How to Become a Medical Assistant in South Dakota

Who can apply

• South Dakota no longer registers medical assistants. The 2021 Legislature (House Bill 1004, 2021 Session Laws chapter 174) repealed SDCL chapter 36-9B, including the registration requirement in 36-9B-3.
• To receive delegated injections from a licensed nurse, a medical assistant must hold current certification from a national certification body approved by the Board of Nursing (ARSD 20:48:04.01:10).
• To operate x-ray equipment without ARRT certification or another state's license, you need 80 hours of documented orientation and training from a qualified instructor (ARSD 44:03:01:14.01).

Step by step

1. Finish a medical assistant program or get on-the-job training from your employer. South Dakota does not require a set program.
2. Pass a national certification exam (CMA-AAMA, RMA-AMT, CCMA-NHA or NCMA-NCCT) if you want nurses to be able to delegate injections to you. Ask the Board of Nursing which certification bodies it approves.
3. If you will take x-rays, complete 80 hours of orientation and training from a qualified instructor and keep the training letter or certificate. ARRT certification or another state's radiologic technology license also qualifies.
4. Work on tasks your supervising physician or delegating nurse assigns, and complete 8 hours of x-ray continuing education every two years if you operate x-ray equipment.

Training and exam

Training: No state-mandated medical assistant program. X-ray operators who are not ARRT-certified or licensed in another state need 80 hours of orientation and training by a qualified instructor, covering radiation safety, equipment, image processing, CR/DR image acquisition, anatomy and positioning, and federal and state rules. The instructor must verify competency for each procedure you will perform (ARSD 44:03:01:14.01 and 14.02).

Exam: No state exam. National certification is voluntary, but a licensed nurse may delegate intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular injections and dose calculation only to a medical assistant with current certification from a Board of Nursing-approved national certification body. No state x-ray exam for basic x-ray operators; CT may be operated only by ARRT- or NMTCB-certified and registered personnel.

What it costs in South Dakota

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What other sites get wrong about South Dakota

Good to know in South Dakota

What a medical assistant can do in South Dakota: Under ARSD 20:48:04.01:10, a licensed nurse may delegate to a nationally certified medical assistant, in a stable nursing situation, the administration of scheduled medications by intradermal, subcutaneous or intramuscular injection and the calculation of a prescribed medication dose. This is in addition to the medication tasks nurses may delegate to nursing assistants.

What a medical assistant cannot do: Under ARSD 20:48:04.01:12, a nurse may not delegate giving Schedule II controlled substances from a locked stock supply or giving medications by IV. Injections and dose calculation may be delegated only as the rules allow, such as to a certified medical assistant.

X-ray: South Dakota has no x-ray operator license. Under ARSD 44:03:01:14.01, a person may operate x-ray equipment (not diagnostic CT) if ARRT-certified or registered, licensed in radiologic technology by another state, or documented with 80 hours of orientation and training by a qualified instructor who verifies competency for each procedure. Operators need 8 hours of documented continuing education every two years (44:03:01:14.03).

Sources

• SDCL chapter 36-9B - Medical assistants (repealed)
• 2021 House Bill 1004 - Repeal the registration requirement for medical assistants
• ARSD 20:48:04.01 - Delegation of nursing tasks (medical assistants)
• ARSD 44:03 - Radiation safety (x-ray operator requirements)
• SD Department of Health - Prepare for X-ray Facility Inspection