You passed the CCMA. Now what?
The certification is yours the moment you pass. Keeping it, and stacking others on top of it, is where most of the career value actually is.
Your certification is active immediately
Unlike a state licence, there is no separate application step after the exam. NHA issues the credential and you can put CCMA after your name straight away. Download the digital certificate and keep the ID number — employers verify it.
⏳ 10 CE credits every two years
NHA requires 10 continuing education credits every two years to keep the certification current. Two hours of content equals one credit, so that is 20 hours of learning per cycle. CE from other providers is generally accepted, and the credits can be completed any time before the expiry date — but they do not carry over, so leaving them to the last month is a common way to lapse.
Let it lapse and there is a reinstatement path
An expired certification is not necessarily a re-exam. NHA runs a reinstatement process, but it costs more and takes longer than renewing on time. Renewing is always the cheaper option.
Credentials that stack on the CCMA
The CCMA is broad by design. Most medical assistants add a narrower credential on top to become the person in the clinic who can do the thing nobody else is certified for.
Certified Phlebotomy Technician
Draws are already inside the CCMA scope, but a dedicated phlebotomy credential is what gets you assigned to the draw station and counted as the clinic's specialist.
Certified EKG Technician
The natural pair with the CCMA in any cardiology or primary-care setting, and the CCMA already covers a share of the same material — so the marginal study is smaller than it looks.
Certified Medical Administrative Assistant
The front-office counterpart. Holding both the clinical and administrative credentials is what makes someone employable in a small practice where one person covers both.
Certified Billing and Coding Specialist
The route out of direct patient care if you want it — billing and coding is the most common non-clinical move medical assistants make, and it is often remote-friendly.
Requirements change. Confirm everything on this page with NHA before you rely on it — this is study material, not certification advice, and we are not affiliated with NHA.