How to Become a Medical Assistant in Georgia

Who can apply

• Georgia has no state license or registration for medical assistants. Board Rule 360-3-.05 defines a medical assistant as an unlicensed person to whom a supervising physician delegates certain tasks.
• Your supervising physician may let you do only the services you have been properly trained to do.
• If you will take x-rays, the facility must give you at least six hours of x-ray safety instruction (Rule 111-8-90-.04).

Step by step

1. Finish a medical assistant program or get on-the-job training from your employer. Georgia does not require a set program.
2. (Optional) Pass a national certification exam (CMA-AAMA, RMA-AMT, CCMA-NHA or NCMA-NCCT). Georgia does not require one.
3. If you will operate x-ray equipment, complete at least six hours of instruction arranged by the registrant (the facility), starting within 30 days of being hired and finishing within 90 days.
4. Work under a supervising physician. For injections, nebulizer treatments, suture removal and dressing changes, a physician, PA or APRN must be on-site.

Training and exam

Training: No state-mandated medical assistant program. Under Rule 360-3-.05, the physician may delegate only services the medical assistant has been properly trained to do, and must keep accurate and complete records of services. X-ray operators must get at least six hours of instruction under Rule 111-8-90-.04.

Exam: No state medical assistant exam, and Georgia does not require national certification. Georgia's x-ray rule requires six hours of instruction, not an exam or a personal x-ray license.

What it costs in Georgia

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 Georgia

What a medical assistant can do in Georgia: O.C.G.A. 43-34-44 and Board Rule 360-3-.05 let a supervising physician delegate subcutaneous and intramuscular injections, vital signs, nebulizer treatments, and suture removal or dressing changes. Tasks can also be ordered by a PA or APRN who has that authority. The rule does not bar medical assistant tasks that do not otherwise require a license.

Supervision: A physician, a PA (under a basic job description) or an APRN (under a nurse protocol) must be on-site when you give injections or nebulizer treatments, remove sutures or change dressings. On-site presence is not required for taking vital signs.

What a medical assistant cannot do: Physicians may not delegate tasks to someone who is not authorized to do them; the Board treats that as helping unlicensed practice. IV therapy is not on the rule's list of delegable tasks. The Board's May 7, 2026 IV hydration position statement says an IV clinic is not a way for a PA, RN, LPN or medical assistant to run menu-based IV drips without an individualized evaluation and order.

X-ray: Georgia does not issue a personal x-ray license for medical assistants. Rule 111-8-90-.04 requires the registrant to make sure only people instructed in safe operating procedures use x-ray machines, with at least six hours of instruction covering radiation protection, darkroom technique, patient protection and machine safety. The facility must keep a training record for each operator.

Sources

• Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 360-3-.05 - Medical Assistants (Cornell LII)
• Georgia Rules - Subject 111-8-90 Rules and Regulations for X-Ray (Rule 111-8-90-.04)
• Georgia Composite Medical Board - IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement (May 7, 2026)