My externship was only 90 hours. Is that enough to list as work experience?

Yes — any supervised clinical hours from an accredited MA program belong in your work history. List the total hours clearly (90 clinical externship hours) so there is no ambiguity. Ninety hours at a busy urgent care is more than enough to generate real, quantified bullets across phlebotomy, vital signs, rooming, and EHR use.

I failed my CMA exam on the first try. Should I mention I am re-sitting?

You are not required to disclose an exam attempt. List your credential status accurately: if you are scheduled to re-sit, write CMA-eligible (AAMA), exam scheduled [Month Year] in the Certifications section. Do not say you passed if you did not. Many successful MAs passed on their second sitting — the exam attempt history is not on your credential verification.

Should I include my high school diploma if I have an MA certificate?

Include your high school diploma only if your MA certificate is your highest credential and the job posting requires a diploma. If you have any post-secondary credential (MA certificate, associate degree), omit the high school diploma — it adds no signal and takes a line. Education section should read from highest to lowest credential.

What if I did not get to do phlebotomy on real patients during my externship?

List lab skills you did practice (capillary puncture, specimen processing, centrifuge operation) and note venipuncture skills lab training if that is accurate. Do not list venipuncture as a competency if you only watched. Many first MA jobs include a brief phlebotomy orientation for new grads — being honest about your skill level is better than overstating it and struggling on day one.

Is it worth applying to jobs that say 1-2 years of experience required when I have only externship hours?

Yes — those postings are aspirational minimums, not hard filters. If your resume meets the skills checklist (EHR named, procedures listed, credential held or pending), hiring managers routinely interview candidates with supervised externship hours in lieu of paid experience, especially for practices that prefer to train their own staff. Apply, and address the experience requirement directly in your cover letter: note your externship hours, your certification status, and your readiness for immediate contribution.

Blog

Medical Assistant Resume No Experience: First MA Job

June 12, 2026 · By The Pharm Editorial

A medical assistant resume with no paid work experience is not a blank page — your externship or clinical rotation hours are your work history. The difference between a resume that gets callbacks and one that does not is usually one thing: whether the externship is written as real, quantified work or as a passive observation.

Are Externship Hours Real Work History?

Yes. From a hiring manager perspective, 160-240 supervised externship hours at a clinic or physician office are clinical work history — you performed procedures, interacted with patients, and used EHR systems under supervision. The phrase under supervision belongs in the role description, not in the job title. Your job title is Medical Assistant Extern or Clinical Extern, Medical Assisting — not Student or Observer.

Write it like a job:

Medical Assistant Extern
[Clinic Name] — [City, State] - [Month Year] to [Month Year]
160 externship hours (accredited MA program, [Program Name])
- Performed 80+ venipunctures and capillary draws with less than 5% re-stick rate
- Roomed 15-20 patients/day; obtained vitals (BP, temp, pulse ox), chief complaint, medication list
- Administered 30+ injections (IM, subcutaneous) under physician supervision
- Processed 100+ patient encounters in [EHR System]; scheduled follow-ups, updated problem lists
- Assisted with 12 minor procedure setups (wound care, suture removal, speculum exams)

Those are not padded numbers — they are real figures from a standard 160-hour externship in a busy family medicine or internal medicine office. Estimate conservatively based on your actual site volume and keep your bullets honest.

How Do You Write Bullets When You Have No Numbers Yet?

The externship numbers above come from counting. Before you write your resume, tally:

Total supervised hours (your program records this)
Daily patient volume at your site (ask your supervising MA or front desk)
Number of phlebotomy draws you personally completed (your log or competency checklist)
Number of injections you administered
Which EHR system you used and for how long

Status	What to write	Where it goes
CMA (AAMA) — passed	CMA (AAMA)	After your name at the top, in the credentials line
RMA (AMT) — passed	RMA (AMT)	After your name at the top, in the credentials line
Exam-eligible, not yet taken	CMA-eligible (AAMA), exam scheduled [Month Year]	In Certifications section, not after your name
CCMA (NHA) — passed	CCMA (NHA)	After your name, same placement as CMA
Exam not yet scheduled	Do not claim credential; list Medical Assisting Certificate, [Program], [Year]	Under Education

Tools & resources we recommend

Tools & resources we recommend

Medical Assistant Resume No Experience: First MA Job

Are Externship Hours Real Work History?

How Do You Write Bullets When You Have No Numbers Yet?

CMA (AAMA) vs. RMA (AMT): Where Does Your Credential Go?

How Do You Split Front-Office vs. Back-Office Skills?

What Goes in the Professional Summary When You Have No Experience?

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