How to Become a Medical Assistant in District of Columbia – DC

Steps to become a medical assistant in Washington, D.C.

Below is an outline of steps you can expect to take on a typical medical assistant career path.

• Achieve a high school diploma or a G.E.D.

• Complete a medical assistant program in Washington DC that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). While in the program, you may take classes in basic medical law, ethics, healthcare records, billing and insurance, medical office procedures, keyboarding, software applications, anatomy, medical terminology and physiology. A practicum, or internship, must also be completed upon completing your Medical Assistant program in DC.

Determine the preferred date you would like to sit for the CMA (AAMA) certification examination and submit your application within the designated timeframe, (which is usually six months prior to your chosen timeframe). For example, to take the December examination, your application must be postmarked by August 1 of the same year. At this time the AAMA does not accept applications that are e-mailed or faxed. For those who have graduated more than twelve months ago, a copy of their official transcript must also be submitted. The candidate application itself and can be downloaded from the AAMA Web site.

Since April 2009, those taking the exam will be told if they have passed or failed the immediately after finishing the examination. Those who successfully passed will receive official notification and test results by mail within ten weeks of taking the exam.

Those who did not pass the examination may reapply to take the examination at any time.

Once you have passed the exam, it’s time to start posting your resume and beginning the job search. With certification and formal training behind you, the prospects of obtaining a job are good.