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

How to Become a Medical Assistant in Kansas

Medical Assisting is considered as the backbone of the health care sector in Kansas.

Being so important, their services are quite welcome to the State’s Healing Arts Statute.

This offering of services gives licensed medical practitioners a chance.

This chance means to set their hiring requirements for those medical assistants they want to hire.

According to the law of the state, all medical assistants must be under the charge of a licensed medical practitioner in terms of the order, referral and supervision of duties.

Apart from this law, Kansas does not maintain the license or the certification requirements for medical assistants.

But, other health care professionals will always hire the most qualified ones.

In order to be one of these, as a medical assistant, you need to show high competency at work.

To become a competitive candidate for medical assistant jobs in Kansas you will need to follow these steps:

• Obtain an Education in the Field of Medical Assisting
• Consider Earning a Medical Assistant Certification
• Learn About the Medical Assistant Career Field in Kansas
• Maintain and Improve Your Medical Assistant Qualifications

Step 1. Obtain an Education in the Field of Medical Assisting

I mentioned medical assisting employment, but you cannot get anywhere without an education diploma in your purse.

So, those who hire medical assistants in Kansas have their own set of requirements for sure.

These requirements are narrowed down into three qualification preferences:

• Completion of a medical assistant associate’s degree or certificate program
• Completion of a medical assistant national certification program
• Prior experience working as a medical assistant or in a medical office setting

Getting a medical assistant degree in Kansas, as well as graduating from a training program that is specialized, you earn something valuable.

The opportunity to get other specialized certifications and credentials in medical assisting.

One of these credentials is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA).

This credential comes as a result of graduating from a medical assistant certification program.

The program needs to be accredited from one of the below-written agencies:

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

There are at least five such medical assistant schools in Kansas.

Along with completing your education in this field, you will be able to take courses such as:

• Patient care and medical assistant clinical procedures
• Emergency preparedness and response
• Insurance billing and coding
• Disorders, diseases, and diagnostic procedures
• Medical assistant career strategies
• Anatomy and physiology
• Medical terminology, interpersonal communication, and psychology
• Pharmacology for medical assistants
• Aspects of the administration of a medical office
• Advanced procedures for medical assistants
• Medical assistant practicum or internship

Step 2. Consider Earning a Medical Assistant Certification

After being done with education in medical assisting, there comes another opportunity to grow professionally in the field.

Which is the most exciting part of the career?

That means earning a national credential that is recognized in the state.

In Kansas, for instance, there are many national organizations that offer similar credentials.

Each of them has a set of requirements upon acceptance:

• Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)

This credential is offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

To earn this you need to meet several eligibility requirements:

• Graduate from a medical assistant school that is accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES
• Pass the Certified Medical Assistant Exam:
  • 160 minutes to complete
• 200 multiple-choice questions covering three main topics areas of:
  • Medical assistant general subjects
  • Medical assistant administrative subjects
  • Medical assistant clinical subjects

Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)

This credential is offered by the American Medical Technologists (AMT).

You will need to pass the RMA Exam, and there are several routes to eligibility for this credential:

• Graduation from a medical assisting academic program
• Graduation from an equivalent medical assistant training program in the US Military
• Work at least five years in the medical assisting field
• Teach for at least five years in the medical assisting field
• Earn an equivalent medical assisting certification

Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)

This credential is offered through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

To earn this you will need to pass the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Exam (CCMA)

Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA)

This credential is offered by the National Association of Health Professionals (NAHP).

To earn this you will need to apply to take the NRCMA Exam and meet one of these routes of eligibility:

• Graduate from an approved medical assistant school
• Have trained and worked as a medical assistant equivalent in the US Military for at least two years
• Have worked as a medical assistant for at least two years and obtain a recommendation from your employer

Medical Assistant (NCMA)

This credential is sponsored by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT).

To earn the NCMA you must pass the NCMA Exam and be able to qualify under one of the following routes to eligibility:

• Be a current student or graduate from an NCCT-approved medical assistant school
• Have worked full-time at least two years as a medical assistant
• Complete a medical assistant equivalent education or training in the US Military
• Earn a comparable medical assisting credential from another professional organization
• Be a doctor or nurse in a foreign country
• Have worked at least 10 years as a medical assistant instructor

Step 3. Learn About the Medical Assistant Career Field in Kansas

There are approximately 4,560 medical assistants offering their services at a location across Kansas.

This includes:

• 3,440 medical assistants in the greater Kansas City area
• 1,370 medical assistants in Wichita
• 370 medical assistants in Topeka
• 160 medical assistants in the Saint Joseph area
• 120 medical assistants in Lawrence
• 60 medical assistants in Manhattan

A recent sampling of employment ads seeking medical assistants throughout Kansas included the following specifications:

• The Anderson County Hospital in Garnett was recently seeking a medical assistant who had the minimum requirements of both a medical assistant certification and previous related work experience.
• Providence Medical Group in Kansas City recently posted a medical assistant job description that specified professional certification as a minimum requirement for hire.
• Saint Francis Health in Topeka was recently seeking a medical assistant who possessed the following minimum qualifications:
  • Medical assistant certification
  • Completion of a medical assistant academic course of study
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
  • High school diploma or equivalent
• The Via Christi Clinic in Wichita was recently seeking a medical assistant who had one of the following qualifications:
  • Completion of a medical assistant training program and three years of work experience
  • Five years of work experience as a medical assistant

When looking for a medical assisting career in Kansas, you should be aware of one thing.

That is the State Legislature, which changes every now and then regarding medical assistants’ practice.

But you’re not the only one interested in these changes.

Other professional organizations that sponsor credentials in the field are constantly monitoring legal issues in Kansas.

For any concern you may have, you can ask them for help.

Step 4. Maintain and Improve Your Medical Assistant Qualifications

You can easily earn a medical assisting credential, but the point is to keep it.

To do in Kansas, you need to meet the agencies’ maintenance requirements in the first place:

• CMA – valid for five years, you must earn 60 re-certification points, including half that are from AAMA-approved continuing education units or retake the CMA Exam
• RMA – annual membership with AMT required, and complete 30 Certification Continuing Program (CCP) points every three years
• CCMA – earn at least 10 Continuing Education (CE) credits every two years
• NRCMA – annual membership with the NAHP, maintain a CPR card, and accrual of two A-Class Continuing Education Units (CEUs) each year
• NCMA – annual Continuing Education (CE) that is approved by the NCCT

In the maintenance requirements of the specific credential, there may be continuing education.

The employers will make sure they put their own requirement.

But this one is common to many professional certifications.

However, medical assistants usually go for more advanced degrees.

So, a bachelor’s degree in medical sciences of healthcare administration is the key to keep a professional credential.

In addition, it will also raise your educational level as well.

The Best Medical Assisting Schools in Kansas

The number of Medical Assisting is as huge as the number of credentials an degrees in the state.

You will need all of them to prosper in this career.

However, program choice is always personal.

So all I can hope for is that you make the right choice.

Medical Assisting Salaries in Kansas

Salary is what we work for no matter the profession.

But when it comes to Medical Assisting, you really need motivation, since you have to deal with people.

So in Kansas, the salary in this field changes constantly.

But an average is always there for sure.

Annual Salary Range:

Regional Salary in Kansas

Medical Assisting by State