If you're recertifying your credential by continuing education, your objective is to accumulate 60 recertification points in five years. Thirty of these must be AAMA approved continuing education units (CEUs). The category breakdown of 60 points must be as follows:

Recertifying your credential is important and worthwhile. It's also a relatively straightforward process:

Identify relevant education topics and categories

To make sure your study time is well spent, screen topics for relevance to your profession. The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) provides three documents that serve as useful guidelines for identifying relevant topics. These documents are in PDF format.

The Content Outline is a comprehensive list of everything that a CMA (AAMA) has to know, organized by topic category.

The AAMA Role Delineation Study is based on an AAMA survey in which medical assistants listed the tasks that they performed on a daily basis and expected to perform in the future. The AAMA recommends this document to program directors as a framework for developing continuing education programs.

The Advanced Practice of Medical Assisting defines advanced medical assisting skills and areas of knowledge. This is another document that the AAMA recommends as a framework for developing continuing education programs.

Where to get your recertification points

You have several options for earning points:

AAMA CEUs

AAMA self-study courses offer topics that range from nutritional issues to collections to health care law and ethics. Each course also includes a test. If you score 70 percent or higher on the test, the AAMA will add the CEUs to your transcript. Find out more about details about these self-study courses, including the number and type of CEUs for each course.

CMA Today CEU tests appear in each issue of the magazine, which is published six times a year. Each test consists of true/false questions based on the corresponding continuing education article. The number and type(s) of CEUs varies with each test. Scores of 70 percent or higher on the test are accepted for your AAMA CEUs transcript.

Continuing education programs and events put you in contact with educators, experts, and other medical assistants who are certified. While you learn about important new developments in your professional field, you also get a chance to network with colleagues. You can earn CEUs by attending continuing education sessions at the AAMA Annual Convention. For every session you take, the AAMA will enter the number and type(s) of CEUs into your transcript.

Local chapters and state societies of the AAMA often host CE workshops, as well. As an AAMA member, you won't be charged extra for registering your recertification points. What's more, you'll be able to access your AAMA CEU transcripts anytime from the AAMA website. For more information on these invaluable continuing education opportunities, contact your state society or local chapter leaders.

Non-AAMA Recertification Points

Note: You may earn up to 30 non-AAMA recertification points by attending programs and events that are not approved by the AAMA. It is up to you determine whether or not these programs are truly appropriate for continuing education. Use the three AAMA documents mentioned above as guidelines. The AAMA will not update your transcript when you attend these types of programs and events. Save any related documentation, such as a syllabus, as you will need to furnish this material when you submit the Recertification by Continuing Education Application.