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

How to Become a Medical Assistant in Kentucky

Medical Assisting is one of the major economic growth sectors in Kentucky.

Going back to the year 2013, there were nearly 7,830 medical assistants working in different parts of the state.

This was a huge success back then, regardless of the fact that the state did not certify them.

However, its absence has been substituted by employers’ requirements even now.

That’s in regard to the qualification of the employees when it comes to the process of hiring.

In the range of these requirements are to be mentioned:

• Graduation from a medical assistant certification program
• Completion of an associate’s of science medical assistant degree
• Completion of a medical assistant military training program
• Experience working as a medical assistant or in a closely related field

Apart from meeting these requirements, a medical assistant must distinguish himself from others.

To do so he or she needs to follow a few steps carefully.

In the long run, these steps are:

• Become a Qualified Medical Assistant Through Education
• Consider Testing For National Certification
• Research Kentucky’s Job Market
• Maintain and Improve Your Qualifications

Step 1. Become a Qualified Medical Assistant Through Education

The surest way to become qualified in medical assisting is by means of education.

In Kentucky, you can choose from different types of degrees.

Specifically, you may earn an associate or a certificate degree in the field.

Through both of them, you would develop medical assisting skills to a satisfying extent.

And this way, employers would consider you for the available positions in the profession as well.

Apart from these degrees, a medical assistant may also get a certification recognized on a national level.

If you’re one of them and intend to do so, you will need to graduate from an academic program that receives accreditation from these accrediting agencies:

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

Training programs in medical assisting in Kentucky are many.

Almost a dozen of them.

However, as you study to become a medical assistant there, you will take classes that focus on these areas:

• English and psychology
• Business mathematics
• Anatomy and physiology
• Medical law and ethics
• Medical terminology
• Medical office administration
• Electronic records management
• Medical assistant laboratory procedures
• Medical assistant clinical procedures
• Medical assisting techniques
• Medical assistant pharmacology
• Medical insurance billing and coding
• Health, safety, and emergency procedures
• Medical assistant practicum, internship, or externship

Step 2. Consider Testing for National Certification

The end of a medical assisting program is the beginning of certification options to consider.

Those who live in Kentucky, are allowed to choose national programs that offer credentials of the same field.

These include the following credentials and their sponsors:

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)

This credential is sponsored by the American Association of Medical Assistant (AAMA).

Eligibility requirements regarding it are:

• Graduate from a medical assisting school that is accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES
• Pass the Certified Medical Assistant Exam

Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)

This one is sponsored by the American Medical Technologists (AMT).

Eligibility requirements related to it are:

• Pass the RMA Exam
• Complete one of the paths to eligibility for the RMA:
  • Graduate from an accredited academic program that has at least 720 hours of study related to medical assisting, with at least 160 hours of a clinical externship
  • Graduate from a US Military medical services training program
  • Be a high school graduate with at least five years of work experience as a medical assistant, including both clinical and administrative duties
  • Be a medical assistant professor with at least five years of teaching experience
  • Be a medical assistant profession with multiple years of clinical medical assisting experience
  • Earn another agency’s medical assisting certification that includes passing an exam; this route will exempt you from having to take the RMA Exam

The Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA)

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

Eligibility requirements for this credential are:

• Register for and pass the NRCMA Exam
• Meet one of the following paths to eligibility:
  • Have two years of experience in the US Military as a medical assistant equivalent
  • Graduate from an approved medical assistant course of study
  • Have at least two years of work experience as a medical assistant with a positive recommendation from your employer

Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)

This one is sponsored by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Eligibility requirements are:

• Pass the Certified Clinical Medical Assisting Exam

Medical Assistant (NCMA)

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

Eligibility requirements for this one are:

• Pass the NCMA Exam
• Meet one of the following routes to eligibility:
  • Graduate from a medical assistant academic program approved by the NCCT
  • Have two years of full-time work experience as a medical assistant
  • Work as a medical assistant equivalent in the US Military
  • Be a highly qualified medical professional from a foreign country, such as a nurse or doctor
  • Have at least 10 years of experience as a medical assistant professor
  • Earn another agency’s medical assistant certification

 Step 3. Research Kentucky’s Job Market

Kentucky’s job market is not dependent upon a single guide.

It is usually the employer who determines the hiring process of a medical assistant.

The best way to know what are the employers’ expectations regarding a medical assistant is to look at recent job ads in this field.

The following is a sampling of job requirements from across Kentucky:

• Baptist Pulmonary Associates in Lexington was recently looking to fill a Medical Assistant/X-Ray Machine Operator position. One of the ways to qualify for this position was by having a current medical assistant certification, being a graduate of a medical assistant program, and having a Limited X-Ray Machine Operator Certificate.

• Methodist Hospital in Henderson recently posted a medical assistant job description that stated the following minimum requirements for hire:
  • Graduation from a medical assistant training program
  • Graduation from high school or a GED program
  • Excellent interpersonal and multitasking capabilities

• The Orthopedic Surgery Department at the University of Louisville Physicians was recently seeking a medical assistant with the following minimum qualifications:
  • One of the following certifications:
    • Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) certificate
    • Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) certificate
    • Assessment-Based Recognition In Order Entry (ABR-OE) – also sponsored by AAMA
  • High school diploma or GED
  • Completion of a medical office externship or at least one year of work experience in a medical facility

Hospitals and physician offices are some of the most common employers of medical assistants.

These professionals are concentrated as follows throughout the state:

• 4,280 medical assistants in the Middletown-Cincinnati greater metropolitan area
• 2,660 medical assistants in the Louisville-Jefferson County metropolitan area
• 1,060 medical assistants in the Lexington-Fayette metropolitan area
• 760 medical assistants in the Ashland metropolitan area
• 280 medical assistants in Bowling Green
• 200 medical assistants in Elizabethtown
• 200 medical assistants in Owensboro

Another way to consider the job market in Kentucky regarding medical assisting is to remember professional organizations that work as a sponsor to their certification.

So, you can take information from them regarding professional progress in this field.

Step 4. Maintain and Improve Your Qualifications

Being employed in medical assisting is not the end of the journey.

You have to maintain your position.

To do so, you will need to complete another continuing education or else follow other professional activities in the field.

A medical assistant certification may be asked from you as well.

These certifications are many, and each of them has its own maintenance requirements set:

• The CMA credential must be renewed every five years. To do this you will need to either retake the CMA Exam or earn 60 re-certification points, with at least 30 of these being from AAMA- Approved continuing education units.
• To maintain the RMA credential you need to maintain an annual membership with the AMT as well as complete 30 Certification Continuing Program (CCP) points every three years.

• To renew the NRCMA credential you will need to maintain a current CPR card and an annual membership with the NAHP. You also need to complete at least two Class A Continuing Education Units (CEUs) each year, except during your first year of holding the NRCMA credential.

• To maintain the CCMA credential you need to earn at least 10 Continuing Education (CE) credits biannually.

• To maintain the NCMA credential you must complete annual Continuing Education (CE) that is approved by the NCCT.

Medical Assistant, however, can start small.

They can start for instance with getting an essential qualification that helps them get a job and improve their skills with higher education.

An associate’s degree in medical assisting, for example, can lead to a bachelor’s degree in the field of medical sciences and consequently, open up many new career opportunities.

Earning a more advanced degree is also another convenient way to fulfill many maintenance requirements for professional medical assistant certification.

The Best Medical Assisting Schools in Kentucky

The number of schools and programs of Medical Assisting in Kentucky is huge.

You will have to think long about what to study.

Unless it is clear to you what you want.

You will basically have to choose from many programs.

In particular, from bachelor, certification and an associate degree in any of the branches of the field.

Whereas certification will be various as well.

Medical Assisting Salaries in Kentucky

Medical Assisting Salaries in Kentucky is nice.

But they depend on a few factors, whether you like it or not.

Factors such as place, work experience, skills, and education are crucial.

So, you need to make the most of them, to get the best salary in the profession.

Annual Salary Range:

Regional Salary in Kentucky

Medical Assisting by State