How to Become a Medical Assistant in Alaska

Who can apply

• Alaska has no state license for medical assistants. Under AS 08.64.170(a)(3), a person may perform routine medical duties delegated under AS 08.64.106 without a medical license.
• Before a duty is delegated to you, you must have received the training needed to do it safely, and that training must be documented (12 AAC 40.920(a)(4)).

Step by step

1. Finish a medical assistant program or get on-the-job training. Alaska does not require a set program.
2. (Optional) Pass a national certification exam (CMA-AAMA, RMA-AMT, CCMA-NHA or NCMA-NCCT).
3. Your delegating physician, podiatrist, osteopath or physician assistant documents your training for each duty and gives you written instructions for it.
4. If you will take x-rays, complete the operator training the state rule requires; your employer must keep a record of it (7 AAC 18.420).
5. Do only the routine duties delegated to you, for the specific patient, under the delegating provider's direction and supervision.

Training and exam

Training: No state-mandated medical assistant program. But 12 AAC 40.920 lets a provider delegate a duty only if you have received the training needed to do it safely, that training is documented, and the provider finds you competent. For x-ray, 7 AAC 18.420 sets a minimum training curriculum (radiation safety, device operation, quality control and the facility's procedures), and fluoroscope operators need at least 10 hours of instruction.

Exam: No state exam for medical assistants. National certification exams are voluntary. For x-ray, 7 AAC 18.420 requires a record of a test or certification showing you completed the operator training; there is no state x-ray permit exam.

What it costs in Alaska

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Good to know in Alaska

What a medical assistant can do in Alaska: Only routine medical duties: ones that happen often, need no professional medical judgment or complex skills, follow a standard procedure with predictable results, and carry minimal risk. The patient's condition must be stable and predictable, and the delegating provider must give you written instructions for each task. A delegation is specific to you and to that patient.

Injections: Injectable medications may not be delegated unless it is a single intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous injection, all other delegation conditions are met, and the delegating provider is immediately available on site.

What a medical assistant cannot do: 12 AAC 40.920(f) bars delegating, among other things: assessing the patient, making the care plan, counseling patients on their health, passing on verbal prescription orders without written documentation, pain management and opioid-related duties, IV therapy (including blood products), procedural sedation, oral tracheal suction, nasogastric tubes, and managing medications for unstable conditions.

X-ray: Alaska has no x-ray operator license or limited permit. Under 7 AAC 18.410 and 18.420, the facility must make sure each operator is adequately instructed and competent, and must keep a record of each operator's training (trainer, dates, subjects, and the test or certification showing completion).

Sources

• Alaska State Medical Board - Statutes and Regulations (AS 08.64, 12 AAC 40), rev. 9/21/2026
• 7 AAC 18 - Radiation Sources (Alaska Legislature, Administrative Code)
• Alaska Department of Health - Radiological Health