Medical Assistants

36-9B-1 Medical Assistant Defined. For the purposes of this chapter, a medical assistant is a professional multi skilled person who assists in all aspects of medical practice under the responsibility and direct supervision of a person licensed to practice medicine in the State of South Dakota. A medical assistant assists with patient care management, executes administrative and clinical procedures, and performs managerial and supervisory functions over unlicensed personnel.

[“Direct supervision” of a medical assistant means supervision of all activities performed by the medical assistant.  Should the physician be unable to provide on-site supervision, supervision by a properly supervised physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or nurse midwife shall satisfy the medical assistant act’s direct supervision requirements.  SD Joint Boards Definition 06/1994.]

36-9B-2 Duties. A medical assistant under the responsibility and direct supervision of a person licensed to practice medicine in the State of South Dakota may perform the following duties:

  1. Performing clinical procedures to include:

    a. Performing aseptic procedures
    b. Taking vital signs
    c. Preparing patients for examination
    d. Phlebotomous blood withdrawal and nonintravenous injections
    e. Observing and reporting patients' signs or symptoms
  2. Administering basic first aid
  3. Assisting with patient examinations or treatment
  4. Operating office medical equipment
  5. Collecting routine laboratory specimens
  6. Administering medications by unit dosage
  7. Performing basic laboratory procedures
  8. Performing office procedures including all general administrative duties

36-9B-3 Registration required. No person may practice as a medical assistant unless that person is registered with the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners pursuant to this chapter.

36-9B-4 Application for registration--Renewal--Fees. A medical assistant seeking registration under this chapter shall complete an application prescribed by the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners and the Board of Nursing. The application shall be submitted to the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners. A registration fee of ten dollars shall accompany the application and shall be paid to the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners.
The registration shall be renewed biennially by payment of a fee of five dollars. A registration not renewed by December thirty-first of the year of expiration lapses.

36-9B-5 Registration by Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners. The Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners shall register a medical assistant following the submission of an application by an applicant for registration who has graduated from an accredited school or a school which meets standards similar to an accredited school and has met other qualifications established by the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners and the Board of Nursing.

An applicant for registration is exempt from the requirements of this section if the application is received by the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners by January 1, 1992.

36-9B-6 Out-of-state applicant. The Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners may register an applicant from outside the state whose education and training are substantially the same as that received from an approved school in this state and who meets the other qualifications established by the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners and the Board of Nursing.

36-9B-7 Promulgation of rules for application and registration. The Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners and the Board of Nursing may adopt rules for medical assistants in the following areas:

  1. Contents of applications
  2. Qualifications of applicants
  3. Approval of schools other than those which are accredited
  4. Renewal of registration

[Note: No RULES outside of statute exist as of March 2004.]

36-9B-8 Revocation or suspension of registration--Committee. The registration of a medical assistant may be revoked or suspended upon violation of any section of this chapter. The proceedings for suspension or revocation of a registration may be initiated by a joint committee comprised of two members of the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners and two members of the Board of Nursing. All proceedings concerning the revocation or suspension of a registration shall conform to contested case procedure set forth in Chapter 1-26.

36-9B-9 Hospital privileges. Nothing in this chapter permits a medical assistant to provide services in a hospital licensed pursuant to chapter 34-12 unless the hospital has specifically granted such privileges.

Questions? Please contact
the South Dakota Board of Medical & Osteopathic Examiners
or the South Dakota Board of Nursing

MA Scope of Practice Determination by Joint Board of Nursing and Medical & Osteopathic Examiners

  1. Supervision: The Joint Board committee approved the following definition of physician “direct supervision” of the medical assistant: 

    Direct supervision of a medical assistant means supervision of all activities performed by the MA.  Should the physician be unable to provide on-site supervision, such supervision by a properly supervised physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or nurse midwife shall satisfy the supervisory requirement.  June 1994.
  2. Administration of Medications:  The Joint Board affirmed at their meeting conducted on September 15, 1993, the following in regards to the medical assistant scope of practice:
    a. Does not include injection of insulin;
    b. Does not include arterial withdrawal of blood, but does include venous withdrawal of blood;
    c. Does include administration of medications by unit dose, which means medication prepared in the exact amount, in an individual packet, for a specific patient; and
    d. Does not include patient education.

    The Joint Board committee met on April 25, 1994 and provided additional clarification on these scope of practice questions regarding the medical assistant:

    a. The medical assistant may report diagnostic lab findings to patients only after appropriate interpretation by the physician;
    b. The medical assistant may only provide education information to the patient and may not perform health teaching or counseling;
    c. The medical assistant may perform EKG’s and glucose testing;
    d. The medical assistant may not administer medications which require calculation of a dose;
    e. [Reversed 9/95]
    f. The medical assistant may only distribute pre-printed information to a patient on medications and inhalers;
    g. The medical assistant may not administer nebulizer treatments and is only allowed to perform simple oxygen administration, incentive spirometry or chest physiotherapy (as outlined in the Respiratory Care Practitioners law);
    h. [Reversed 9/95]
    i. The medical assistant may not perform irrigations for ostomy/stoma care;
    j. The medical assistant may apply ace bandages and splints to extremities; and
    k. The medical assistant may only perform suprapubic catheterizations involving an established fistula.
  3. Medical Assistant Role

    In response to a request for clarification, these areas were identified as appropriate for medical assistants by a Joint Board committee December 1994:

    a. Skin testing performed by intradermal technique.
    b. Skin testing performed by the scratch technique.

    At the September 20, 1995 Joint Board Meeting, discussion was held regarding medical assistant letters of inquiry.  It was determined that:

    a. Medical Assistants are permitted to administer medications from either a single or multi dose vial as along as the supervising physician assures appropriate training, competence, and assumes ultimate responsibility for administration of such drugs; and

    Telephoning of Prescriptions

    At the September 20, 1995 Joint Board Meeting, discussion was held regarding medical assistant letters of inquiry.  It was determined that:

    a. Medical Assistants are permitted to telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy pursuant to their supervising physician’s written or verbal order.

Medical Assistant Registration through South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners

Definition: Medical assisting is an allied health profession whose practitioners function as members of the health care delivery team and perform administrative and clinical procedures.

The designation Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) indicates that the individual is a graduate of a CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) accredited medical assisting program, has passed the Certification Examination of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), and maintains currency of the CMA credential.

Qualifications: A graduate of a CAAHEP accredited medical assisting program with a current CMA credential, not to preclude those CMAs who acquired the credential prior to February 1, 1998, and maintain currency of the CMA credential.

Scope of Practice: CMAs perform delegated clinical and administrative duties within the supervising physician’s scope of practice consistent with the CMA’s education, training, and experience.  Such duties shall not constitute practice of medicine.

Supervision: Physician supervision shall be active and continuous but shall not be construed as necessarily requiring the physical presence of the supervising physician at the time and place that services are rendered.

(Approved by the AAMA Board of Trustees at its March 9-12, 2000 meeting.)

Medical Assisting Career

Nature of Work

Medical assistants perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and optometrists running smoothly.  They should not be confused with physician assistants who examine, diagnose, and treat patients under the direct supervision of a physician.

Duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on office location, size, and specialty.  In small practices, medical assistants are usually “generalists,” handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner.  Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area under the supervision of department administrators.

Medical assistants perform many administrative duties.  They answer telephones, greet patients, update and file patient medical records, fill out insurance form, handle correspondence, schedule appointments, arrange for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handle billing and bookkeeping.

Clinical duties vary according to state law and include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examination, and assisting the physician during the examination.  Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments.  They instruct patients about medication and special diets, prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician, authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for x-rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings.

Medical assistants may also arrange examining room instruments and equipment, purchase and maintain supplies and equipment, and keep waiting and examining rooms neat and clean.

Assistants who specialize have additional duties.  Podiatric medical assistants make castings of feet, expose and develop x-rays, and assist podiatrists in surgery.  Ophthalmic medical assistants help ophthalmologists provide medical eye care.  They administer diagnostic tests, measure and record vision, and test eye muscle function.  They also show patients how to insert, remove, and care for contact lenses; and they apply eye dressings.  Under the direction of a physician, they may administer eye medications.  They also maintain optical and surgical instruments and may assist the ophthalmologist in surgery.

Employment

Medical assistants held about 329,000 jobs in 2000.  Sixty percent were in physicians’ offices, and about 15 percent were in hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities.  The rest were in nursing homes, office of other health practitioners, and other health care facilities.

Training and Other Qualifications

Most employers prefer to hire graduates of formal programs in medical assisting, such as are offered in vocational-technical high schools, postsecondary vocational schools, community and junior colleges, and colleges and universities.  Postsecondary programs usually last either one year, resulting in a certificate or diploma, or two years, resulting in an associate degree.  Courses cover anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology, as well as typing, transcription, record keeping, accounting, and insurance processing.  Students learn laboratory techniques, clinical and diagnostic procedures, pharmaceutical principles, medication administration, and first aid.  They study office practices, patient relations, medical law, and ethics.  Accredited programs include an externship providing practical experience in physicians’ offices, hospitals, or other health care facilities.

Formal training in medical assisting, while generally preferred, is not always required.  Some medical assistants are trained on the job, although this is less common than in the past.  Applicants usually need a high school diploma or the equivalent.  Recommended high school courses include mathematics, health, biology, typing, bookkeeping, computers, and office skills.  Volunteer experience in the health care field is also helpful.

Two agencies accredit programs in medical assisting: the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).  In 1999, there were about 450 medical assisting programs accredited by CAAHEP and over 140 accredited by ABHES.  The Committee on Accreditation for Ophthalmic Medical Personnel accredited 14 programs in ophthalmic medical assisting.

Although there is no licensing for medical assistants, some states require them to take a test or a course before they can perform certain tasks, such as taking x-rays.

Medical assistants may be able to advance to office manager.  They may qualify for a variety of administrative support occupations, or may teach medical assisting.  Some, with additional education, may enter other health occupations such as nursing and medical technology.

CMA and RMA credentialing

The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) and Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) are both voluntary, national credentials for the medical assisting profession.  The CMA is awarded by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants organization; the RMA is given by the American Medical Technologists. 

An affiliate of the American Association of Medical Assistants

CODE OF ETHICS:  The Code of Ethics of the South Dakota Society of Medical Assistants shall set forth the principles of ethical and moral conduct as they relate to the medical profession and the particular practice of medical assisting.

Members of the South Dakota Society of Medical Assistants are dedicated to the conscientious pursuit of their profession, and thus, desiring to merit the high regard of the entire medical profession and the respect of the general public which they serve, do pledge themselves to strive always to:

  1. Render service with full respect for the dignity of humanity;
  2. Respect confidential information obtained through employment unless legally authorized or required by responsible performance of duty to divulge such information;
  3. Uphold the honor and high principles of the profession and accept its disciplines;
  4. Seek to continually improve the knowledge and skills of medical assistants for the benefit of patients and professional colleagues;
  5. Participate in additional service activities toward improving the health and well-being of the community. 

Medical Assistant Training Programs in South Dakota accredited by CAAHEP as of April 2006

Colorado Technical University

Degree: AS

3901 West 59th Street

Sioux Falls SD 57108

Program Director Brenda Hartson

Phone: (605) 361-0200

Lake Area Technical Institute

Degree: AAS

230 11th Street NE

Watertown SD 57201

Program Director Audrey Rausch

Phone: (605) 882-5284

Mitchell Technical Institute

Degree: AAS

821 N Capital

Mitchell SD 57301

Program Director Corinne Hoffman

Phone: (605) 995-3024

National American University

Degree: AAS

2801 S Kiwanis Avenue

Sioux Falls SD 57105

Program Director Gale Folsland

Phone: (605) 334-5430

Presentation College

Degree: AS

1500 North Main

Aberdeen SD 57401

Program Director Mary Gjernes

Phone: (605) 229-8544

Medical Assistant Program – Sample Curriculum Schedule

First Year

1st Semester

Credit Hours

2nd Semester

Credit Hours

Anatomy & Physiology

4

Anatomy & Physiology

4

College Comp

3

Intro to Literature

3

College Exp

1

Intro to Phleb

1

Psychology Elec

3

Urinalysis

2

WP/dBase

3

Intro to HI Mgt

3

Christian Trad

3

Intro to CMS

3

Semester Total

17

Semester Total

16

Summer Session

Orient to ML

2

Med Transcript

3

Limited Radiol

1

Session Total

6

Second Year

3rd Semester

Credit Hours

4th Semester

Credit Hours

Med Terminology

2

Med Assisting II

3

Communic Skills

3

MA Externship

12

Med Assisting I

4

Christian Moral

3

Soc & Beh Sc El

3

Semester Total

15

Semester Total

15

Total Credit Hours Required: 69