Suzy Ashmore shared the following with us: Re: RMA vs CMA (AAMA) – One better than the other?”WOW!!! I am appalled at the amount of misinformation still being posted. i.e.: “RMA goes to college and the CMA does not”, and “CMA is only recognized statewide, RMA is a national certificate”, and on and on. If you people really want to know the facts, you need to contact representatives of the state societies in the state in which you live. Both, American Medical Technologists (AMT) and AAMA have chapters in all 50 states, including the Caribbean. I guess this controversy will never end.” What is the Difference Between RMA and CMA? The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) provides its membership the CMA designation (with capital letters), this widely recognized credential is copyrighted. This means that any other organization that wishes to “certify” medical assistants CAN NOT use CMA with capital letters. The AAMA is the only organization that can use the term “certified Medical Assistant, CMA”, however, all others can say their medical assistants are certified. Look closely here, the only difference is the capitalization of the first letter.A medical assistant is a medical assistant, regardless of the type of “credential” they hold, but there are slight differences in the organizations (AAMA, AMT, ARMA, NRMA, AAMP, NHA, NCCA) themselves. To certify through AAMA, you MUST have received your MA training through formal post-secondary vocational instruction,i.e. from a trade or vocational training institution, community college, or university. Other certifying professional membership organizations might allow you to sit for their exam if […]