applicants, as of 2012. Although this is not a requirement for employment in some states, it is prudent to apply for and take the medical assistant certification exam since certified medical assistants are generally favored over non-certified individuals in employment opportunities.

Although the total expenses incurred by medical assistant training programs are significant, a lot of programs provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships and grants. Thus, the availability of such scholarships and grants is a major factor to consider when selecting a training program on how to become a medical assistant. On the other hand, the excellent job outlook for medical assistants can help you breathe easier since earning opportunities are virtually guaranteed upon graduation, and even more so after certification. Hopefully, this article has helped you estimate how much does it cost to become a medical assistant.

There are a variety of medical assistant programs online and in person that have sprung up recently in order to meet the growing demands for medical assistants. This may make it difficult for one to select the best one. However, two accrediting organizations, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAA-HEP) and Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), helps individuals find accredited medical assistant programs.

According to their official website, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAA-HEP) is a “programmatic postsecondary accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA),” that accredits over 2100 educational training programs in health-related professions. It was established in 1995, and accredits various allied health education programs in conjunction with 19 review Committees on Accreditation.

Programmatic AKA specialized accreditation evaluates specific training programs against standards set by professionals in the same field to ensure that theoretical knowledge and practical skills gained will enable students or graduates to practice the profession competently and successfully. CAA-HEP’s site allows one to check accredited medical assistant training programs for all professions according to state and the type of degree or credential conferred.

The Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is a privately-owned, independent programmatic accrediting agency recognized by the US Secretary of Education that assesses an educational program’s recognition, resources and service during the accreditation process in accordance with its mission to “enhance the quality of education and training” as well as “promote institutional and programmatic accountability through systematic and consistent program evaluation”. ABHES has been accrediting private, postsecondary institutions that offer allied health educational programs such as medical assistant, medical laboratory technician and surgical technology since 1968. The agency performs extensive background checks and evaluates quality of educational training programs of each institution. You may verify accredited medical assistant training programs at their site, where you can also download text or Word files of the entire directory of accredited institutions.

These accrediting bodies serve as quality control checks, and basically guarantee that the education you will be receiving under the training programs of each accredited institution will be sufficient for you to be able to function as a competent medical assistant Verification of accredited medical assistant programs you are considering applying for has been made significantly easier by the online services provided by both accreditation agencies. I have linked to both organizations below:

Find CAA-HEP Accredited Medical Assistant Programs

Find ABHES Accredited Medical Assistant Programs

The certified medical assistant resume is essentially the same as the usual medical assistant resume except that you include information regarding your certification as a medical assistant in either a separate section or under education. The sections of the certified medical assistant are usually presented in the following order.

The first section of the certified medical assistant resume is the main header, which contains your full name, your temporary and permanent address, your contact numbers for land line and mobile phones, a fax number, if applicable, and your official email address.

This is usually followed by an optional specific career objective in functional or skill-based resumes. This consists of a brief statement that identifies the main goal of your application, such as, “To obtain a permanent position as a medical assistant.” Its equivalent in the chronological resume is the qualifications summary, where you may opt to briefly describe your qualifications in a sentence, followed by several concise bulleted statements that itemize your skills and proficiencies, especially those that will not be singled out when you describe the various tasks and responsibilities entailed by each job you had in the past.

The section on education follows, and should list down the names and locations of your schools and training programs, either the date of graduation or the time encompassed, the degree title conferred, and relevant awards or honors, if applicable. In this section you may opt to include information regarding your certification as a medical assistant, such as year acquired. However, if you want to include other relevant certification, such as certification in basic life support, phlebotomy etc., you can create a separate section for certification alone.

The subsequent main section depends on the type of resume you write. For chronological resumes, this can be designated ‘Work Experience’, ‘Related Experience’, ‘Professional Experience’ or ‘Career Experience’ where you present relevant past employment history, detailing your job title, your employer, the period of time you held that position, and the tasks and responsibilities each job entailed. For functional resumes, this section would be termed ‘Relevant Skills,’ and the subheading would include your pertinent skills, followed by particular examples of each. Again, the strength of your certified medical assistant resume can be increased by beginning each statement with words of action, and citing specific examples where your skills and abilities directly benefited your employer.

These main sections can be followed optional sections such as Volunteer History, Awards, Achievements and Honors, Professional Affiliations, and Continuing Medical Education. Include pertinent information under these headings in your certified medical assistant resume if you know that it can contribute to improving your chances at getting an interview.  When doing so, keep in mind that your certified medical assistant resume must be limited to one to two pages only.

Finally, do not include your photograph, age, birth date, marital status, religion, and your list of professional references in your certified medical assistant resume. For the latter, you should only enclose your list if it has been specifically requested in the job posting.

A medical assistant resume must be able to concisely present your qualification, credentials and skills in a manner that addresses each specific requirement as described in the job posting. After you’ve formulated and edited your content as well as selected the type of resume to use, you must present your resume in a way that will catch your potential employer’s eye.

Layout. Your resume should have an uncluttered and consistent layout and flow that is easy to scan. Remember that hiring personnel usually spend less than a minute scanning medical assistant resumes the first time around, thus the optimal resume length is one page. Keep this in mind when selecting the font (the simpler the better), the font size (10 to 12 point), and the font style (bold or italicized only for headings and subheadings). Avoid crowded text by editing your content, and extending resume length to two pages maximum, if absolutely necessary. Highlight headings and subheadings simply by altering font style and/or using all capital letters. Use single line spacing within each paragraph and double line spacing after every paragraph. Use the tab button to make sure paragraphs are aligned, and don’t forget to justify your text. Ensure the types of bullets used are consistent and aligned throughout your resume. Use 0.7 to 1 inch margins all around, however if you cannot fit in all the text comfortably, you may use 0.5 inch margins instead. Lastly, if you do use two pages, include your full name and page number at the top of the second page of the resume.

Paper. The paper you use for your medical assistant resume should be unobtrusive and easy on the eyes. The most practical type of paper is a good quality white bond paper, although you may also use off-white, beige, cream or light tan paper that photocopies easily. If you opt to use thicker paper, make sure that your printer will be able to print on it. The paper dimensions should be 8.5 by 11 inches.

Printing. Use laser jet printers for crisper and cleaner printing quality. As much as possible, avoid the use of too much color unless strictly necessary. Furthermore, it is better to print out multiple copies of your medical assistant resume rather than photocopying them for different job applications. If you must photocopy, make sure to test photocopy the original resume to ensure that it photocopies clearly before you make multiple copies. Always proofread the text content and layout before printing out the final resume.

Packaging. Enclose your cover letter and medical assistant resume in an envelope large enough to avoid folding the paper. Avoid stapling the sheets of your resume.

If you are reading this now, it means that you are have satisfactorily completed your medical assistant training program, and probably have already passed the certification exam. Because of the positive prospects associated with this career, it is reasonable to presume that eventual employment is guaranteed. However, to be able to better your chances at getting that prime position, your must look for ways to make your medical assistant cover letter stand out.

The medical assistant cover letter has the primary goal of securing a job interview. With one page of text, you will be expected to introduce and sell yourself in order to gain the attention of hiring personnel. Once you have their interest, a more in depth description of your job qualifications will be provided by your medical assistant resume.

It’s not easy to distinguish your job application from the potentially hundreds of similar applications on the pile. One obvious thing to avoid is to draw attention to your medical assistant cover letter for all the wrong reasons. These include using bright or flashy-colored paper, elaborate bullets, images and multiple styles of formatting, crowded text, and folding and/or stapling your cover letter and resume. As a general rule, you should use excellent quality paper in white or a neutral and light-colored hue. If you absolutely cannot resist adding a touch of personality, you can use thicker sheets of paper that have an extremely subtle texture or design. Naturally, the type of paper used for your cover letter must be the same type used for your resume.

An excellent way to make your medical assistant cover letter stand out is to craft your content and presentation to satisfy the specific requirements the job entails. As hiring personnel skim application letters of prospective employees, they do so with a certain checklist in mind. If you write your medical assistant cover letter with this same checklist in mind, then your cover letter will have fulfilled all the necessary criteria, and your resume will automatically warrant a closer look. Of course you can only do this successfully if you’ve done your research regarding the job. For example, if the company or clinic is in need of a certified medical assistant who has experience coding and filing insurance claims, bookkeeping and transcribing physician dictations, your cover letter must explicitly mention when you received your medical assistant certification and indicate your experience and proficiency with coding and filing insurance claims, bookkeeping and transcribing physician dictations. Use action words and support your claims by briefly citing concrete examples and providing other relevant information such as the types of bookkeeping software you are familiar with and your actual transcribing speed and accuracy rates.

Another way to make your medical assistant cover letter stand out is to align your personal work goals and objectives with the company or clinic’s mission and vision. With a little research, you can confidently formulate statements that express similar sentiments, using the same or nearly identical terms used in the company’s mission and vision. Hiring personnel will be more likely to employ and retain applicants who have similar goals and objectives as the company, since they are more likely to have the same set of priorities, as well as more initiative and drive, than their counterparts. This would consequently lead to better productivity and efficiency.

Conveying your sincere interest, eagerness and commitment to the job is another way to make your medical assistant cover letter stand out. Doing the extra research to find out the name of the person in charge of hiring, the company or clinic’s profile, etc. underscores your interest in working for the company. On the other hand, your first and last paragraphs should clearly express your enthusiasm for the position, while your commitment can be expressed by stating your intent to follow up your application within a specified time period.

Finally, writing a brief letter that is rich in relevant content and easy to browse is a smart way to make your medical assistant cover letter stand out. At most your cover letter should have two pages, and should be limited to three to five easy to skim paragraphs. Include only the most pertinent details, use simple descriptive and action words in concise, formal sentences, and construct the letter with the following flow: an attention-grabbing opening paragraph that states what specific job title you are applying for and where you learned of the job opening; subsequent self-promoting paragraph/s that identifies your qualifications, credentials and relevant experience and skills in relation to job requirements; and a closing paragraph reiterating your interest, providing your contact information, and stating your intent to follow up your application via phone call. Readability should not be limited to content but also to presentation. Use a simple font in size 10-12, and balance the text with white spaces by using 1 inch margins all around, and leaving at least a 10pt space after each paragraph.

As most individuals have become internet-savvy and are probably employing these ways to make your medical assistant cover letter stand out, the critical difference could very well be the way you actually sell yourself in application letter. If you feel you’re not up to it, enlisting the help of a professional is a logical step to take.

        Since the medical assistant resume plays a vital role in securing a job interview for possible employment, you must take all the necessary steps to ensure you draft the best resume possible. The following are tips for writing an eye-catching medical assistant resume.

First and foremost, you have to select the best type of resume for the type of job at hand. If you are applying for a medical assistant post for which you have extensive relevant work experience, the recommended type of resume is the chronological resume. This resume traditionally includes a specific career objective, and allows you to highlight your pertinent employment experience by listing them in reverse chronological order with their respective attendant job descriptions. If you’re work history is too lengthy, include only the most recent and appropriate job experiences. If, however, you are applying for a post for which you have little or no legitimate or paid work history, then the skills-based or functional resume will allow you to emphasize relevant skills instead of previous employment history. Knowing which resume is the most appropriate for each particular job application is a basic first step towards writing an effective medical assistant resume.

Second, once you’ve decided on the type of medical assistant resume you will write, you should allot adequate time for you to decide on the relevant content as well as finalize layout and resume flow. Writing a medical assistant resume requires complete focus and attention in order to avoid commonly encountered mistakes.

Third, the content of your medical assistant resume should be dependent on the job requirements for each posting. Instead of including all of your previous jobs or all your skills, you should carefully select those that will be able to adequately and specifically address the demands of the job in question and write them down for review.

Fourth, since medical assistant resumes are usually only scanned briefly by hiring personnel, it is best to limit your medical assistant resume to one to two pages at most. This necessitates the careful perusal and review of the initial list of possible resume contents in order to decide which critical information to include so that the entire text will be able to fit comfortably within the pages.

Fifth, aside from the technical skills and abilities relevant to the job posting, other skills you should underscore in your medical assistant resume include excellent verbal and written communication skills, analytical and organizational abilities, an excellent work ethic, the capacity to work effectively in a team, initiative, as well as aptitude in problem-solving and decision-making.

Sixth, to enhance your resume’s impression and impact, use strong but concise declarative statements when itemizing your skills and proficiencies.  Avoid using personal pronouns such as ‘I’ and ‘me’, and start each phrase with action words. Don’t forget to support your claims by promoting and quantifying the best example of a positive outcome that came about as a direct result of those said skills and abilities.

Seventh, once you are satisfied with the content of your medical assistant resume, type it out using a simple but effective format. Use easy-to-read font in point size 10 to 12, and highlight headings and subheadings using different font styles such as bold face and/or italics. Make sure everything is properly aligned, and that any bullets used are uniform throughout the body. A margin of 0.5 to 1 inch on all sides must be used. For two-page resumes, place your name as a header on the second page, together with page number.

Eighth, make sure to avoid including unnecessary information in your medical assistant resume. These would include age, date of birth, religion, marital status, high school, height, weight, and even your photograph. Other resume writing experts also advise not to include the phrase “References available upon request,” since this is apparently already implied. A list of references must not be automatically included in your medical assistant resume unless you have been told explicitly to include them. In this case, prepare a list of three to five dependable individuals who have already been primed to become your references beforehand.

Ninth, after printing your first draft, do an initial line by line proofreading and editing. Make the necessary revisions in the draft, and then ask a trusted friend or even a professional to proofread your resume a second time. Be open if valid suggestions are made, since every little thing to make your medical assistant resume stand out must be considered.

Lastly, once your medical assistant resume has been written and modified to your satisfaction, print out copies using 8 by 11.5 inch good quality paper in a white or light neutral color. As much as possible, avoid photocopies. Keep in mind that your cover letter and medical resume must be printed out on the same type of paper. Enclose your application papers in an envelope large enough to preclude the need to fold the pages. Do not staple the pages.