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Medical assistant (MA) employment is projected to grow 14% from 2022 to 2032, with an average of 114,600 openings. Healthcare human resources and compliance leaders looking to fill those vacancies with top talent should consider free or stipend-supported continuing education units (CEUs) for medical assistants.

Like other healthcare professionals, MAs must stay current on their compliance and best practices, whether it’s new technological advances, skills, or research. Continuing education and maintaining regulatory standards is essential for health organizations and providers since we rely heavily on them.

Tracking MA regulatory, licensure, and compliance standards can be laborious for healthcare compliance and HR leaders. It takes many hours to complete training modules and continuing education (CE) requirements. So, what better way to save time than by offering CEUs to MAs that meet compliance standards?

What Are CEUs for Medical Assistants?

Medical assistants are professionals responsible for clinical and administrative duties in various healthcare settings. They help collect and record patients’ medical histories, complete vital signs, administer medications (in some states), and assist providers with various tasks. As a family nurse practitioner, my MAs are irreplaceable and the backbone of my success through their hard work, attention to detail, and communication skills. They are the glue that holds my practice together by keeping everything smoothly running, like patient flow, completing point-of-care testing, and anticipating provider needs.

To uphold standards of practice, most MAs earn their certification (CMA) through the American Association of Medical Assistants or another certifying body after graduating from an accredited program. In addition, some states require that MAs obtain state licensure after earning their certification. To renew their certification and state licensure every few years, MAs must complete a certain number of continuing education hours.

Offering CEUs Benefits Your Organization

Free CEUs or annual CE stipends are an attractive perk for providers since they can be expensive to pay out of pocket. So why not offer free CEUs to MAs to maintain a competitive edge over other employers? I might pick an employer that offers this added perk over another. From my viewpoint, no-cost CEUs help organizations in many ways by:

Attracting new employees

I believe the high demand for MAs and the shortage of healthcare workers make it difficult to hire talented MAs. We can attract new MAs by providing the added benefit of free CEUs through their organization. It makes it seem like your employer cares about your professional development and success.

Increasing job satisfaction

One research study found that MAs reported increased job satisfaction when given learning and professional development opportunities. Improved job satisfaction over time boosts morale, leading to lower employee turnover rates and higher retention.

Improving outcomes

Most CEUs update best patient care practices and safety standards, improving health outcomes. MAs hone their customer service and communication skills while learning best practices for medical error prevention. Excellent communication with MAs translates to better outcomes for my patients. I trust they will follow best practices and communicate their concerns effectively, especially during emergencies.

Saving time

MAs can kill two birds with one stone by completing one course that satisfies regulatory requirements and CE credits. I’m more driven to complete courses that satisfy both requirements. Approved courses depend on state and certification requirements, but some examples are cultural competency, implicit bias, human trafficking, and HIPAA protection.

Building a collaborative culture

Instilling the values of cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential for any organization. These competencies enhance teamwork and communication among team members with different backgrounds. I’ve collaborated with many MAs who take the patient’s vital signs or complete rapid testing before I even enter the patient’s room. This gives me more time to speak and educate patients about their diagnosis and treatment plan.

Adapting to changing landscapes

With CEus as part of an all-in-one compliance platform, organizations can quickly develop and distribute information on new healthcare practices and challenges and rapidly adapt to new medical practice standards or public health emergencies. This was especially true during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. I could trust that my MAs understood the latest facility protocols regarding personal protective equipment and testing.

Instilling trust

Continuing education practices and competency improve an organization’s credibility and reliability in the public eye. Upholding competencies and standards builds a community of trust with customers, partners, and professionals. Knowing MAs are competent in their roles instills trust in providers as well.

Fostering innovation

Continuing education exposes medical assistants and other professionals to new ideas and research. Medical assistants and providers can collaborate and incorporate new approaches into their practice, which promotes innovation and change. Sometimes, we can inspire organizational change together through new ideas or strategies we’ve discovered work best for our facility.

Provide CEUs For Medical Assistant Growth and Success

Every time one of my MAs completes continuing education courses, I win. My best interest is to further their training to build loyalty and trust and ensure they remain with my practice far into the future. Your organization can also benefit from no-cost CEUs for medical assistants by leveraging an all-in-one software solution that includes a powerful learning management system (LMS).

MedTrainer Learning is an example of enterprise cloud-based software for providers that contains a course library of healthcare content curated specifically to meet the requirements of regulatory and accreditation organizations. This includes 30 hours of CE courses for MAs approved through the AAMA. Your MAs can access 60- and 120-minute courses, ranging from medical ethics and domestic violence to mental health and suicide prevention.

Learn how MedTrainer can help your organization offer no-cost CEUs for medical assistants.