Preparing students for today’s healthcare workforce goes beyond basic clinical and classroom instruction. Healthcare training encompasses so much more than thoroughly preparing allied healthcare students for their careers. The best clinical knowledge is essential of course, but they also need hard-to-teach skills like teamwork and communication, not to mention resources on how even to FIND the right job and prepare for interviews. 

Medical administrative assistants (CMAAs) work directly with their patients every day and make a real difference in the quality of care their patients receive. These allied health professionals perform administrative tasks that help healthcare offices run smoothly, and play an important role in the patient experience as they are usually the patient’s first point of contact.

Here are some of the top skills employers seek to succeed as a medical administrative assistant.

 Ready to master the technical and job-ready knowledge that’s demanded in this important healthcare role? MA SkillsBuilder™: Admin can help develop key skills to handle front and back-office responsibilities.

Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) are credentials that show employers that you’re qualified to fill the role of a medical assistant or medical administrative assistant. However, there are distinct differences between these two NHA certifications — and strong reasons to achieve both.

"Nobody teaches us to be a patient."
— Kathy Torpie, Psychologist, Author, International Health Care Speaker

A tragic head-on collision with a drunk driver changed Kathy Torpie's life forever.

At the beginning of her story, Kathy asks you to imagine waking up in intensive care, your eyes so swollen you can’t see, your jaw is wired shut and you can feel a machine forcing air through a tube in your throat.

“These students will go into the world, they’ll have an impact in healthcare, and they’ll be able to alleviate some of the burden on providers right now. To provide well-qualified staff in high-demand fields is very fulfilling!”
— Andrea Maddox, Healthcare Academy instructor at Chelsea High School, Alabama

Editor's Note: This is the last in a series of three articles focused on medical assistant recruitment and retention. 

The previous two blogs in this series focused on How to Overcome MA Staffing Shortages and How NHA is Addressing the MA Skills Gap. However, if Medical Assistants (MAs) are overworked due to staffing issues and are experiencing burnout, employers are at risk of high turnover rates and cannot retain qualified help.

It’s NHA’s business to speak to allied health workers, employers, and physicians to better understand how we can help. We consistently hear that physicians cannot do their jobs well without highly qualified MAs. They’re described as vital care team members who promote efficiency, joy, and successful clinical outcomes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) that took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and will be important to billing and coding professionals. The United States does not have a set transition date for officially adopting ICD-11 and its Clinical Modification (ICD-11).

Editor's Note: This is the second in a three-part series focusing on MA SkillsBuilder™: Clinical.

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of three articles focused on medical assistant recruitment and retention.

Editor's Note: Pharmacy Technician Day is Oct. 19! The following editorial was written by Jessica Langley-Loep, executive director of education and advocacy at NHA, on her recent attendance of the NCPA Annual Convention and in celebration of Pharmacy Technician Day.

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CTE Teacher Builds Region’s First Certified Medical Assistant Path for High School Students