PBSC Medical Assisting students gain global career options
The leading professional certification for medical assistants is now an international credential.
Already considered the profession’s gold standard in the United States, the Certified Medical Assistant credential from the American Association of Medical Assistants—known as the CMA (AAMA)—was recently recognized by the International Accreditation Service®.
Students in Palm Beach State College’s Medical Assisting program have been taking and passing the CMA (AAMA) exam for many years. Now this credential will give them the competitive edge to pursue the best jobs worldwide.
Only students who graduate from an accredited postsecondary medical assisting program are eligible to pursue the CMA (AAMA). PBSC’s Medical Assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). It is currently the only CAAHEP-accredited program in Palm Beach County.
Growing importance of certification
Medical assisting is one of the fastest growing health care careers, and increasingly employers are requiring certification. In Florida, where medical assistants are permitted to perform a wide range of clinical and administrative duties, CMA (AAMA) certification ensures the highest level of preparation. In addition, certified medical assistants are qualified to enter medical orders into electronic health records and have such entries count toward meeting the meaningful use thresholds required by the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
“I received over 100 requests for medical assistants in 2015, including many for bilingual graduates, and it appears we will have the same or more requests this year due to the quality of our graduates,” says Barbara Kalfin, director of PBSC’s Medical Assisting program. “It is very rewarding when graduates contact us with the news that they are in medical school or a physician’s assistant program or have been promoted to medical office managers. Of course, many still maintain positions as medical assistants because they love it.”
Information Session
The final information session for 2016 fall term entry to the Medical Assisting program will take place on Wednesday, June 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Education and Training Center, Room ETA 257, on the Lake Worth campus.
