How to Become a Medical Assistant in Mississippi

Who can apply

• Mississippi has no state license or registration for medical assistants. The Board of Medical Licensure's rules (Title 30, Parts 2601-2650) do not create a medical assistant credential.
• To take x-rays in a physician's office, radiology clinic or licensed hospital under a licensed practitioner's direction, you need a Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO) permit from the Board (30 Miss. Admin. Code Part 2621, Rule 1.1). If you work for a chiropractor or dentist, apply to that board instead.
• For the LXMO permit you need proof of 12 hours of Board-approved education in radiologic technology, at least 6 of them in radiation protection (Rule 1.4). A first-time operator must finish those 12 hours no later than 12 months after starting work taking x-rays (Miss. Code 41-58-5(2), per the Board).

Step by step

1. Finish a medical assistant program or get on-the-job training. Mississippi does not require a specific program.
2. Optional: earn a national certification (CMA, RMA, CCMA or NCMA). Mississippi does not require one.
3. If your job includes x-rays, complete 12 hours of Board-approved radiologic technology education, including 6 hours of radiation protection, no later than 12 months after you start x-ray work.
4. Register in MELS, submit the LXMO application with your employment and supervising practitioner details, pay the $50 fee, then upload your education certificates.
5. Work only on tasks your supervising physician delegates, under the physician's supervision.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Mississippi has no state-mandated medical assistant program. For x-ray work, the LXMO permit requires 12 hours of Board-approved education in radiologic technology, with 6 hours in radiation protection (30 Miss. Admin. Code Part 2621, Rule 1.4).

Exam: Mississippi has no state exam for medical assistants, and national certification exams are voluntary. The LXMO permit rules require Board-approved education hours, not an exam (Part 2621, Rules 1.4-1.5).

What it costs in Mississippi

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

Keeping your credential

Renewal: LXMO permit only: renew every 2 years in MELS. Attest to 12 hours of Board-approved continuing education (6 in radiation protection) and pay $50 plus a convenience fee. Keep CE records in case of audit.

Good to know in Mississippi

What a medical assistant can do in Mississippi: Mississippi has no medical assistant statute or rule listing tasks. Medical assistants work under the supervising physician's delegation. Board rules allow some specific delegations. A physician may delegate electrodiagnostic testing to a specifically trained non-physician if the physician is immediately available in the same building throughout the procedure (Part 2635, Rule 6.2). An LXMO permit holder may take x-rays of the chest, abdomen and skeletal structures.

What a medical assistant cannot do: A physician who dispenses medication may not delegate dispensing to anyone else. The physician must personally get, prepare, count, package and label it (Part 2640, Rule 1.9). After surgery, care may be delegated to auxiliary staff only under the supervision of the operating physician (or the physician who took over care). It is limited to procedures the auxiliary is authorized by law to perform and trained for (Part 2635, Rule 1.4). LXMOs may not do fluoroscopy (including C-arm), contrast studies, CT, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy or mammography (Part 2621, Rule 1.3).

X-ray: The Board of Medical Licensure issues LXMO permits for x-rays of specific parts of the body: the chest, abdomen and skeletal structures. The work must be under the specific direction of a licensed practitioner (a physician, osteopath, podiatrist or licensed physician assistant). Full medical radiation technologists register with the Mississippi State Department of Health instead.

Chiropractic and dental offices: If you work for a chiropractor or a dental office, do not apply to the Board of Medical Licensure. Contact the Mississippi Board of Chiropractic Examiners or the State Board of Dental Examiners instead; MSBML does not refund applications filed in error.

Sources

• Rules of the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure (Title 30, as last amended February 2026)
• 30 Miss. Code R. 2621-1.1 - Limited X-Ray Machine Operator Scope (Cornell LII)
• 30 Miss. Code R. 2621-1.4 - Limited X-Ray Machine Operator Requirements (Cornell LII)
• MSBML Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO) Permit Application
• MSBML - Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO) permit