Medical assistant certification in North Dakota

Under North Dakota law, a person who delivers nursing care or helps with it must carry a license or registration issued by the Board of Nursing. If you're a medical assistant doing nursing tasks a nurse delegates and supervises, the state counts you as an unlicensed assistive person, so this rule covers you.

An unlicensed assistive person means any assistant, no matter what the job title says, who performs nursing duties that a nurse delegates and oversees. The name on your badge at the clinic makes no difference. The deciding factor is the work itself.

The state's application rules lay out what you need:

1. Provide proof that you completed a recognized formal training program or hold a current national certification. Both options work.
2. Clear a criminal history check.
3. Send in the $40 fee.

Renewal comes around every 2 years, and at each renewal you must present evidence of competency or a national certification that is still current.

You do. Giving medications as a medical assistant calls for an additional registration known as Medication Assistant III. That registration asks for a board-recognized medical assistant program along with a current certification from one of these bodies: the CMA through AAMA, the RMA through AMT, the CCMA (NHA's clinical medical assistant exam), or the NCMA (NCCT's national certified medical assistant exam).

Medical assistant students come up in the rules as well. A registered student who administers medications must take the same Medication Assistant III path and respect the same medication limits.

A Medication Assistant III works in ambulatory care, such as a clinic. A licensed nurse must be available to monitor the patient and direct your work.

Injections into the muscle, beneath the skin and within the skin are all within your scope. They apply only to patients whose conditions are stable and predictable.

Certain tasks remain out of reach. Giving medications through an IV line, an IV lock or a central line is not allowed. A licensed nurse must verify any dose conversion or calculation you make.

To take x-rays on patients, you need a state license under chapter 43-62 except where an exemption applies. Several license types come from the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board, with limited x-ray machine operator being one. A medical assistant certification on its own does not qualify you for this.

If you want to give medications, check that the Board of Nursing recognizes the program you're considering. You'll also need one of the national certifications the rule names. Out of the 1,094 medical assistant programs listed on our site, 484 hold accreditation from CAAHEP or ABHES.

You can also study online. Classes happen from home, while the supervised clinical practice still takes place in person. Among the 30 programs completable through distance education, 14 hold accreditation.

Most career school programs take 7 to 9 months. Pick an accredited program on our North Dakota programs page and send that school the short Request information form today.