To recertify your CMA (AAMA) credential by continuing education, you must accumulate 60 recertification points within your 60-month certification/recertification period. Thirty of these points must be AAMA approved continuing education units (CEUs). The category breakdown of 60 points must be as follows:

• 10 Administrative
• 10 Clinical
• 10 General
• 30 from any combination of the above three categories

Follow these steps to recertify by continuing education:

• Identify relevant education topics and categories
• Acquire recertification points
• Check your transcript
• Apply for recertification

Identify relevant education topics and categories

To make sure your study time is well spent, screen topics for relevance to your profession. The AAMA provides three documents that serve as useful guidelines. These documents are in PDF format.

• The CMA (AAMA) Certification/Recertification Content Outline is a comprehensive list of everything that a CMA (AAMA) has to know, organized by topic category.
  
  
• The AAMA 2007-2008 Occupational Analysis of the CMA (AAMA) 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 planners as a framework for developing continuing education programs.
  
  
• The Advanced Practice of Medical Assisting defines advanced medical assisting skills and areas of knowledge, which is also useful for developing continuing education programs.

Where to get your recertification points

You may earn all of your CEUs from the AAMA. You may also choose to earn at least 30 AAMA CEUs and the rest from other sources.

AAMA CEUs

If all of your CEUs are from the AAMA, you may recertify by phone. The AAMA offers many opportunities:

• Visit the e-Learning Center to take tests based on articles you read online. Pay online, too, and enjoy instant scoring.
  
  
• CMA Today CEU tests appear in each issue of the magazine, which is published six times a year, and posted to the e-Learning Center.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• The AAMA Annual Conference provides continuing education programs and events that also give you a chance to network with colleagues. The registration brochure is available every March 1.
  
  
• 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.

The AAMA will enter the number and category of CEUs into your transcript and you'll be able to access your AAMA CEU transcripts anytime from the AAMA website.

Non-AAMA Recertification Points

You may earn up to 30 non-AAMA recertification points by attending programs and events that are not approved by the AAMA. You must determine if the programs meet the standards for approvable 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.