Medical assistants work in a variety of health care settings, including private doctor's offices, hospitals and clinics. Medical assistants assist doctors and nurses with lab work, obtaining vital signs, taking patient's health history, performing basic medical procedures such as giving injections and office administration.
Several private organizations offer professional certification for medical assistants. While these certifications are not the same as state licensure, some states require that medical assistants be certified to perform certain procedures, and many clinics and hospitals prefer to hire medical assistants who are certified. Each certifying organization offers a different designation to its certified members: The American Association of Medical Assistants credentials its members as "Certified Medical Assistants" the American Medical Technologists call their credentialed medical assistants "Registered Medical Assistants" (RMA), and the National Healthcareer Association designates its certified members as Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMA).
While some medical assistants learn their trade on the job, many hospitals and medical offices prefer to hire a medical assistant who has formal training in the field. Training programs for medical assistants include courses in anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. Students also receive clinical training in basic medical procedures, such as drawing blood or taking a patient's blood pressure, as well as medical office administration. If a medical assistant wants to obtain certification, she will need to obtain her training through a school approved by her chosen certifying body.
Accreditation is a process by which the quality of an educational or training program is evaluated according to the standards of a recognized accrediting body. The accreditation process usually involves a rigorous study of all facets of a school's operations, including admissions policies, faculty qualifications, the percentage of students who complete their program, facilities, finances and record-keeping practices.
In the United States, legitimacy of an accreditation body is determined by its recognition by the United States Department of Education or the Council For Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Many accreditation bodies choose to be recognized by both groups.
Programs for training medical assistants can be accredited by one of two recognized accrediting bodies: Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). A certifying body may require that its members take their training through a school that has been accredited by at least one of these organizations.