American Registry of Medical Assistants

What American Registry of Medical Assistants does

The American Registry of Medical Assistants (ARMA) is a federally registered non-profit credentialing organization founded on September 22, 1950, and headquartered in Westfield, Massachusetts. It maintains a national registry of medical assistants and issues the Registered Medical Assistant (R.M.A.) credential to qualifying professionals across all 50 U.S. states and U.S. military installations. ARMA serves practicing medical assistants seeking nationally recognized certification and provides healthcare employers with credential verification services. The organization describes its membership base as "many thousands" of active registrants.

ARMA's operational technology consists of a web-based member portal integrating a CEU (continuing education unit) tracker, online application and pre-qualification forms, employer credential verification lookup, a member job postings board, and PayPal-based payment processing for membership dues, CEU packages, replacement cards, and reinstatement fees. These digital service layers supplement the core registry function, which remains the issuance and maintenance of R.M.A. credentials. The platform is built on standard web technologies without disclosed AI, machine learning, or advanced analytics components.

The business model is a non-profit membership fee structure. Revenue is generated from annual membership renewals, continuing education package purchases, replacement credential cards, application fees, and reinstatement charges under a progressive fee schedule that increases with the duration of lapsed membership. There are no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or enterprise contracts; the customer base consists entirely of individual medical professionals and healthcare employers utilizing verification services. The organization employs between 11 and 50 staff based in a single Westfield, MA location.

Name

American Registry of Medical Assistants

Legal name

American Registry of Medical Assistants

Website

https://arma-cert.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Registry of Medical Assistants is a federally registered non-profit founded in 1950 that issues the Registered Medical Assistant (R.M.A.) credential to medical assistants across all 50 U.S. states and military installations, operating a web-based portal for membership, CEU tracking, and employer verification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Assistant Certification

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAOAJAA

Medical Assisting (Clinical & Administrative)

Education/Vocational, Technical & Trade Education/Healthcare Allied & Clinical Support Training

Keywords

• Medical assistant certification
• Professional credential registry
• Registered medical assistant
• Continuing education credits
• Healthcare credentialing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Westfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership/Registration Fees: Annual membership fees for registered medical assistants. Renewals begin each October for the following calendar year. Fees increase progressively for late renewals (postmarked March–April) and become reinstatement fees after April 30.
2. Continuing Education Units (CEUs): Sale of CEU packages (online or print) for continuing education requirements. Members must earn 12 CEUs annually. Fees are separate from renewal fees.
3. Replacement Wallet Cards: $10 non-refundable fee for replacement wallet ID cards showing current registration status.
4. Application and Reinstatement Fees: Non-refundable application fees for new registrations and reinstatement fees for lapsed members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ARMA operates a national registry and certification program for medical assistants, awarding the Registered Medical Assistant (R.M.A.) credential and providing membership services, continuing education (CEU) packages, and a credential verification service for employers and individuals. The organization also maintains membership records and provides member resources to medical assistants practicing across all 50 U.S. states.

Product overview

ARMA operates as a national registry organization offering a unified certification and membership platform for medical assistants. The core offering is the Registered Medical Assistant (R.M.A.) certification program, with specialized designations for administrative-only (R.M.A.-A) and restricted scope assistants. Supporting the certification are annual CEU packages available in online and print formats, a CEU Tracker account system for continuing education management, and member services including employer verification, job postings, and replacement wallet cards. The pre-qualification application and reinstatement processes govern entry and re-entry to the registry. The organization is a non-profit entity incorporated in 1950, registered with the Federal Government in Washington, DC, and is recognized as a national certifying organization valid in all 50 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Registered Medical Assistant (R.M.A.) Certification National credential awarded to qualified medical assistants; recognized across all 50 U.S. states. Sold to individual medical-assistant practitioners seeking employment-eligible certification.
• Annual Membership / Renewal Recurring annual membership that maintains active R.M.A. credential status on the national registry. Sold to credentialed medical assistants as an annual renewal.
• Continuing Education (CEU) Packages Continuing education unit offerings that members purchase to satisfy the CEU requirements tied to annual credential renewal. Sold to credentialed medical assistants.
• Credential Verification Service Online lookup service that allows employers and third parties to confirm the active status of an R.M.A. credential holder. Sold to healthcare employers and human resources teams.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): ANCC is a larger, more established allied-health credentialing body under the American Nurses Association offering specialty certifications, accreditation, and CEU services — directly comparable in business model to ARMA but operating in nursing at materially greater scale.
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB): PTCB operates a similar credentialing model (national certification, CEU requirements, employer-recognized designation, online verification) but for pharmacy technicians rather than medical assistants — a structural analog illustrating how ARMA's model could scale with modernization.
• National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME): NBME is a much larger, established medical assessment organization that provides standardized examinations and credentialing support to medical professionals. It is a broad incumbent in the same credentialing/assessment category, though at a different scale and scope.

Direct peers

• National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT): NCCT offers the National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) credential and is a direct peer providing national MA certification, exam-based testing, and CEU tracking for working medical assistants.
• American Medical Technologists (AMT): AMT is a direct competitor offering its own Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential — overlapping directly with ARMA's R.M.A. designation — along with certifications across multiple allied health professions and CEU/recertification services.
• American Allied Health (AAH): AAH is a national certification and membership organization offering medical assistant and other allied health credentials, directly competing with ARMA in the same national MA certification market segment.
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA): NHA offers the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) certification and is a direct peer to ARMA, serving the same target population of medical assistants with a national credential, CEU offerings, and employer-recognized designation.
• American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA): AAMA is the most recognized national credentialing body for medical assistants, offering the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential. It is a direct competitor to ARMA's R.M.A. designation and the de facto market leader in MA certification, recognized by most healthcare employers.
• National Association for Health Professionals (NAHP): NAHP provides multiple allied health certifications including the Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA), serving a similar medical assistant population with comparable national credentialing, membership, and renewal/CEU services.

Others

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP): CAAHEP accredits allied health education programs, including medical assistant programs that feed graduates into ARMA, AAMA, and others. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant — not a direct competitor — but directly shapes the MA pipeline that ARMA depends on for new registrants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://arma-cert.org/membersonly/jobpostings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-registry-of-medical-assistants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Registry of Medical Assistants