Administrative medical assistant certification

People in this role spend their days answering calls, scheduling appointments, greeting patients and updating electronic medical records). It's the office side of a practice, the work that keeps everything moving, not direct patient care.

NHA lists 2 ways to qualify), and meeting 1 of them is enough.

• Training route: you completed a medical administrative assistant training or education program sometime in the past 5 years.
• Work route: you spent 1 year doing supervised medical administrative assistant work in the last 3 years, or 2 years in the last 5.

Already working in a medical office? The work route may suit you. If you're just starting out, the training route is the one to look at.

You'll face 110 scored questions and 25 pretest questions, with 2 hours 15 minutes on the clock for the whole thing. Pretest questions are trial questions NHA is testing out, and they won't affect your score.

Before exam day, NHA offers CMAA practice tests starting at $54 so you can get comfortable with the format.

Two other groups provide comparable credentials. This table shows how the fees and exam lengths stack up.

Entry requirements for the CMAS are tougher. You'll need either an accredited program totaling 720 hours of instruction, or 5 years or more working as a medical office administrative specialist within the past 7 years. Accredited means an approved outside organization has looked at the program and signed off on it.

Within those 720 hours, at least 160 must be externship hours. An externship is hands-on supervised practice at an actual workplace, completed while you train.

A CMAA stays valid for 2 years. Renewing it) takes 10 CE credits plus a fee. CE credits are earned through continuing education, meaning short courses that keep your skills and knowledge fresh.

Renewal costs $195 every two years, so it helps to set a little aside and earn your CE credits gradually rather than all at the last minute.