How to Become a Medical Assistant in Delaware

Who can apply

• Delaware has no state license for medical assistants. Physicians delegate tasks to non-physicians under Section 11.0 of the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline's regulations and remain responsible for them.
• To take x-rays on people you need an Office of Radiation Control certificate, such as Medical Radiation Technician. You must be at least 18.

Step by step

1. Finish a medical assistant program or get on-the-job training. Delaware does not require a set program.
2. (Optional) Pass a national certification exam (CMA-AAMA, RMA-AMT, CCMA-NHA or NCMA-NCCT).
3. If you will take x-rays, apply to the Office of Radiation Control for the state exam, pass the state limited scope exam that ARRT provides, and get certified as a Medical Radiation Technician.
4. Work under the delegating physician's direct or indirect supervision, as the task requires.

Training and exam

Training: No state-mandated medical assistant program. The delegating physician is responsible for your medical activities and must provide adequate supervision (Regulation 1700, 11.1.1).

Exam: No state medical assistant exam. National certification exams are voluntary. For x-ray, the Medical Radiation Technician certificate requires passing a state-approved exam; Regulation 4466 says ARRT provides the State Limited Scope Licensing Examination for people who do not meet national registry requirements, and exams are given by testing companies under contract with the state; a failed exam may be retaken 2 times per calendar year.

What it costs in Delaware

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 Delaware

What a medical assistant can do in Delaware: Tasks a physician delegates and supervises. Under indirect supervision (the physician on site or reachable and able to arrive within 30 minutes), a non-physician may follow a physician-initiated standing order that does not start a prescription drug or therapeutic. Non-prescription medications may be started by standing orders the physician approved.

What a medical assistant cannot do: Standing orders may not be used to make a medical diagnosis or to prescribe medication. No function may be delegated to someone whom a statute or regulation bars from doing it, and the physician cannot be involved in name only. Direct supervision (physician on the premises) is required whenever a controlled substance is renewed.

X-ray: Delaware Regulation 4466 requires certification to apply radiation to people, under the supervision of a licensed practitioner. A Medical Radiation Technician is someone who has not graduated from an approved radiography program but passed the state-approved exam. Certificates last 3 years. Delaware does not accept other states' certificates or licenses.

No temporary x-ray certificate for on-the-job trainees: Regulation 4466 allows a temporary certificate (one only, up to 90 days) only for students in an accredited post-secondary radiation technology school who are approved for a national exam. A medical assistant training on the job cannot get one, so you need your certificate before taking x-rays. If you already hold a current credential from a recognized national body (such as ARRT), the state can certify you without its exam; that certificate ends if the national credential lapses.

Sources

• 24 Del. Admin. Code 1700 - Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline (Section 11.0)
• 16 Del. Admin. Code 4466 - Radiation Technologists/Technicians (Certification), amended 28 DE Reg. 313 (10/01/24)
• Delaware Health and Social Services - Office of Radiation Control