MeDICAL ASSISTANCE??

[Rachelahn9712]

I am a in my junior year of college and I just had a question about the direct care experience. Does schools care if you're certified or not? Whether it be CNA, Phlebotomist, EMT, etc..

And I have also done dental assisting for three years. Would that also count towards DCE or would that count as HCE?

 

[pahilton]

I worked as a medical assistant for nearly four years without certification. The office I worked for was a private practice that did all of the training on site. They actually preferred to hire MAs who were recent grads looking to pursue a career in medicine, whether its PA, MD, etc. As a result, they expected high turnover and commitment was usually 2 years. I've come across other offices that have a similar preference. Personally, I didn't want to spend the money for MA certification after already receiving my Bachelor's. In addition, I was accepted into a PA program two weeks ago, and they didn't have any issues with the lack of certification!

That being said, some jobs will require certification, such as EMT and phlebotomy. I think it just depends on what you're looking to do. In regards to the dental assisting, you may get some patient experience out of that depending on your role. If unsure, I would email admissions offices.

Hope that helps!