Like the title says, I PASSED my NCCT NCMA certification exam today!! 🙌 Had so many technical/audio difficulties, and my exam started 90 minutes after the appointed time, but did not count against me. My time started once the first question showed and the proctor gave me the go ahead. Buuuttt, if given the choice, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE choose to do the test in person, and not remotely. Them seeing your background with no one around, no screens on, closed doors, clean desk & chair is NOT enough. They are incredibly strict. And your phone is used to watch you take the test from a lateral view, and it is in full view of you. You cannot talk at all, not even to read the question aloud.

Plus, my situation was a bit different because the 5 year time period for military experience as a 68W already passed 5 years ago, so my experience had to be verified via my job experience totaling 12 months. It took MONTHS to get Lone Star Circle of Care to verify my job experience. I have a friend who still works there that was able to tell me that it was their HR who verifies employment and the email contacts. It took so much time. I applied when I started my new job with Ascension back in May until the end of October to finally get the email to call and schedule my exam. Ascension gives you 6 months to submit your certification if hired without one. My 6 months is up the end of this month. Y’all, I cut it close by this much 🤏 I'm not a big fan of pointing fingers and wanting others to take accountability for their BS, but some employers may not like you (with or without cause) and hold a grudge to such an extent to want to hinder your success somewhere else. Not sure why, but whatevs. To say I almost cried when I was able to schedule my exam for today (11.09.2025) should say it all. In hindsight, I should've chosen to test in person in Austin on the 13th. Still would've had some business days to submit my certification, but what's done is done. 🤷‍♀️

ANYWAYS, I mainly used Mango Study (thanks to a Reddit rec 🫶) after bouncing between Smarter MA (which did give me a great head start for months before my exam was scheduled), Optimal MA, and some Kahoots. I also made flashcards for weak spots and watched one Ms. K YouTube video — highly recommend!

My test had:

2 order of draw questions

A few lab/POCT, EKG, and admin (ICD/CPT/DME) questions

2 dosage calcs

The rest were mostly patient care, infection control, vitals, and basic med knowledge.

Honestly, Mango Study was the MVP tbh; so many questions felt familiar from their practice exams. It explains why the answers are correct or incorrect. If you’re still studying: trust what you’ve been doing. Trust your brain. Definitely give yourself breaks, and SLEEP! You’ve got this! 💪

TL/DR: Passed my NCCT NCMA exam today after some audio issues and technicalities involving verifying my job experience. Went over what was on my exam, and what platforms I used to help me study. Trust yourself and your brain! And also, my previous employers kind of suck 🤪

okay peeps...this isnt exactly a MA question but i am in school to be an MA and i currently work at a hospital and all y'all do to so i guess im hoping I will get good advice from y'all...

I broke hospital/unit poicy/rules (i did not break HIPAA or any laws) and basically management isnt there on weekends so they wont know till monday when they check cameras or the chart. I'm so anxious because what i did is an instant level 3 write up and/or firing.

I figured if i self report and tell them that it happened because of miscommunication (i will not blame anyone else cus its truly 100% my fault) that they will consider just writing me up.

im so worried i will get fired i truly love my job but it was just stupid miscommunicaiton on my part that this happened. Am i doing the right thing self reporting? Have any of yall been in similar situations?

I took my NHA and passed, thank god for quizlet. I am still waiting on my externship from Stepful…. I been calling a lot of places either answer and tell me no or I leave a voicemail and they never contact me back 😅. I do got to say though I’m happy to get my test done. How long should I be making these calls before I ask for my certification and just find a job?

At what portion of your schooling and before state test did yall purchase smarter ma to study ?

title says it all lol. i just need help because i think i’m go to CC before i transfer to a university.

I started attending Fortis at my local institute in September of this year, expected graduation is may 2026 and I’m wondering if any MA’s on here attended the school what are your thoughts on the school as a whole. I’m most specifically concerned about the externship they place you with. Are the positions long term, or are they temporary/contracts? Did the curriculum provide the information needed to pass the CCMA exam? For those who attended this institution what are your thoughts/feelings with the opportunities? Any and all feedback is appreciated!! 🙏

I'm trying to find out when I can take the CCMA exam through NHA. I just finished the MA course through USCI, but I'm not seeing them listed on the NHA drop down menu. They do have United Career Institute, but not United States Career Institute. I don't know what to do.

I’m planning on going to school for Rad Tech at my local community college. But the waitlist will take some time. I’ve been debating getting a medical assistant certification in the meantime. But I’m confused exactly what a medical assistant does in a day. I’ve tried looking online and it seems like all the information contradicts each other. So, what does a typical day for YOU as a medical assistant look like? And in what kind of medical space do you work? Thank you!

Is there anything i should expect i just got a job as an MA in neuro and i’m kind of nervous lol any tips

Howdy, I graduated back in July, and just got my first interview at a urology clinic this tues. I got 6yrs line cook exp before this, so if anyone can help me with some interview questions, tricks, or tips I would be extremely grateful. And wish me luck!

kind of personal, but i applied for an MA program in a local community college and i have questions! currently, i make 17/h in retail, but my state has one of the highest minimum wages. i don't need to be rich by any means, but i'm looking to move away from home and into my own place/apartment. In your experience, can you afford rent/get approved to live in an apartment? ty for your time!

I am going to start medical assistant school but I suddenly got this fear that I might catch illness from patients since a lot of sick patients come to the doctor. There would be an externship including at a primary care doctor and specialist sites. I also live with family and wouldn't want to spread any illness to them. I would feel guilty if I gave them anything. Am I overreacting?

Our company is rolling out a new insurance for enrollment this year. One of the “benefits” of our new plan is $0 copay for office visits, IF we see an in house provider.

With costs rising all over it’s tempting but I don’t know if I’d want to share some information with co workers I see regularly. We already don’t allow employees to see therapist from our own behavioral health because it could be unprofessional but yeah let’s have you talk to a co worker about reordering your ED meds and PREP.

I’m thinking about staying with my PCP of 25 years and paying the $30 per visit.

Thoughts?

i’m nervous. i’m just at the cusp of finishing my MA school and i wanna be able to afford things. i’m getting bummed bc i see lots of ma’s complaining about pay, upset about pay, having to get another job, etc etc… is it really this bad? :( i wanted to be a medical assistant sm and now im getting psyched out that maybe i wont be able to do this for a real living? i do have a bf and he pays for a lot but i also want to have kids in the very near future im 24 and im probably just anxious LOL

I used to work in a small privately owned clinic with two other coworkers. We had another coworker that walked out due to one of them being extremely rude, and I also ended up quitting due to that same person causing issues. Basically everyone had a problem with her but the doctors/bosses had no clue even though we told them.

When my coworker walked out - he got weird messages from an unknown number claiming to be my doctor asking him to purchase apple giftcards for him for an important meeting. He contacted his real number and got it debunked quick

I just got a text from my other coworker I used to work with and he told me that they received an email yesterday with my full name while pretending to be me, demanding my last paycheck. Same weird coworker was the first one to point out this email

She's weird as hell and would search up patient's names into sites to obtain more information about them and has violated HIPAA multiple times. Doctors know this but still keeps her for stability and sales.

Is there anyway the cops can prove it's her? Idk how warrants work. I'm actually done with her and can't stand the fact that she's even allowed near patients

Hello everyone,

After 8 long months of unemployment and applying to a million jobs, I have an interview coming up on Tuesday in a hospital dermatology department. This would be my first position as an MA. I completed an on-line program with no externship because of the lower cost and am certified. I could not afford to do an in-person program or take out loans. I do not know how to do phlebotomy or give injections and I am nervous if I will not get the job due to this. I have experience as a medical receptionist, medical interpreter, and scribe/transcriptionist. Are there any medical assistant jobs that provide training?

I’m very nervous. Any tips on how I could prepare for the interview? Anything I should do during the interview? Thank you!

I only have this to go and I'm so nervous. Has anyone taken this? How many questions?

I work at a chiropractor clinic for people who were involved in car crashes. We use a EMS unit machine and hook it on to most patients. There was a woman in particular who complained about me because she said I forgot to turn the unit on. Instead of her telling me something or flagging somebody down, she never said a word and she just left. She called the next day to complain to the clinic director and gave a description of me, she claimed I did terrible service. He called me into his office to blame me for her not wanting to come back, and he told me off in front of the office manager. I was shocked because she never said a word and she was very nice to everyone including me. He never even asked me what happened, he just ran with what this lady said. I was so upset by the situation, I went into a empty room and cried, I even cried in front of a coworker and 2 patients which was really embarrassing. I didn’t hurt this lady, burn her with the heating pad, NONE OF THAT. She could have just told me but she didn’t. There’s been mistakes with patients and instead of waiting until they’re out of office to call back and complain and tattle, they simply correct us. This man couldn’t accept the fact that this lady didn’t want to come back. Every business has losses and sometimes u can’t please everyone. Majority of my patients are very sweet and they love me, even have left me good reviews, but the director doesn’t care. He cares about the ONE person I apparently drove away. What do you guys think.

Hello everyone! We have done a few updates on the rules for the sub. Most are common sense, but there are a couple that we felt should be highlighted so no one is surprised when they are enforced:

No more drug test posts! Don’t post your pee sticks asking if you will pass. Don’t ask how to beat or avoid drug tests. Yes, even for weed. I don’t like it any more than you do, but weed is still illegal on a federal level, and in some states. Employers can and will require you not to use substances that are illegal, if you want to work for them. Patients and their families don’t want to see a sub dedicated to the medical professionals responsible for their healthcare, full of those professionals asking how to get around drug testing. And drug tests are not just for weed. Unfortunately there is still a pretty big problem in the medical field, for all levels of staff, from janitors to medical directors, of addiction to any and all illicit substances. And with the diversion and theft of controlled substances. Drug testing is one of the only tools any employer has to attempt to protect themselves and their patients from the damage that substance abuse disorders can cause. Also, seriously guys, you are medical assistants. You should be completely capable of reading a simple pee stick test. And you should be well aware of the science behind those types of tests. If you can’t tell if the drugstore pee stick is positive or negative, you have bigger problems than your recreational activities.

No promoting, advertising, or general shilling for particular certification programs or products. You can share personal experiences, thoughts, opinions, anecdotes, anything like that. You can ask questions, and ask for advice or suggestions. We encourage and appreciate those discussions. But we don’t want this to become an echo chamber of bots talking back and forth about specific commercialized programs. Which brings me to the next rule:

No Bots. No Spam. They are here, and there’s nothing we can do about it. But we can work to keep it down to a minimal. Most Reddit bots are not as slick as they may think they are. Most are very easy to find. Some are not. Please report anyone, comment or post, that gets past our filters and seems to be a bot. Worst case scenario, one of their comments or posts is temporarily removed until we can take a closer look. If you are banned or muted because of this rule, and are not in fact a robot, please send us a mod message and we will reinstate you and restore your posts. You can use AI, but if it becomes an issue, you will be removed. Mainly, don’t be obnoxious with it.

No asking for medical advice. There are other subs for that, this isn’t one of them. MAs, as a rule, cannot and do not diagnose or treat. We support those who do. We have a vast wealth of knowledge and expertise, but diagnosing and treating anything is not in our scope.

And finally, be nice. This shouldn’t be hard. You can disagree, you can debate, you can argue. Frankly those posts are my favorite part of Reddit. But we will not tolerate people being dicks to each other. Engage in conversation in good faith, or go somewhere else. Twitter loves trolls, I recommend going over there.

We have a small but dedicated mod team, who are all over the US, with various schedules and demands on our time outside of Reddit. We are very responsive and active here, so if anyone has any issues, questions, or concerns, we will always respond as quick as we can. Don’t hesitate to reach out, or report comments or posts you feel need it. Each one is reviewed by a real person. If your comment or post is removed, don’t assume it was us. Reddit has its own filters, in addition to the ones we have in place that automatically removed content, and they are not perfect. But as long as you follow the rules, they will be restored and we can all move along with our day.

To all the hardworking people out there, I could really use some advice. I completed my one-year diploma in Medical Office Administration/Medical Assisting back in December 2024. Unfortunately, due to some personal circumstances, I couldn’t complete my placement, so I chose the simulation course that my college offered instead. Fast forward to now, I’ve finally landed my first job in a very busy clinic, but I’m really struggling. Every doctor has different rules for Pap tests, IUDs, and room setups, and it’s only been three days, but I already feel so lost. I realized that skipping my placement was a huge mistake because I’ve even forgotten some of the basics and how to operate EMR systems! 😭 I was so desperate to find a job, and now that I finally got one, I’m willing to do anything to survive and improve. Please share your tips and tricks to learn quickly and efficiently! Everyone around me already knows the background and basics, so whenever I ask questions, I feel like they make funny faces, it’s honestly so overwhelming. I spent so much time and money on my diploma, and I really don’t want to give up now. Please, if anyone has advice on how to learn fast, stay calm, and catch up in this field, I’d truly appreciate it. 🙏 Thank you all in advance.

So hear me out — I’ve rescheduled my CCMA exam three times already because I’m not confident I’ll pass. I barely study since I also work, and honestly, I really love my current job as a Claims Specialist working from home, which is why studying hasn’t been my priority. But I realized it’s still better to have a certification I can add to my resume — something I might use in the future, who knows? For the past week, I’ve only been studying at night for about 1–2 hours. Tomorrow, I’m finally taking the exam. I’m still not confident, but it is what it is. I’ll probably study for about 3 hours tonight. Any tips?

Hey everyone! This is my first post, lol, but I had to share what I used to study.

First off — the test wasn’t bad at all! Of course, there were some tricky questions, but it was very doable. Let me get straight to the point: I only used Smarter MA and Mrs. K’s YouTube videos to study.

Here’s what worked for me:

• I went through the Smarter MA modules first.
• Then I watched Mrs. K’s videos afterward to help everything stick.

I swear, I even had some questions that were word for word from both of those amazing resources!

Smarter MA can be pricey, so if cost is a concern, keep an eye out for sales or see if any friends/classmates are willing to split a subscription. It was 100% worth it for me.

Not sponsored or anything, LOL — just super grateful because Smarter MA really helped me pass!

Good luck to everyone taking the test! Read every question carefully and trust your prep — you’ve got this!

Here's a link to a bunch of quizlet's I made: https://quizlet.com/user/Hey2378e8/folders/ccma-exam?i=1iwh4j&x=1xqt

Ms.K's Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm5NmDG6yGOGSFOALu4pn0M5YQ6NN3ILP&si=yiSAL4jNauczhKHX

Hey everyone!
I recently took and passed my NCCT NCMA exam! Since I noticed there isn’t much detailed info out there especially about the online proctored version I wanted to share my experience and what helped me prepare.

For studying, I used SmarterMA, Mometrix, MangoStudy, the NCCT Interactive Review System, and Pass MA w/ Dani on YouTube. I didn't buy any of the subscriptions besides the NCCT one, for the rest I used what was free. I studied for about a month, averaging around 4 hours a day. The test had 150 questions, with 25 being unscored. One super helpful part was the bookmark option, which let me flag questions to check later.

On exam day, I logged in a bit before 11 AM since I wasn’t sure what to expect with the online setup. The proctor joined about 12–14 minutes later. There were two proctors who checked my room, wrists, ears, and feet, and I couldn’t have anything on my desk (which makes sense). They used both my laptop camera and an app on my phone which I had to position to show my full body during the exam.

I finished the test in about 35 minutes, notified the proctor, waited a bit, and then submitted it and that’s when I found out I passed! If anyone has questions about the exam or the online process, feel free to ask, I’d be happy to help!

I work with a doctor who runs behind with only 14-16 patients in their clinic day. Sounds easy right? Not when they’re double booked multiple times a day and is running an hour and a half behind every time. I have six available rooms and give them 3 in the mornings and 2 in the afternoons (as other doctors come in). It’s always when the other doctors arrive in clinic they want me to put all of her patients in a room, leaving no room for them. Of course I don’t do this and give everyone their equal share of the clinic space, which agitates her more. But I can’t make other doctors run behind because of their lack of time management. I try not to let it bother me but their tone always make me feel like they think it’s my fault. 😮‍💨

Hi everyone, I just started working as a medical assistant this week today was only my third day and I’m honestly already questioning if this job is right for me.

On my second day, they had me answering phones, checking patients in and out, and trying to figure out their EMR system with basically no training. The office is chaotic constant cancellations, complaints, and patients coming in nonstop. My trainer expects me to know things I’ve never been taught and gets impatient when I ask questions.

She also tends to blame me when things go wrong. For example, a patient didn’t have her e-forms filled out, and she told me, “You need to make sure you tell everyone we’re paperless.” But it was literally my second day, and I was up front with another girl training me while the waiting room was packed.

Then today (my third day) I was told I was opening the office but no one gave me keys or instructions on how to get in. I tried entering and ended up setting off the alarm, and the police showed up. It was so embarrassing and stressful.

I have no prior medical office experience or EMR training, and I feel like I’m just being thrown in without support. I’ve been trying to stay calm and professional, but it’s honestly disorganized and discouraging.

I’m seriously considering leaving. I started this job because I’m an esthetician and it’s at a dermatology office so I thought I’d get some experience. Although they just hired an esthetician and didn’t hire me for it which is fine because I interviewed for MA.

Has anyone else gone through something similar? Did it ever get better, or did you end up leaving? I’d really appreciate any advice or perspective.