Medical assistant certification in Florida

No, it isn't. Florida doesn't issue licenses for medical assistants, though its medical practice act includes a section written about them. That section describes a medical assistant as someone with many skills who works under a physician's direct supervision and responsibility.

A physician assistant is also allowed to oversee medical assistants. That means your daily work could be overseen by a physician assistant in some practices.

You do not need certification to do the job, but you may not present yourself as a certified medical assistant unless you have it. According to the statute, Florida recognizes certification from 3 kinds of sources:

• A program holding NCCA accreditation (the NCCA is a national body that reviews whether certification tests meet established standards)
• A medical association at the national or state level
• A group the Florida Board of Medicine has approved

Certification is optional for the job, but Florida requires it if you want to use the title "certified medical assistant."

With a licensed physician directly supervising you, the law allows you to take blood and give injections, as long as they don't go into a vein. Giving out medications the way the physician tells you to and gathering everyday lab samples are part of the job too. The list also covers basic lab work and dialysis, even home dialysis.

A Board of Medicine rule explains direct supervision as the supervisor being physically present in the building and ready to step in when needed. It was written for other supervised licensees; the medical assistant law itself never spells out what the term means.

The law names only injections given outside a vein. Still, a 2023 Florida House staff analysis counts medical assistants working under a physician's direct supervision as people permitted to give IV therapy. It points to a statement from the Board of Medicine for that view.

To use x-rays on a person in Florida, you need a radiologic technology certificate from the Department of Health, except when you're a licensed practitioner. Whoever holds the certificate works under a licensed practitioner's supervision.

The Basic X-ray Machine Operator certificate is the entry-level credential. With it, you can perform general diagnostic x-rays while a licensed practitioner directly supervises you, either at that practitioner's own office or in a small hospital.

You can sit this certificate's exam without completing a formal school program. Should you go that route, the Department of Health expects you to work through its exam guide first.

Among the 378 career schools that report program length, the median is 9 months, and most take 7 to 9 months. Some are done in 2 months, while the longest stretch to 32 months.

Career schools charge a median published price of $17,257 for the full program, counting tuition, fees and books. Public colleges come in at a median of $4,346 for in-district tuition and fees across 1 year of full-time study. Of the programs on our list, 1,049 are offered by schools that participate in federal student aid.

With an online program, your classes are taught through distance learning. The hands-on clinical practice, often called an externship, still takes place in person. Nationwide, 30 programs teach this way, and 14 hold accreditation.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the source of these numbers, which reflect the nation as a whole.

The Florida program pages show accredited schools close to you. Where schools report it, they show program length and price. When one of them feels right, fill in the brief "Request information" form that sits below the program listings. The details you share there, your name, email, phone number, ZIP code and when you'd like to begin, reach only that school, so word about its classes comes straight to you.