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By: My Medical Assisting Degree Staff

Updated: February 10, 2026

Home » Types of Medical Assistants

TYPES OF MEDICAL ASSISTANTS

Medical assistants learn to perform a mixture of clinical and administrative duties throughout their education. It’s this blend of expertise—patient care on one hand and office administration on the other—that defines the profession and makes medical assistants such versatile healthcare professionals.  

There are a few other types of medical assistants, however, that differ slightly from this generalist role. These include clinical medical assistants, medical administrative assistants and specialty medical assistants who work in a specific medical field.

In this article:

Clinical medical assistants

Clinical medical assistants specialize in the clinical side of medical assistant work. They help healthcare offices run smoothly by performing basic patient care tasks and assisting providers with simple procedures.

Job duties

Although they may perform some administrative duties, clinical medical assistants spend most of their time on tasks associated with patient care, such as:

  • Bring patients to exam rooms and take patient vital signs 
  • Assist nurses and physicians with basic exams and procedures 
  • Administer medications 
  • Perform blood draws, EKG and other diagnostic lab tests 
  • Update patient health records 

Education and qualifications

The vast majority of clinical medical assisting jobs require candidates to complete a medical assisting program, such as a certificate or associate degree in medical assisting. However, you may be able to qualify for some jobs if you have entry-level nursing credentials as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), as these professionals have experience delivering patient care. From there, most jobs also require medical assistants to have a nationally recognized certification.

Certifications

In addition to any general medical assistant certifications such as the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) or Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credentials, clinical medical assistants may want to consider obtaining a clinical-focused certification, such as:  

Both certifications have different exams you must pass, and the qualifications to do so vary. One certification may be more popular in your area than the other, so it’s worth asking around to see which one makes the most sense for you. Otherwise, both are excellent options to demonstrate your clinical expertise.

Medical administrative assistant

Medical administrative assistants, as you can probably guess, specialize in the clerical duties associated with a healthcare facility or organization.  

Medical administrative assistants may go by other job titles with overlapping duties, such as medical receptionist, medical office administrator, medical secretary and others.

Job duties

Though their job scope can vary depending on where they work, most medical administrative assistants generally do the following:

  • Answer phones and schedule appointments 
  • Update patient and practice records 
  • Perform basic billing tasks  
  • Greet and correspond with patients 
  • Verify patient insurance information and conduct other check-in and check-out procedures

Education and qualifications

Because these professionals are not delivering patient care, job qualifications are usually minimal compared to clinical roles. You may be able to find entry-level jobs that require little more than a high school education, while others may want you to have some professional experience already (experience in the healthcare field would be a plus).  

In fact, having some clinical experience can be a great asset when switching to administrative roles. A medical assistant or CNA, for instance, is more familiar with medical terminology, procedures, treatments and so on than the average person. This can be beneficial when communicating with patients, performing billing tasks and scheduling appointments. Plus, a working knowledge of medical terminology and basic anatomy and physiology is essential if you choose to pursue the NHA’s certification.

Certifications

Medical administrative assistants can pursue the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) credential from the NHA. You simply need to pass their exam to get certified. To qualify for the exam, you need a high school education plus either the completion of a medical administrative assistant education program or one year of supervised experience as a medical administrative assistant in the past three years.

Specialty medical assistants

“Specialty medical assistants” in this context simply refers to medical assistants who work in a particular medical specialty. This could include areas such as cardiology, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, emergency medicine and many more. Like your average medical assistant, they perform both clinical and clerical duties—taking patient vital signs, preparing exam rooms, scheduling appointments and the like. Their actual job scope, therefore, isn’t all that unique. 

The same goes for their education. If you’re interested in working in a medical specialty as a medical assistant, you’ll need to complete a general medical assisting program. From there, it comes down to the choices you make about where and for whom you want to work.

Certifications

Like other medical assistants, you’ll need a certification to qualify for most medical assisting jobs. The CMA and RMA credentials are a popular choice, and depending on the specialty you choose, you may also be able to pursue one of the more niche medical assistant certifications such as: