How to Become a Medical Assistant in Florida

Who can apply

• Florida has no state license or registration for medical assistants. Section 458.3485 lets a medical assistant work under the direct supervision and responsibility of a licensed physician.
• To use the title "certified medical assistant," you must be certified by a program accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, a national or state medical association, or an entity approved by the Board of Medicine.
• To take x-rays you need a Department of Health certificate, such as Basic X-ray Machine Operator. Applicants must be at least 18 and of good moral character.

Step by step

1. Finish a medical assistant program or get on-the-job training from your employer. Florida does not require a set program.
2. (Optional) Pass a national certification exam (CMA-AAMA, RMA-AMT, CCMA-NHA or NCMA-NCCT). You need an accredited or board-approved certification only to call yourself a certified medical assistant.
3. If you will take x-rays, apply to the Department of Health for Basic X-ray Machine Operator certification, pay the $50 application fee, and pass the exam the ARRT gives for the department.
4. Work under the direct supervision and responsibility of a licensed physician, doing only the duties listed in section 458.3485.

Training and exam

Training: No state-mandated medical assistant program. Section 458.3485 lists the duties a medical assistant may do under a physician's direct supervision; it does not set training hours. For the Basic X-ray Machine Operator certificate, the Department of Health says a formal educational program is not currently required, but you must review the exam study guide or a substantial equivalent.

Exam: No state medical assistant exam. National certification is voluntary, but section 458.3485(3) says you need certification from an NCCA-accredited program, a national or state medical association, or a board-approved entity to use the title "certified medical assistant." To take x-rays, you must pass the Basic X-ray Machine Operator exam, given for the Department of Health by the ARRT through Pearson VUE (passing score 65 for endorsement).

What it costs in Florida

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 Florida

What a medical assistant can do in Florida: Under the direct supervision and responsibility of a licensed physician, section 458.3485 lets a medical assistant do aseptic procedures, take vital signs, prepare patients, perform venipunctures and non-intravenous injections, observe and report symptoms, give basic first aid, assist with exams and treatments, operate office medical equipment, collect routine lab specimens, administer medication as the physician directs, do basic lab procedures, do office and administrative work, and perform dialysis procedures, including home dialysis.

What a medical assistant cannot do: The statute allows non-intravenous injections only, so IV injections are not on the list. All duties must be done under a licensed physician's direct supervision and responsibility.

X-ray: Under section 468.302, only a licensed practitioner or a Department of Health certificate holder may use radiation on people. A Basic X-ray Machine Operator may do general diagnostic radiography and general fluoroscopy, not nuclear medicine or radiation therapy, under the direct supervision and control of a licensed practitioner. Basic operators may not work in walk-in emergency centers, freestanding breast or cancer clinics, and some other facilities, and may work in hospitals only if the hospital has 150 beds or fewer.

X-ray exam window and renewal: After the Department of Health approves you, ARRT assigns a 90-day window to take the exam at Pearson VUE. Results take about two weeks to post, and you may work as soon as the online license search shows your certificate active. Renewal is every two years at the end of your birth month (the first period may be shorter) and needs 12 hours of continuing education plus a one-hour HIV/AIDS update course. A separate Basic X-ray Machine Operator-Podiatric Medicine certificate also exists.

Sources

• Section 458.3485, Florida Statutes - Medical assistant
• Section 468.302, Florida Statutes - Use of radiation; certificate holders; limitations
• Florida DOH - Radiologic Technologist Licensing
• Florida DOH - Radiologic Technologist FAQ
• Florida DOH - Radiologic Technologist Renewal