The Department of Health (DOH) provides credentials to several different types of medical assistants (MAs), including certified MAs.

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Certification.
A person meets the qualifications for certification as a certified MA if the person completes an MA training program, passes an examination, and meets any additional qualifications established by the DOH in rule.?

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Authorized Duties and Supervision.
A certified MA may perform authorized duties only when delegated by, and under the supervision of, a health care practitioner. ?The supervising health care practitioner must generally be physically present and immediately available in the facility.? However, the level of required supervision varies for specific tasks.

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A certified MA's authorized duties include:

• fundamental procedures, including sterilizing equipment and instruments;
• clinical procedures, including taking vital signs, preparing patients for examination, capillary blood withdrawal, and intramuscular injections;
• specimen collection, including capillary puncture and venipuncture;
• diagnostic testing, including electrocardiography, respiratory testing, and certain other permitted tests;
• patient care, including obtaining patient history, preparing examination areas, and assisting with routine and specialty examinations, procedures, and minor office surgeries;
• administering certain medications;
• administering intravenous injections under direct visual supervision if certain requirements are met; and?
• urethral catheterization when appropriately trained.

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Before delegating any of the above duties to a certified MA, a health care practitioner is required to consider certain factors, including whether the task is within the practitioner's scope of practice, the appropriate level of supervision, and that the person to whom the task will be delegated is competent to perform the task. ?The health care practitioner must also determine if the task is one that should be appropriately delegated when considering the following factors:

• if the task can be performed without requiring the exercise of judgment based on clinical knowledge;
• if the results of the task are reasonably predictable;
• if the task can be performed without a need for complex observations or critical decisions;
• if the task can be performed without repeated clinical assessments; and
• if the task, if performed improperly, would present life-threatening consequences or the danger of immediate and serious harm to the patient.

A certified MA may enter an order for health care services into an entry-order system and approve such order if:

• the supervising health care practitioner directs the certified MA to enter and approve the order as a delegated task, using explicit instructions that enable the certified MA to enter and approve the order without exercising judgment based on clinical knowledge;
• the certified MA enters and approves the order in accordance with the instructions of the supervising practitioner, without exercising judgment based on clinical knowledge;
• the order is reviewed by the supervising practitioner during the same business day and countersigned by the supervising practitioner within 72 hours;
• the certified MA has completed training regarding order-entry systems, which must take place annually;
• the delegated order is in compliance with requirements regarding delegation; and
• the order is not a prescription for a controlled substance. If the order is for a prescription for a controlled substance, the certified MA may enter, but not approve, the order.

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The employer of a certified MA must maintain records regarding participation in annual training.? Upon DOH request, an employer of a certified MA must provide documentation to the DOH demonstrating compliance with the training and countersignature requirements. ?

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The entry and approval of orders by a certified MA in accordance with applicable requirements is not considered a task that requires the exercise of judgment based on clinical experience.