Specialty Certified Medical Assistant in Oncology

By SCMA On 01/05/2018  

A specialized certification for Oncology Medical Assistant, its benefits and the assessment process. 

An Oncology assistant is a specialized type of medical assistant who helps treat patients who have cancer. Being specialized in this field allows Specialty Certified Oncology Medical Assistants to play a crucial role in the practice. They often have responsibilities that are both administrative and clinical. Their daily workload includes recording and understanding vitals, medical histories, insurance details and prescriptions as well as explaining treatment instructions and plans, handling referrals, preparing lab rooms and collecting medical specimens.

Benefits To The Medical Assistant

Oncology as a field requires extremely specific knowledge which can be acquired only with the help of a certification. Being certified in this field helps the medical assistant in gaining comprehensive knowledge on medical terminologies like biopsy, hematology, histopathology etc.
Although improvements in medical technology have led to higher survival rates for cancer patients, the rate of diagnosis has only been increasing. With an increase in demand for cancer treatment services, Oncology is expected to be one of the fastest growing specialties in the healthcare industry. This has led to an increase in demand for medical personnel while also increasing expectations for higher salaries. With this field being on the rise, now would be the right time for medical assistants to specialize in Oncology.

Assessment Process

To become a Specialty Certified Medical Assistant in Oncology, all you have to do is pass an online exam with a score of 70% or higher. You can prepare for the exam by purchasing the Oncology Self-Study kit. The exam consists of a total of 120 multiple choice/single answer questions – 50 questions covering medical assisting and 70 questions covering Oncology.
To have a better chance for success on the Specialty Certified Medical Assistant-SCMA® exam for Oncology, it is recommended that you have completed one of the following:

• Certified as an International Medical Assistant and have one year of work experience in Oncology
• Certified as an International medical Assistant and have attended suitable clinical training program in Oncology
• A Medical Assistant program accredited by Commission of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and one year of on the job experience
• A U.S. Military medical program and two years active duty as a Hospital Corpsman, Medic, etc.
• Three or more years of experience in a particular medical area

Oncology Medical Assistants are tested on medical terminologies, routes to administer medication, units of measure and frequency of medical administrations etc. The exam also covers common laboratory and diagnostics like Barium Enema, Biopsy, Bone Marrow Aspiration, Colonoscopy, Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) etc.