How to Become a Medical Assistant in Michigan

Who can apply

• Michigan has no state license or registration for medical assistants. Under MCL 333.16215, a licensed physician may delegate tasks to an unlicensed person who is "otherwise qualified by education, training, or experience".
• Taking x-rays has its own requirement. Since March 13, 2024, a registrant (the x-ray facility) may not employ anyone to do medical radiologic technology unless that person meets the Part 5 qualification rules or has the department's written approval (Mich. Admin. Code R 333.5201).

Step by step

1. Finish a medical assistant program or get on-the-job training. Michigan does not require a specific program.
2. Optional: earn a national certification (CMA, RMA, CCMA or NCMA). Michigan does not require one.
3. If your job includes x-rays, complete an approved program or at least 40 hours of limited diagnostic radiography training, with both clinical and classroom parts, in each category you will perform: chest, extremities, spine, skull and sinuses, or podiatric (R 333.5212).
4. Keep proof that you completed the training. Every 24 months, complete 12 continuing education credits (R 333.5213).
5. Work only on tasks your supervising physician delegates under MCL 333.16215, under the physician's supervision.

Training and exam

Training: Michigan has no state-mandated medical assistant program. The delegating physician must make sure you are qualified by education, training or experience (MCL 333.16215). For x-rays, a limited diagnostic radiographer must complete an approved program or at least 40 hours of competency-based training covering both clinical and didactic (classroom) parts. The training must cover healthcare fundamentals, medical terminology, patient care, anatomy and physiology, image production, equipment, and radiation protection, plus the procedures for each category (R 333.5212).

Exam: Michigan has no state exam for medical assistants, and national certification exams are voluntary. The Part 5 rules do not require an exam for limited diagnostic radiography, only the approved program or 40 hours of training. Full medical radiography (active status) requires a credential such as ARRT (R) (R 333.5211).

What it costs in Michigan

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 Michigan

What a medical assistant can do in Michigan: MCL 333.16215 lets a licensed physician delegate selected acts, tasks or functions to an unlicensed person qualified by education, training or experience, if the tasks fall within the physician's scope of practice and are done under the physician's supervision. A person doing properly delegated tasks does not violate another profession's scope-of-practice law (MCL 333.16215(7)).

What a medical assistant cannot do: A physician may not delegate a task that, under acceptable and prevailing practice, requires the physician's own level of education, skill and judgment. Procedures that use surgical instruments may be delegated only to licensed individuals, with narrow exceptions such as medical or PA students under a physician who is physically present (MCL 333.16215(1)-(2)). Licensing boards may adopt rules that further restrict delegation.

X-ray: Michigan does not issue x-ray licenses, but the Ionizing Radiation Rules (Part 5, effective March 13, 2024) set operator qualifications. A "limited diagnostic radiographer" works under the general supervision of a licensed practitioner. They may only do procedures in the category they trained for: chest, extremities, spine, skull and sinuses, or podiatric. Assistants who do only bone densitometry under a licensed practitioner's general supervision are exempt (R 333.5209-.5212).

Deadline: March 2027: For the first 3 years after Part 5 took effect, someone without the required training could work under "conditional status" if a supervising licensed practitioner signed a written statement that they are competent. After those 3 years (March 13, 2027, based on the March 13, 2024 effective date), every operator must meet the active, temporary or limited diagnostic radiography requirements (R 333.5210(2)(d)).

Sources

• MCL 333.16215 - Delegation of acts, tasks, or functions
• Mich. Admin. Code R 333.5201 - Operator qualifications scope (Cornell LII)
• Mich. Admin. Code R 333.5209 - Exemptions (Cornell LII)
• Mich. Admin. Code R 333.5210 - Categories and qualifications (Cornell LII)
• Mich. Admin. Code R 333.5212 - Limited diagnostic radiography training (Cornell LII)
• Mich. Admin. Code R 333.5213 - Continuing education (Cornell LII)
• MIOSHA Radiation Safety Section - Frequently Asked Questions