Building a good resume is key for a certified medical assistant. This article will help you create a strong resume. We provide examples from real resumes and tips specific to your field. With this guide, you will learn how to make your skills and experience clear to employers.
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Here's what we see in the best certified medical assistant resumes:
Show Your Impact With Numbers: The best resumes show increases in
Include Relevant Skills From Job Descriptions: Include skills you have and are mentioned in the job description. Some popular ones are
Emphasize Patient Care Experience: Highlight experience in
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When you are a new certified medical assistant, your recent education and certifications are crucial. Place these at the top of your resume. If you have special training, like phlebotomy or EKG, show this early on. Hiring managers look for specific skills in your training.
If you have been working in the field for a while, you can list your work experience first. Still, don't forget to include your education. Mention your certification and any ongoing education. This shows you keep your skills up to date, which is important in healthcare. Keep sentences short and focus on what you can do.
Include any certifications specific to the medical field prominently, like Basic Life Support (BLS) or Certified Medical Assistant (CMA). These can set you apart from other candidates.
Also, mention any specialized training like phlebotomy or EKG that can be relevant for the job you are targeting.
For a certified medical assistant, a single-page resume often works best, especially if you have less than 10 years' experience in healthcare. This length allows you to show your key skills and relevant certifications without overwhelming the reader. Remember, clarity is important. Include your most recent and relevant job roles, and limit older positions that may not add value to your application for this role.
If you are a seasoned professional, a two-page resume can be acceptable. Ensure the first page captures your strongest qualifications and experiences. Every detail should support your candidacy. Instead of including all your past roles, focus on ones where you provided significant care or where you had responsibilities that closely align to the demands of a certified medical assistant.
Experience with Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems is highly valuable. Mention any specific EHR software you have used, like Epic or Cerner.
Additionally, highlight any tasks that involved data entry or patient record management to show your familiarity with digital health tools.
Make sure your resume is easy to read by both people and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). The ATS is a software that scans and ranks resumes before a human ever sees them. It helps hiring managers by filtering out unqualified candidates.
To make your resume ATS-friendly:
Following these steps helps ensure your resume passes the initial screening and reaches the hiring manager.
Make your resume stand out by showing you're a good fit for a medical assistant role. Explain clearly how your skills and experiences match what the job needs. Tell the employer why you will be helpful in their office or clinic.
When crafting your resume, it's important to focus on the technical skills that make you stand out as a certified medical assistant. These are the skills that show you can do the job well. You don't need to list every skill you have. Just choose the ones that are most relevant to the role you want. Include them in a separate skills section and also weave them into your work experience descriptions to show how you've used them on the job. This helps your resume pass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which look for specific keywords related to the job.
Here are some skills you might include:
Remember to include certifications like Basic Life Support (BLS) or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) if you have them. If you are skilled in a particular area, such as pediatric care or geriatrics, make sure to highlight these areas of expertise. It's not about having all the skills, but the right ones for the job you want. Show how you've used these skills to help patients and support healthcare teams. This will make your resume strong and focused.
When you write your resume, use numbers to show your impact clearly. Numbers help hiring managers see the real value you added in your past roles. Think about the tasks you did and try to quantify them. Here are ways you can do this:
Even if you're not sure about the exact numbers, you can estimate them based on your daily activities. Think about how many times you performed a task each week and use that to calculate. Remember, it's important to be honest and not exaggerate your impact.
When you apply for jobs, it's key to show how you've grown in your role. If you've been a medical assistant and moved up, make sure to include that. This tells employers you're able to take on more responsibility and lead. Here are ways to show your growth:
Think about times you've helped train new staff or managed a project. Even if you're not sure it counts as leadership, it often does. Show these examples:
When you're updating your resume, it's important to show how you've grown in your career as a medical assistant. If you've taken on leadership roles or have been promoted, make sure these achievements are clear.
Even if you're not sure if your experience counts as leadership, think about times you've helped others or made decisions. Any experience where you've guided a team, overseen a process, or been the point person for questions is worth mentioning.
When you're applying as a medical assistant, think about the size of the healthcare facility. For smaller practices, like local clinics or family-owned medical offices, show that you can wear many hats and adapt quickly. You might write, 'Skilled in both administrative and clinical tasks, ensuring smooth operation in a fast-paced small office setting.'
For big hospitals or well-known healthcare networks such as Kaiser Permanente or Mayo Clinic, they look for specialization and experience in a high-volume environment. Here, emphasize your ability to handle specific tasks efficiently. You could say, 'Experienced in managing patient flow and detailed record-keeping for large patient bases.'