Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the difference between Medical Assistant Certification and Registration?
A. Certification is an independent qualification earned through examination. Medical Assistants must first be Certified in order to become Nationally Registered.
Registration is a secondary process by which a Medical Assistant commits to a high standard of professionalism, accountability and is listed in a public database as having met specific qualifications. A Medical Assistant can be Certified without being Registered but cannot be Registered without being Certified.
Q. What schools and training programs does NRMA accredit?
A. NRMA does not endorse or accredit any school or training program. This ensures neutrality in the assessment and certification of every candidate. We certify individuals, not institutions. See Below.
Q. How long is my certification valid?
A. As of August 31 2017, Certifications are valid for one year. Certifications must be renewed annually.
Q. What does it mean when M.A. certifications say they are "accredited".
A. It may indicate fraud. Accreditation is a term borrowed from academia (schools and colleges). In that setting, accreditation indicates that certain schools will recognize the course credits of others schools which share their same accreditation. Even among two legitimately accredited colleges, course credits are not guaranteed to be transferable, unless those colleges share the exact same accreditation. So, if you have credits and want to transfer from one school to another, you need to be sure the school you are transferring to accepts the credits of the school you are transferring from. But none of this has anything to do with CERTIFICATION.
In the field of medical assisting, most schools are either small technical schools, non-credit community college programs, or for-profit career schools. The truth is, unless you have or want an accredited academic degree in medical assisting, credit is not an issue.
Again, this has nothing to do with CERTIFICATION, which is not the same as your educational Certificate, Diploma or Degree. MA Certification, is an additional credential that many employers now require even after you graduate an accredited or non accredited career program or degree.
The requirements for CERTIFICATION are that it cannot be issued by the employer and it cannot be issued by the same school that issued your diploma, certificate or degree. CERTIFICATION must be provided from an independent Third Party.
Since Medical Assistant CERTIFICATION has nothing to do with the educational institution or employer, the idea that it can be accredited is a fallacy and often an indication that the organization offering it is fraudulent.
The truth is, there is no such thing as certificate accreditation. Of course there are many certifications out there claiming to be "accredited" but they often own or have connections with the very same group who claims to accredit them.
There are hundreds of illegitimate "accreditation mills" on the internet. They will accredit any program that pays a fee to be included in their accreditation. Again, these groups are not recognized by the Department of Education and are not academic institutions.
Beware of "accreditation mills" that accredit certification for a various unrelated industries. That is an indication that the accreditor is not a recognized authority in any particular industry.
A. Certification is an independent qualification earned through examination. Medical Assistants must first be Certified in order to become Nationally Registered.
Registration is a secondary process by which a Medical Assistant commits to a high standard of professionalism, accountability and is listed in a public database as having met specific qualifications. A Medical Assistant can be Certified without being Registered but cannot be Registered without being Certified.
Q. What schools and training programs does NRMA accredit?
A. NRMA does not endorse or accredit any school or training program. This ensures neutrality in the assessment and certification of every candidate. We certify individuals, not institutions. See Below.
Q. How long is my certification valid?
A. As of August 31 2017, Certifications are valid for one year. Certifications must be renewed annually.
Q. What does it mean when M.A. certifications say they are "accredited".
A. It may indicate fraud. Accreditation is a term borrowed from academia (schools and colleges). In that setting, accreditation indicates that certain schools will recognize the course credits of others schools which share their same accreditation. Even among two legitimately accredited colleges, course credits are not guaranteed to be transferable, unless those colleges share the exact same accreditation. So, if you have credits and want to transfer from one school to another, you need to be sure the school you are transferring to accepts the credits of the school you are transferring from. But none of this has anything to do with CERTIFICATION.
In the field of medical assisting, most schools are either small technical schools, non-credit community college programs, or for-profit career schools. The truth is, unless you have or want an accredited academic degree in medical assisting, credit is not an issue.
Again, this has nothing to do with CERTIFICATION, which is not the same as your educational Certificate, Diploma or Degree. MA Certification, is an additional credential that many employers now require even after you graduate an accredited or non accredited career program or degree.
The requirements for CERTIFICATION are that it cannot be issued by the employer and it cannot be issued by the same school that issued your diploma, certificate or degree. CERTIFICATION must be provided from an independent Third Party.
Since Medical Assistant CERTIFICATION has nothing to do with the educational institution or employer, the idea that it can be accredited is a fallacy and often an indication that the organization offering it is fraudulent.
The truth is, there is no such thing as certificate accreditation. Of course there are many certifications out there claiming to be "accredited" but they often own or have connections with the very same group who claims to accredit them.
There are hundreds of illegitimate "accreditation mills" on the internet. They will accredit any program that pays a fee to be included in their accreditation. Again, these groups are not recognized by the Department of Education and are not academic institutions.
Beware of "accreditation mills" that accredit certification for a various unrelated industries. That is an indication that the accreditor is not a recognized authority in any particular industry.