Medical Assistant Jobs and Programs in Indiana – Schools, Salary, and License Info

How to Become a Medical Assistant in Indiana

Employers strive to hire the most qualified candidates to fill medical assistant jobs in Indiana.

Which is a practice of all employers across the world?

But it is necessary to know the way before you pass on it.

So basically, to make yourself a competitive applicant in Medical Assisting in this state, you may choose to follow these steps:

• Complete a Medical Assisting Education Program
• Consider Pursuing a Medical Assistant Credential
• Maintain and Improve Your Professional Qualifications

Before going into more detail on the steps of becoming a medical assistant in Indiana, let’s mention the definition of it the state.

Indiana’s state law defines medical assistants as non-licensed individuals, who are in charge of doing specific medical tasks in a period of time.

Usually, they perform these tasks being supervised by a physician.

However, they can do other related tasks such as reporting the results of the patient examination to the same physician in charge of.

As per Indiana law, medical assistants specifically cannot:

• Make a diagnosis
• Prescribe treatment
• Administer medication, except with a direct order from a supervising physician
• Practice independently of a supervising physician

These professionals tend to be concentrated in the state’s major population centers, including:

• 4,280 in the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area
• 3,760 in the greater Indianapolis metropolitan area
• 2,660 in the Jefferson County-Louisville metropolitan area
• 1,570 in the Gary metropolitan area
• 1,270 in Fort Wayne
• 880 in the Evansville area
• 680 in the South Bend-Mishawaka area
• 530 in Lafayette

Step 1. Complete a Medical Assisting Education Program

The first thing to do to get a medical assisting certification or credential in Indiana is to get a solid education in the field in the first place.

In fact, it is the key to many of the most common medical assisting certifications and credentials.

In Indiana, however, you will be able to choose among many medical assisting programs.

As you’re in the go for it, I have to let you know that earning a credential in Certified Medical Assisting (CMA) you need to graduate from a medical assisting program in two institutions.

This is at the same time the most recognized credential in the field.

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
• Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)

Medical Assisting Programs in Indiana are taught by a curriculum.

The curriculum includes:

• Computers and medical office software programs
• Business mathematics and medical calculations
• Medical insurance billing and coding
• Medical assistant laboratory procedures
• Medical assistant clinical procedures
• Administration of a medical office
• Medical law and ethics
• Pharmacology
• Pathophysiology
• Anatomy and physiology
• Medical assistant internship or practicum

Step 2. Consider Pursuing a Medical Assistant Credential

When hiring medical assistants, physicians will usually set their own minimum requirements.

Apart from meeting these requirements, health care professionals will also point out the preferred qualifications of these medical assistants to be eligible for work.

In Indiana, the minimum requirements to find work in medical assisting are:

• Previous work experience in a medical office
• Graduation from a technical or community college with a medical assistant degree
• Completion of a medical assistant certification or training program, including one that results in the following credentials:

Whereas the preferred qualifications in medical assistants are these:

• • Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)
  • Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)
  • Medical Assistant (NCMA)
  • Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
  • Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA)

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)

The most widely known credential in Indiana is CMA.

As a medical assistant, you can take it being sponsored by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

But first, you need to have graduated from a medical assisting school that holds accreditation from two accrediting bodies in Indiana.

They are ABHES and CAAHEP.

And finally, the candidate must have also passed the Certified Medical Assistant Exam.

The exam contains 200 questions.

While the time limit for answering them is 160 minutes.

You can take the exam in all centers of Prometric organization that are located across Indiana.

Exam questions are taken from three main categories of medical assisting:

• General subjects:

• • Professionalism, psychology, and communication
  • Medical law, ethics, and regulatory guidelines
  • Quality assurance, risk management, and safety
  • Medical terminology

• Administrative subjects:

• • Medical reception and appointment scheduling
  • Medical business practices and practice finances
  • Establishing a patient’s medical record

• Clinical subjects:

• • Anatomy and physiology
  • Documentation of care, patient intake, and diagnostic testing
  • Assisting licensed professionals with patient preparation
  • Nutrition and pharmacology
  • Processing and collecting specimens
  • Emergency management, first aid, and infection control

Additional Medical Assistant Credentials

There are also several other medical assistant credentials in addition to the CMA that may be either required or preferred by employers of medical assistants:

• Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – American Medical Technologists (AMT).

This is the sponsor of the RMA credential.

There are several ways to be qualified for the RMA.

One of these is to complete an accredited medical assistant education program.

As soon as you have done this, you will be eligible to take the RMA exam.

Along with that, you will finally earn the RMA credential.

• Medical Assistant (NCMA)

he National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) is the sponsor of the NCMA.

There are also several ways to be qualified for this credential.

One of these ways is through an accredited medical assistant education program.

Once you have met the eligibility requirements you will need to pass the NCMA exam to earn this credential.

• Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) – The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) sponsors the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA).

To earn this you will need to pass the CCMA Exam.

• Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA) –

The National Association of Health Professionals (NAHP) is the sponsor of the NRCMA.

Graduation from a medical assisting program is the key to being qualified for this credential.

The program needs to be accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES.

While you need to have passed the NRCMA Exam as well.

Registering for this exam is possible by filling out an application form with the NAHP.

Step 3. Maintain and Improve Your Professional Qualifications

The employer you apply for a job at sets hiring requirements upon the medical assistant.

One of these requirements can include the maintenance of a professional credential.

This reminds me of why we need to learn how to keep certain things.

The credential is one of these.

The sponsoring agencies of the different medical assisting credentials have their own maintenance requirements.

And they are several:

• To maintain a CMA credential you will need to either earn 60 recertification points or retake the CMA Exam. The initial CMA credential is valid for 60 months. If you decide to renew through re-certification points, you will need to earn these as follows:
  • At least 30 points from AAMA-approved continuing education units
  • At least 10 points relating to administrative duties
  • At least 10 points relating to clinical duties
  • At least 10 points relating to general duties

• To maintain and RMA credential you will need to earn 30 Certification Continuing Program (CCP) points every three years and maintain an annual membership with AMT.

• To maintain an NCMA credential you must undergo a series of annual Continuing Education (CE) that is approved by the NCCT.

• To maintain a CCMA credential you will need to complete at least 10 Continuing Education (CE) credits every two years.

• To maintain the NRCMA credential you must complete at least two Class A Continuing Education Units (CEUs) each year while also maintaining a valid CPR certification and a yearly membership with the NAHP.

Being a medical assistant in Indiana is a matter of connections.

You can, for instance, start with the state’s professional organization such as the Indiana Society of Medical Assistant (ISMA).

Additionally, there are other professional associations in Indiana.

They may offer employment opportunities, education and progressive events that you may need a loss in medical assisting.

An important notification you may get from being a member of these associations is that you will be notified about legislation procedures related to the profession.

In search of a possible career as a medical assistant in Indiana, you may also consider job seekers available in the state.

These are:

• Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis recently posted a medical assistant job description seeking the following candidate for hire:

• • Candidates that are graduates of a medical assistant training program and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
  • Candidates that have training in tuberculosis would be preferred.

• Indiana University Health in Muncie was recently seeking a medical assistant who:

• • Is a graduate of a medical assistant program
  • Has at least a high school diploma
  • Is preferred to have a CMA credential

• DeKalb Health in Auburn was recently seeking a medical assistant, with a preference for candidates who hold an AAMA (CMA) certification.

The Best Medical Assistant Schools in Indiana

There are 17 Medical Assisting Schools throughout Indiana.

They are equipped with various programs.

Attending any of them is mandatory to sit for another additional credential in the field.

If you missed any of them, go back and read.

There were several lists with credentials put in this article.

And all for the sake of informing you.

Medical Assisting Salaries in Indiana

With so much education and preparation in Medical Assisting, salary has a place as well.

In Indiana Medical Assisting Salaries vary from different factors.

These factors include work experience, place, skills, and qualifications.

Annual Salary Range:

Regional Salary in Indiana

Medical Assisting by State