Understanding the role of a clinical medical assistant vs medical assistant is important if you’re considering a career in medical assisting or hiring support for your healthcare team.
One key distinction is the certified medical assistant (CMA) credential, which is awarded by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). This certification demonstrates a higher level of competency and is recognized throughout the healthcare industry.
Who Are Medical Assistants?
Medical assistants are trained healthcare professionals who support doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in different healthcare settings. Many medical assistants work in a variety of medical facilities, including hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices.
What Do Medical Assistants Do?
Medical assistants complete both administrative tasks and clinical tasks every day to keep medical offices and outpatient clinics running smoothly.
Their responsibilities include checking patients in and completing insurance forms as part of their daily workflow.
Clinical Medical Assistant Focus
A clinical medical assistant typically has more clinical responsibilities than administrative ones, focusing on clinical care such as taking vital signs, preparing patients, and assisting doctors.
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant
A certified clinical medical assistant (CCMA) has passed a CCMA exam, showing strong clinical skills and knowledge to deliver safe care.
A high school diploma is usually required to be eligible for certification exams like the CCMA.
General Medical Assistant
A medical assistant balances clinical medical work and administrative responsibilities, often in the same day.
Main Job Responsibilities
Medical assistants help with patient care, take blood pressure, assist with basic laboratory tests, and maintain medical records. They may also be responsible for administering medications and preparing samples for lab tests.
Effect of Usage on Emergency Physician Productivity
Clinical Duties Explained
A clinical medical assistant may help with drawing blood, patient examinations, and recording vital signs.
Administrative Duties in Medical Assisting
Administrative medical assisting includes clerical duties like scheduling, answering calls, and updating patient medical records.
Administrative and Clinical Duties
Most medical assistants handle a mix of clinical responsibilities and administrative skills, which makes them essential in any medical facility.
Where Medical Assistants Work
Medical assistants can be found in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and private healthcare offices.
Who Hires Medical Assistants?
Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals hire medical assistants to support patient care and daily operations.
Why Get Certified?
Becoming a certified medical assistant, or registered medical assistant, helps you stand out and qualify for more jobs.
Obtaining a CMA certification requires passing a certification exam and graduating from a program accredited by an accrediting bureau such as ABHES or CAAHEP.
Registered Medical Assistant
A registered medical assistant is another recognized credential proving knowledge and skill in both clinical medical and administrative tasks.
The RMA exam consists of approximately 200 multiple-choice questions that cover clinical tasks, administrative responsibilities, medical ethics, and regulations, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of medical assisting topics.
Completing a Medical Assistant Program
Most students enroll in a medical assistant program through health education schools or allied health education programs to learn medical terminology, clinical skills, and administrative duties.
To ensure eligibility for certification, these programs should be accredited by either the accrediting bureau ABHES or CAAHEP.
Understanding the CCMA Exam
The CCMA exam is one path to becoming a certified clinical medical assistant, and often includes questions on clinical and administrative duties.
Compared to the CCMA exam, the CMA exam has different eligibility requirements and covers a broader range of topics, including both clinical and general medical knowledge, and is recognized as a separate certification pathway for medical assistants.
Taking Vital Signs
Taking and recording vital signs, such as blood pressure, is one of the most common clinical responsibilities for clinical medical assistants.
Clinical Medical Assistants at Work
Clinical medical assistants work with medical instruments, assist with medical procedures, and support the healthcare team in providing quality patient care.
A clinical medical assistant is both a medical professional and a healthcare professional who works under the supervision of licensed providers.
Maintaining Medical Records
Medical assistants must keep accurate medical records, update medical charts, and handle sensitive patient information securely.
Reviewing and updating a patient’s medical history is a crucial part of maintaining accurate records.
Clerical Duties Matter
Good administrative skills are vital. Tasks like scheduling appointments, greeting patients, and following medical charts help clinics run smoothly.
Direct Patient Care
A big part of the clinical medical assistant’s job is offering direct patient care, from prepping exam rooms to helping with patient histories.
Working With Other Medical Professionals
Medical assistants coordinate with nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals to deliver the best patient care.
Using Medical Instruments Safely
Knowing how to handle medical instruments and medical equipment is crucial for every clinical medical assistant.
Becoming a Medical Assistant Instructor
Experienced medical assistants often become a medical assistant instructor, helping train future healthcare professionals.
The Value of Continuing Education
Taking continuing education courses helps medical virtual assistants maintain certifications and stay current with new medical practices.
The Role of Virtual Medical Assistants
At DocVA, we provide virtual medical assistants who handle admin responsibilities like scheduling appointments, managing patient information, updating medical histories, and maintaining patient medical files — all done remotely.
How DocVA Supports Clinical Teams
When you partner with DocVA, your in-house clinical medical assistants can focus fully on patient direct care, patient examinations, and clinical duties while our virtual team manages back-office work, from clerical duties to medical records management.
Benefits of Virtual Medical Assistants
DocVA’s remote medical assistants help you:
Save time and money.
Stay compliant with HIPAA rules.
Work seamlessly with your healthcare team.
Keep medical charts and patient records accurate.
What Is a Clinical Medical Assistant? Understanding Key Roles and Duties
Learn what a clinical medical assistant is and how their clinical skills differ from general medical assistants. Discover how CMAs support patient care by taking vital signs, assisting doctors, and handling lab tasks, while medical assistants balance clinical and administrative duties. See why certification boosts career opportunities.
DocVA: Your Partner in Medical Assisting
Many medical professionals trust DocVA to handle the administrative side, so they can focus on patients. Whether you run a small medical office or a busy outpatient clinic, DocVA’s virtual assistants become a true extension of your team.
Summary:
Remember: a clinical medical assistant focuses on clinical tasks, while general medical assistants balance administrative and clinical duties. Medical assistants often manage patient appointments as part of their admin responsibilities, and registered medical assistants (RMAs) are another credentialed option in the field, offering clinical and administrative expertise. And with DocVA, you can have the best of both worlds — your team handles patient-facing work while our virtual support staff handles the rest.
Final Thoughts
Medical assisting is growing fast. With the right training from health education schools or allied health education programs, you can become a certified medical assistant, registered medical assistant, or certified clinical medical assistant ccma and support the healthcare team in many ways.
If you’re ready to hire medical assistants who handle your administrative workload so your clinical staff can focus on patient health, contact DocVA today.