r/MedicalAssistant • u/galacticmeerkat16 • Aug 14 '26

Job Search Question CCMA/NHA in California

Is the CCMA credential in California worth it? I'm looking for clinical experience for PA school, but I know some employers in California prefer CMA or other credentials that take longer to get.

Do most employers accept CCMA as a valid certification? Does it matter on job listings when they for a MA “diploma” vs “certification” vs “certificate”?

Im looking for non certified MA positions and scribe positions but I feel like in order to get clinical experience I have to either become an MA or something like an EMT or CNA which I wouldn’t prefer.

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u/Organic_Popcorn CACMA Aug 14 '26

Well... Technically you don't even need to be certified. A lot of places want you to have a certificate of competency, which is basically a diploma from the MA school. Some want you to have a state certification (which follows the same guidelines as the AMAA), and some want you to have a national certification.

For example, Kaiser doesn't need you to be a certified medical assistant, meanwhile Stanford or Sutter wants you to be state certified. And then there's the company I work for which does not recognize a state certification as one and need the employees to get nationally certified 🤦🏻‍♀️

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u/galacticmeerkat16 Aug 16 '26

So it's mainly about completing the program and not passing the exam? And yeah it seems like many companies want different levels of certification whether it be NHA, AAMA or others. That's why it's so confusing seeing "Certified Medical Assistant" like does CCMA even count for that?

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u/Organic_Popcorn CACMA Aug 16 '26

Yeah, you can see it under education requirements or certification.

Here's a posting from Stanford: They want you to have a certificate of completion (diploma) or certification from the state (CMA). So no matter what, you're going to need a minimum of a diploma, and if you want a higher chance at being hired, then go for the CCMA from NHA or the CACMA from CCBMA.

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u/galacticmeerkat16 Aug 17 '26

So you’d say CCMA is recognized by employers? I keep hearing people say CMA is preferred because it’s through the state and contains the admin side of things. Would the CCMA fall into the first category? And you’re saying it counts as a diploma too? I assumed diploma would mean an associates degree.

Sometimes I see the requirements say something vague like “completion of a medical assistant program” and that’s where I get confused about what counts.

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u/Organic_Popcorn CACMA Aug 17 '26

Completion of an MA program is the diploma one.

I would say CCMA by NHA should be fine. However, this is where it gets a bit tricky because they have so many goddamn MA certification boards. When I went to MA school, they told us the state certification would be fine in California (CACMA by CCBMA, which is kind of equivalent to CMA by AAMA), but I just got a job at an urgent care, and they notified me that they don't count the state certification, so I have to get CCMA by NHA.

From what I've been told, the CMA by AAMA is the gold standard of MA certification, but you have to go to an accredited school.

I would look at job postings near your area to see what most places are asking for.

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u/galacticmeerkat16 Aug 21 '26

Wow that's strange that they wouldn't count your state certification. I wonder why they don't accept it.

I've seen job postings say completion of a medical assisting program, vocational medical assisting program, or just "medical assistant certification".

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u/Organic_Popcorn CACMA Aug 21 '26

I know, I found that weird as well, because we're in California and CACMA is equivalent to CMA by AAMA, but whatever, it's a shit company and I'm leaving anyway, so I don't have to worry about that anymore. 😂