Professional certifications and credentials are a common sight in healthcare. It seems that no matter the healthcare role, there’s a good chance you’ll find someone in that position with a smattering of abbreviations surrounding their name that you may or may not recognize. Often these signify that this person has earned a professional credential after completing their college coursework or training—and that’s true for many medical assistants as well.

If you’re just getting started on the path tobecoming a medical assistant, you might be wondering what the fuss is about. And the question of RMA (ARMA) vs. RMA vs. CMA might be making your head spin. Which of these medical assisting options makes sense for you? We’re here to help you understand your options.

为什么医疗辅助凭证重要？

If you’ve completed yourmedical assistant courses and training, you should have everything you need to perform the job well. So why should you care about earning a professional credential on top of that? It’s true that for some roles, professional credentials and certifications after college may be little more than an easy way to highlight and verify some specialized expertise on a resume. But there’s a bit more to the story when it comes to medical assisting credentials.

The truth is that employers have an important incentive to hire medical assistants with the right credentials. Rules governing the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services require anyone who enters medication, laboratory or radiology orders into an electronic health records system to be either a “credentialed medical assistant” or “licensed health care professional” in order to meet what are known asmeaningful useguidelines.

卫生保健providers who meet these guidelines are eligible to receive financial incentives—and that can substantially impact their bottom line. Long story short, employers have a good reason to care about these credentials, and that means medical assistants should care as well.

So what does it mean to be a “credentialed medical assistant” for these purposes? Medical assistants must earn a credential recognized by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) to be approved. This is where things can start to get confusing—so let’s take a closer look at some of the common options you may have seen.

What are some common medical assisting credentials?

有a handful of medical assisting credentials out there, and some are more recognizable than others. Keep reading for a breakdown of the most common options.

认证医疗助理（AAMA）®

描述：The Certified Medical Assistant credential is awarded by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). This credential认可by the NCCA anddoes count符合满足有意义的使用指南的要求。该全国公认的专业认证验证了医疗助理在实践领域和整体医疗保健的知识。

Requirements:为了获得认证的医疗助理凭证，您需要先符合资格要求。有资格的三个主要路径，最简单的涉及完成由盟军健康教育计划（CAHEP）或认证的健康教育学校（Abshes）的认证委员会认可的医疗协助计划。一旦符合资格要求，CMA申请人将需要坐下来介绍和通过200个问题，其中包括涵盖临床，行政和一般医疗协助能力和知识的200个问题。

Registered Medical Assistant (AMT)

描述：注册的医疗助理（RMA）凭据被授予美国医疗技术人员。像CMA一样，这个凭证认可by the NCCA anddoes count符合满足有意义的使用指南的要求。As another nationally-recognized professional certification, the Registered Medical Assistant designation verifies medical assistants’ overall knowledge of medical assisting practices.

Requirements:To earn the Registered Medical Assistant credential, there are several requirements you’ll need to meet. Assuming you’re applying as a Medical Assisting student or recent graduate from an accredited program or institution, you’ll need to provide official academic transcripts to apply. From there, you’ll need to sit for and pass an exam. The exam is 200-210 questions covering three focus areas—clinical, administrative and general medical assisting knowledge.

Registered Medical Assistant (ARMA)

描述：Unlike the other two on this list, this designation from the American Registry of Medical Assistants不是NCCA认可的凭证和does not此时满足有意义的使用标准的要求。此名称只意味着您的名字位于雇主核查的医疗助理的第三方注册处。虽然在此注册表中没有危害，但期待符合CMS有意义的使用要求的雇主仍然希望验证您也赢得了其他两个凭据。

Requirements:According tothe ARMA, requirements for inclusion on this registry are:

• Must graduate from an approved, accredited high school or equivalent
• Copy of Social Security card with signature
• Copy of photo ID with signature
• If needed, legal documentation used to substantiate any discrepancies between these documents.

Additionally, they may require a copy of your diploma from an accredited medical assisting institute, a copy of transcripts from your academic program, a letter of recommendation from your employer or proof of employment as a medical assistant. The specifics of this can vary depending on your background, so it’s worth reaching out to ARMA directly with questions if you choose to pursue this option.

What else should you know about medical assisting credentials?

这里已经有很多东西可以消化，但您可能有几个问题或疑虑：

When should I plan on applying for and taking these exams?

如果您是一名考虑赚取CMA（AAMA）或RMA（AMT）凭证的学生，您可能会想要在您的医疗辅助计划结束时开始进程。请记住，许多医疗保健提供者可能会在招聘资深医疗助理上享受溢价，因此您越早成为一名身份化的医疗助理，更好。也就是说，一些雇主可能会对新医疗协助雇用的宽限期，他计划在不久的将来被证实。

如果我不想赚取其中一个凭据，怎么办？

You certainly have the option to not earn one of these credentials, but it may not be a wise decision. Rasmussen College Medical Assisting instructor Traci Forguson explains that you may be able to find medical assistant work at small clinics that do not use electronic medical records systems or participate in the meaningful use incentives program, but that may be a challenge.

“从我所看到的，在我所看到的，毕业生需要被证实，以便为大型医疗保健公司工作，”Formuceon增加了。

Another aspect to consider is your ability to retain what you’ve learned in Medical Assisting courses. These courses generally align with what you’ll find on either the CMA or RMA exam, so it might be best to get it taken care of right away. Even if you find an employer who doesn’t require one of these credentials, taking this step now will likely be easier on you than trying to revisit it later on if you need to look for employment elsewhere.

How much do these medical assisting credential exams cost?

CMA（AAMA）和RMA（AMT）凭证考试包括考试费用。RMA有120美元的考试费，而CMA每次尝试拥有125美元的考试费用。Rasmussen学院医疗协助学生的好消息是，这些费用在您的计划费用范围内涵盖，因此您的第一次尝试无需额外费用。¹

Which medical assisting credential is best for me?

考虑到这一点，您可能会想知道这些凭证选项中哪一个最好追求。CMA（AAMA）和RMA（AMT）凭证都有他们的支持者，您可能会发现一个或另一个在您所在地区更常见。Formumuson是RMA，说，虽然您可能会看到寻求“认证医疗助理”的许多职位发布，但雇主通常是灵活的。

“I have spent time in three different states educating medical assistants and I have found that employers really just want a ‘credentialed’ medical assistant,” Forguson says.

That means both the CMA credential from the AAMA and RMA from AMT are solid options for satisfying that criteria. Choosing between the two may come down to eligibility specifics regarding your program—something an advisor can help you navigate.²

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With such similar names, figuring out the differences between these options can certainly get confusing. By now you should have a stronger understanding the of value of becoming a credentialed medical assistant and why employers care—as well as how that’s different from being included on a medical assistant registry.

Of course, the first step before earning a credential is to develop the essential skills and information needed for a successful career as a medical assistant. If you’re ready to get started, visit the拉斯穆森大学医疗协助计划page to learn more.

¹每个合格的学生的第一次考试尝试的申请费包含在总计划费用中。如果您需要多次接受考试以获得传递得分，您将负责所有后续的考试申请费。联系录取顾问以确定您的最佳考试选项。

²毕业生programmatically-accredited医生al Assisting programs can sit for the CMA or RMA (AMT) exam; graduates of our non-programmatically-accredited Medical Assisting programs can sit for the RMA (AMT) exam. Visit theaccreditation pagefor full details regarding programmatic accreditation.


认证医疗助理是美国医疗助理协会的注册商标。