How to Become a Medical Assistant in California

What does a medical assistant do?

Medical assistants are unlicensed individuals who are trained to perform administrative tasks in medical offices, as well as certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. In California, common medical assistant job duties include:

• Scheduling appointments
• Billing and coding for insurance processing
• Maintaining medical records
• Asking patients about their medical histories
• Taking and recording vital signs
• Drawing blood
• Preparing treatment rooms and patients for examination
• Preparing and administering medications as directed by a physician
• Performing routine laboratory tests and sample analyses

What duties are unlicensed medical assistants not allowed to perform?

In California, an unlicensed medical assistant is not allowed to diagnose or treat patients, or perform any task on a patient that is considered invasive or requires assessment. It is the supervising physician’s responsibility to ensure that medical assistants are not working beyond their scope of training.

Where do medical assistants work?

Medical assistants in California work in various types of healthcare environments, including:

• Physicians’ offices
• Outpatient care centers
• General medical and surgical hospitals
• Offices of other health practitioners
• Employment services
• Dental offices

What are the requirements to become a medical assistant in California?

In California, medical assistants must receive training in one of two ways before they can perform non-invasive, routine technical support services. These two options for medical assistant training include:

1. Training under the supervision of a licensed physician, podiatrist, registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, physician assistant or qualified medical assistant (i.e., a certified medical assistant) who is acting under the direction of a physician or podiatrist
2. Completing a formal medical assistant training program

A formal medical assistant training program must include one of the following:

• A postsecondary or adult education program in a public school authorized by the Department of Education
• A community college program provided for in the Education Code
• A postsecondary institution accredited by an accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education

How long does it take to become a medical assistant?

For formal training programs, the duration varies on a program-by-program basis. In our Medical Assistant program at American Career College, you can obtain your medical assistant diploma in 9 months.

Duration also varies for those training under a qualified medical professional. According to the Medical Board of California, “Training shall be for the duration required by the medical assistant to demonstrate to the supervising physician, podiatrist, or instructor.” However, the Board does set minimum standards for training of certain skills (i.e., a minimum of 10 hours of training in venipuncture and skin puncture for drawing blood).

Does California require medical assistants to be licensed or certified?

No, medical assistant licensing or certification is not required by the state of California. (In California, a certified medical assistant is referred to as a “qualified medical assistant”). However, employers may set requirements for their medical assistant employees to become certified by a national or private association – as can supervising physicians and podiatry malpractice insurance carriers, according to the Medical Board of California.

Additionally, medical assistants who will be in charge of training other medical assistants must be certified by a Board-approved certifying organization, which can be found on the Medical Board of California's Medical Assistants page or in the next FAQ.

Where can I take the certified medical assistant exam?

If you want to know how to get medical assistant certification by a Board-approved certifying organization, you can choose from one of the following:

• American Association of Medical Assistants
• American Medical Certification Association
• American Medical Technologists
• California Certifying Board of Medical Assistants
• Multiskilled Medical Certification Institute, Inc.

Click the links above for more information on each organization’s certification exam and how to get started.

Certification exams may also be offered by other groups (for those who do not need to go through a Board-approved certifying organization).

Is a medical assistant a nurse?

No. The key differences between a medical assistant and a nurse lie in licensure requirements and the level of patient care that each type of professional can provide. An individual does not have to be licensed to work as a medical assistant in California, and their work tasks include both administrative and select clinical support duties (under the supervision of a physician), such as drawing blood and performing routine laboratory tests.

In contrast, nurses must be licensed in order to work in California, whether that be as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) or a registered nurse (RN). LVNs and RNs are able to perform a broader spectrum of patient care duties, including patient assessments and the development and implementation of care plans.

Get Started on Your Medical Assistant Training in California

If you would like to learn more about how you can get started on your medical assistant training, explore our program at ACC! Our Medical Assistant program is available at our three Southern California campuses in Los Angeles, Ontario and Orange County (Anaheim).

With the flexibility of our blended format, you only need to spend two days a week on campus for in-person instruction and coursework. The rest can be completed online.

Learn more about ACC’s Medical Assistant program today!