With managed care, it can be a challenge to staff a practice that's efficient and effective. The title of your "Help Wanted" ad could very well be "Versatility Needed!"

You need someone who can take patient histories, answer insurance questions, and schedule appointments. Medical assistants are uniquely trained to work in both clinical and administrative settings.

The Occupational Analysis of the CMA (AAMA) (pdf) will give you a good idea of how versatile these professionals are. The study is based on an American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) survey in which medical assistants listed the tasks that they performed on a daily basis and expected to perform in the future.

Your standards are high. So are the standards of a medical assistant, especially the CMA (AAMA). This credential represents a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) who has achieved certification through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). The AAMA enforces rigorous Disciplinary Standards and Procedures (pdf) to maintain the highest level of professionalism for which the CMA (AAMA) is known.

When you're writing that want ad, make sure to title it "CMA (AAMA) Wanted."

If you have specific legal questions about what these professionals can do, ask our expert via e-mail. AAMA Executive Director and Staff Legal Counsel Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA, can inform you about the laws in your state governing medical assistants' scope of practice and other issues that you may be considering as you staff your office.