How to Become a Medical Assistant in Virginia

Who can apply

• Virginia has no license for medical assistants. Va. Code 54.1-2901(A)(6) lets a licensed practitioner delegate nondiscretionary tasks that do not need professional judgment to personnel he supervises, and the practitioner takes responsibility for them.
• To take x-rays outside a hospital setting, you generally need a Board of Medicine Radiologic Technologist-Limited (RTL) license (Va. Code 54.1-2956.8:1).

Step by step

1. Finish a medical assistant program or get on-the-job training from your employer. Virginia does not require a set program.
2. (Optional) Pass a national certification exam (CMA-AAMA, RMA-AMT, CCMA-NHA or NCMA-NCCT). Virginia does not require one.
3. If you will take x-rays, complete the Board's limited radiography coursework and supervised clinical training, pass the ARRT Limited Scope core exam plus your anatomical area exam, and apply for an RTL license ($90).
4. Work under the supervision of the licensed practitioner who delegates your tasks and stays responsible for them.

Training and exam

Training: No state-mandated medical assistant program. Board regulation 18VAC85-20-29 says practitioners must delegate patient care only to subordinates who are properly trained and supervised. For an RTL license, 18VAC85-101-55 requires at least 50 clock hours of coursework (25 image production and equipment operation, 15 radiation protection, 10 radiographic procedures in your anatomical area), an ACRRT-approved program, the ISCD certification course for bone densitometry, or another Board-accepted program, plus a clinical training attestation for each area except bone density. If you trained through ACRRT or ISCD and want other body areas, you must complete the 50-hour coursework.

Exam: No state medical assistant exam; national certification is voluntary in Virginia. An RTL license requires the ARRT Limited Scope core exam plus the exam for your anatomical area.

What it costs in Virginia

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 Virginia

What a medical assistant can do in Virginia: Under 54.1-2901(A)(6), a practitioner may delegate nondiscretionary tasks that are usually delegated in medical practice and do not require professional judgment. Under 54.1-2901(A)(4), properly trained technical personnel may draw blood and give IV infusions and injections on the orders of a physician, APRN or PA. Under 54.1-3408(V), a prescriber may let properly trained personnel give controlled substances to a specific patient under the prescriber's direct and immediate supervision, but not by IV, intrathecal or epidural route.

What a medical assistant cannot do: A practitioner may not delegate tasks that require professional judgment. Practitioners can be disciplined under 18VAC85-20-29 for letting subordinates jeopardize patient safety or provide care outside their scope.

X-ray: Va. Code 54.1-2956.8:1 makes it unlawful to practice as a radiologic technologist-limited without a Board license. Until July 1, 2029, that does not apply to people employed by a hospital, health care system, or hospital-affiliated urgent care center acting within that job (2026 Acts, c. 144); from July 1, 2029, the exemption covers only employees of licensed hospitals. An RTL may x-ray only within the anatomical areas of their training and exam.

Sources

• Va. Code 54.1-2901 - Exceptions and exemptions generally
• Va. Code 54.1-3408 - Professional use by practitioners
• Va. Code 54.1-2956.8:1 - Unlawful to practice radiologic technology without license
• 18VAC85-20-29 - Practitioner responsibility
• 18VAC85-101-25 - Fees (radiologic technology)
• 18VAC85-101-55 - Educational requirements for radiologic technologists-limited
• Virginia Board of Medicine - Radiologic Technologist-Limited