American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)

Credential: Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)  In-Demand resource  GI Bill resource  NCCA resource
Credentialing Agency: American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)

Renewal Period: 5 years

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) represents a medical assistant who has been certified by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) to have ability to work in ambulatory settings, such as physicians' offices, clinics and group practices. Medical assistants have a great amount of variety in their jobs and are cross-trained to perform many administrative and clinical duties. The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on office location, size, and specialty. Clinical duties vary according to state law and include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examination, and assisting the physician during the examination. Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. This is a mid-level certification and requires applicants to be graduates of an accredited medical assisting program and pass a written exam.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

 

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

  • Credential Prerequisite
  • Experience
  • Education: Accredited Program
  • Training
  • Membership
  • Other
  • Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for becoming eligible. Listed are the minimum requirements based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

  • Exam
  • Written Exam
  • Oral Exam
  • Practical Exam
  • Performance Assessment

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 5 years

  • Continuing Education
  • Exam
  • Continuing Education OR Exam
  • Fee
  • Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)

20 N. Wacker Dr., Ste. 1575
Chicago, IL  60606

Phone: (312) 899-1500

Fax: (312) 899-1259
Contact Page

Education REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Examination, the candidate must meet the criteria for one of two eligibility categories.

Category 1:

Candidate must be a completing student or recent graduate of medical assisting program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

  • Completing students may take the CMA (AAMA) Certification Examination no more than 30 days prior to completing their formal education and practicum.
  • Recent graduates are those who apply for the exam within 12 months of graduation.

Category 2:

Non-recent graduates of a CAAHEP or ABHES accredited medical assisting program is a candidate who applies for the exam more than 12 months after graduation.

Candidates who graduate from a CAAHEP or ABHES program that was accredited at any time during the student's enrollment, or who graduated within the 36 months prior to the program becoming CAAHEP or ABHES accredited, are eligible to apply for the CMA (AAMA) exam under Category 1 or 2.

Written Exam

  • General
    • Psychology
    • Communication
    • Professionalism
    • Medical Law/Regulatory Guidelines
    • Medical Ethics
    • Risk Management, Quality Assurance, and Safety
    • Medical Terminology
  • Administrative
    • Medical Reception
    • Patient Navigator/Advocate
    • Medical Business Practices
    • Establish Patient Medical Record
    • Scheduling Appointments
    • Practice Finances
  • Clinical
    • Anatomy and Physiology
    • Infection Control
    • Patient Intake and Documentation of Care
    • Patient Preparation and Assisting the Provider
    • Nutrition
    • Collecting and Processing Specimens
    • Diagnostic Testing
    • Pharmacology
    • Emergency Management/Basic First Aid

Testing Information

Testing for this credential is handled by Pearson VUE. The test centers are located in the U.S. They also have some test centers on military bases.

To find out more, use the following links on the Pearson VUE website:

For more information on the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) testing process, visit the agency website.

RECERTIFICATION

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)

Renewal Period: 5 years

The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential has the following recertification information:

  • Certificants may renew their CMA (AAMA) credential by examination or by completing 60 units of continuing education. Complete information about recertification can be found in the CMA (AAMA) Recertification Application.

In Demand

This certification is considered in demand

COOL Bucks

See your installation Education Service Officer for credential exam information and coordinating instructions.

COOL Summary

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COOL Summary

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COOL Summary

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COOL Summary

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COOL Summary

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COOL Summary

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Some

Credential is related to some tasks associated with the duties of the military occupation (at least one critical task but less than 80%)

Most

Credential is directly related to most of the major duties associated with the military occupation (at least 80%)

Other

Credential is related to this military occupation, but is more advanced or specialized and therefore will likely require additional education, training, or experience

Promotion Points

This certification has been approved for promotion points.

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Star

Star credentials are MOS enhancing, as designated by the Proponent. MOS enhancing credentials are directly related to an MOS or ASI, are taught either partially or completely as part of a Program of Instruction (POI), and improves the MOS technical proficiency.

Skill Level

The Skill Level reflects the level, based on MOS training and/or experience, the Soldier should be the most prepared to successfully earn the credential. See the Table Legend for details about each level.

Proponent Funded

Indicates the credential may have funding through the MOS proponent. Some proponents offer credentialing opportunities in conjunction with military training and/or as part of MOS development beyond the training base.

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Navy Bucks

Credential voucher or reimbursement for credential exam, re-certification, or maintenance fee has been approved for payment through the Navy's Credential Program Office. To get a voucher request form, click 'Complete Voucher and Apply' at the top of any page.

CG Bucks

Coming Soon - Coast Guard policy regarding service member eligibility requirements to participate in the Voluntary Credentialing Program is under review with a projected release date of first quarter FY20.

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted E1 through E4

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E5 through E6

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E7 and Above

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted “A” School through E5

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E6 through E7

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E8 and Above

LaDR

This credential is recommended on the rating Learning and Development Roadmap (LaDR) for Sailors currently in the pay grade indicated on the icon, BUT MAY BE TAKEN BY SAILORS IN OTHER PAY GRADES.

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GI Bill®

Reimbursement for exam fees has been approved for payment through the GI Bill. Click for external link to GI Bill licensing and certification information.

Note: GI Bill approval data is updated quarterly. For the latest information, visit the WEAMS Licenses/Certifications Search page. Make sure to select "Both" in the LAC Category Type drop-down before searching.

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ANSI

This credential has been accredited by ANSI. Click for external link to the ANSI web site.

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ICAC

This credential has been accredited by ICAC. Click for external link to the ICAC web site.

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ABSNC

This credential has been accredited by ABSNC. Click for external link to the ABSNC web site.

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NCCA

This credentialing program has been accredited by NCCA. Click for external link to the NCCA web site.

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IAS

This credential has been accredited by IAS. Click for external link to the IAS web site.

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Low

May be difficult to attain: minimum education requirement is a Bachelor's degree, and/or minimum experience is 10 or more years.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

Medium

Moderate ease of attainment: minimum education requirement = Associate's and/or prerequisite and/or minimum experience = more than 2 years and less than 10 years of experience.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

High

Highly attainable: mimum education requirement = HS or less and/or minimum experience = 2 years or less experience and no additional requirements.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

MOS is Military Occupational Specialty
ASI is Additional Skill Identifier
WOMOS is Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialty

Army e-learning

State-of-the art Computer Based Training available for free to the Army Workforce. Click for more information.

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NKO e-learning

Credential preparation courses are provided at no cost through Navy e-Learning. Click for external link to the Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) web site, then select the “Navy e-Learning” link within the “Learning” tab to proceed to Navy e-Learning.

Bright Outlook – new job opportunities are very likely in the future for this job
Registered Apprenticeship
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Medical Assistants
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Medical Assistants
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Patient Representatives
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Patient Representatives
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Updated: October 16, 2019
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