{"id":610,"date":"2025-12-22T13:12:33","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T13:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/?post_type=faq&#038;p=610"},"modified":"2025-12-22T13:12:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T13:12:33","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2","status":"publish","type":"faq","link":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>While the terms are often used interchangeably, the primary difference between a Medical Assistant (MA) and a Certified Medical Assise primary difference between a Medical Assistant (<a href=\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-best-certification-for-medical-assistant\/\">MA<\/a>) and a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) lies in formal validation, legal scope, and earning potential.tant (CMA) lies in formal validation, legal scope, and earning potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Certification and Credentialing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Medical Assistant (MA)<\/strong>: This is a general job title. In many states, an individual can work as an MA with only a high school diploma and on-the-job training. They do not hold a national credential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)<\/strong>: This specific title is reserved for those who have passed the CMA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aama-ntl.org\/\">AAMA<\/a>) Exam through the American Association of Medical Assistants. Eligibility requires graduating from an accredited medical assisting program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Employer Preference and Job Scope<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Hiring Standards<\/strong>: Many healthcare systems and specialized clinics now require national certification. A <strong>CMA<\/strong> is often viewed as more versatile because their certification confirms mastery of both clinical and administrative tasks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legal Restrictions<\/strong>: In some states, only a CMA or an MA with a specific credential (like the CCMA or RMA) is legally permitted to perform certain tasks, such as entering orders into electronic health records (EHR) for meaningful use requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Salary and Career Growth<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Advancement<\/strong>: Certification serves as a prerequisite for leadership roles, such as Lead Medical Assistant or Clinical Manager, providing a clearer path for long-term career progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Compensation<\/strong>: On average, a CMA can earn significantly more than a non-certified counterpart. Some sources suggest a salary premium of up to $6,000 annually for certified professionals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","faq-categories":[],"class_list":["post-610","faq","type-faq","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant? - Certilyst<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The difference between a Medical Assistant (MA) and a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) lies in formal validation, legal scope, and earning potential.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant? - Certilyst\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The difference between a Medical Assistant (MA) and a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) lies in formal validation, legal scope, and earning potential.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Certilyst\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/\",\"name\":\"What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant? - Certilyst\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-22T13:12:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"The difference between a Medical Assistant (MA) and a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) lies in formal validation, legal scope, and earning potential.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"faqs\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/\",\"name\":\"Certilyst\",\"description\":\"A hub for all your certification exams\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant? - Certilyst","description":"The difference between a Medical Assistant (MA) and a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) lies in formal validation, legal scope, and earning potential.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant? - Certilyst","og_description":"The difference between a Medical Assistant (MA) and a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) lies in formal validation, legal scope, and earning potential.","og_url":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/","og_site_name":"Certilyst","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/","url":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/","name":"What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant? - Certilyst","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-12-22T13:12:33+00:00","description":"The difference between a Medical Assistant (MA) and a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) lies in formal validation, legal scope, and earning potential.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-medical-assistant-and-a-certified-medical-assistant-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"faqs","item":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/faq\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What is the difference between a medical assistant and a certified medical assistant?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/#website","url":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/","name":"Certilyst","description":"A hub for all your certification exams","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faq\/610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faq"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/faq"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"faq-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certilyst.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faq-categories?post=610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}