MA's being used as "nurses"

Specialties Ambulatory

Published

Hello all! I work in a private practice office in which I am the only RN. There are several MA's and one LPN. My concern is that the MA's are referred to as "nurses". The patients often do not know that their "nurse" really isn't one. We all have the same job descriptions and duties, and I was told shortly after starting work (by a non-nurse office manager) that they consider MA's, LPN's and RN's to be the same (it is interesting, though, that I am paid an RN wage). We all are responsible for phone triage one day a week. The team leader for the "nursing staff" is also an MA!! Has anyone else run into this type of situation??

Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

This thread was started in 1999.

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This thread was started in 1999.

and unfortunatley still pertinent today :o

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
and unfortunatley still pertinent today :o

Yep, nothing's changed about that.

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Specializes in CARDIO, FAMILY PRACTICE, GERIATRICS,URO.

hello everyone, i feel that med. asst. should get paid for their specific jobs and lpn and rn for theirs. i think lpn and rn's go to school with intese training and are given a license for a reason but employers are getting away with by hiring ma's for cheaper and do everything we were training so hard for...now when things go bad... we are liable! one of the reasons i left med. asst. which was only 8 month training for me and that was when i went to high school so i can have a better pay job, i was able to do injections, diabetic ed., triage, wound care, phlebotomy, etc. it was great until employers started to demand more of me as a nurse. when i finally stood up and said no way... i was no longer able to find a good job. now i went to school for lpn but i am concern with once i start working will all my experience be taken in cosideration salary wise. i mean i was m.a. with lots of experience but when you apply as lpn or rn it seems like anything below that does not count??!!! any comments?!!! :uhoh21:

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hello everyone, i feel that med. asst. should get paid for their specific jobs and lpn and rn for theirs. i think lpn and rn's go to school with intese training and are given a license for a reason but employers are getting away with by hiring ma's for cheaper and do everything we were training so hard for...now when things go bad... we are liable! one of the reasons i left med. asst. which was only 8 month training for me and that was when i went to high school so i can have a better pay job, i was able to do injections, diabetic ed., triage, wound care, phlebotomy, etc. it was great until employers started to demand more of me as a nurse. when i finally stood up and said no way... i was no longer able to find a good job. now i went to school for lpn but i am concern with once i start working will all my experience be taken in cosideration salary wise. i mean i was m.a. with lots of experience but when you apply as lpn or rn it seems like anything below that does not count??!!! any comments?!!! :uhoh21:

unless you intend to work in a clinic, ma experience really won't beconsidered experience as a nurse. as you continue further in your education as a nurse you will understand why. good luck to you.

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This old post caught my attention because this just happened to me yesterday. I had to call a patients p.c.p., and I had heard they hired a med asst. that I knew. When I asked if a nurse was available, I was told "Just one minute, Mike will be with you ". Hummm, wonder if thats the same guy. Yup, he answers. I say, "Mike, your not a nurse". He says "I know , but they tell me to answer the calls as a nurse". To me, this shows little respect for nurses.

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I really cannot STAND when MA's call themselves nurses. I always say to them, "Oh, you're a registered nurse?" and the reply is always, "Well, no, I'm an MA." Nursing is an art, science, and philosophy and so much more multi-dimensional than being a Medical Assistant. I worked as a medical assistant for a very short time while I was in nursing school and I always corrected patients and my coworkers when they were referred to as nurses. I could go on and on about this. It's really aggravating to me. I worked so hard to make it through nursing school with very good grades (successfully) and pass my boards. People who don't go through this educational process don't deserve to call themselves a nurse. Alright...I'll get off my soapbox now.

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Specializes in IM/Critical Care/Cardiology.
hello everyone, i feel that med. asst. should get paid for their specific jobs and lpn and rn for theirs. i think lpn and rn's go to school with intese training and are given a license for a reason but employers are getting away with by hiring ma's for cheaper and do everything we were training so hard for...now when things go bad... we are liable! one of the reasons i left med. asst. which was only 8 month training for me and that was when i went to high school so i can have a better pay job, i was able to do injections, diabetic ed., triage, wound care, phlebotomy, etc. it was great until employers started to demand more of me as a nurse. when i finally stood up and said no way... i was no longer able to find a good job. now i went to school for lpn but i am concern with once i start working will all my experience be taken in cosideration salary wise. i mean i was m.a. with lots of experience but when you apply as lpn or rn it seems like anything below that does not count??!!! any comments?!!! :uhoh21:

hi narcan,

i can only speak for myself : i was a cma for 5 years before i became an lpn. my rate of pay went up tremendously and i also bartered for it with my experience in the working environment. ii started @$3.45/hr as cma and ended up with $14.72/hr. my last wage was &17.50/hr as lpn. an rn gave me a great idea near review time. to go into the review with paper in hand showing all the acheivments i had made that year, weather otj trainng, patient acuity, time mangment, problem solving, anything to show i was a team player and i expected an increase. if my immediate super didn't get it , i just made an appt with her sup and the same piece of paper. usualy came out with a $1 or more raise. after all we are doing the wwork right? just a thought.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.

Orion50,

Thank you for insightful posts!

ebear

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I know the beginning of this thread is really old, but I thought I would throw my 2 cents in like everyone else.

I am an ICU RN and have worked as such since I finished nursing school a couple of years ago. Before that, I was a Medical Assistant for about 12 years. I started out by going to school as a phlebotomist and worked my way into a wonderful doctors heart and he trained me to do other Medical Assistant duties. I never went to a formal Medical Assistant school.

He educated me well, along with some other doctors along the way. I also was very well read on anything medical, attended numerous continuing education courses and conferences. I listened intently to what drug reps said when they gave their spiel on the latest and greatest drugs and then talked with the docs to gain more knowledge. I was technically gifted.....I was the one people called when they couldn't cath a baby for a UA, or when someone couldn't do a venipuncture on a 2 month old.

I admit, initally when people started calling me a nurse I didn't correct them. It wasn't until several years later when I read an article calling into question Medical Assistants referring to themselves as nurses. I did not want to be accused of misrepresenting myself so I changed my tune and everyone else's I came into contact with.

I took the certification test and became a Certified Medical Assistant with the American Association of Medical Assistants. There were at least 2 times in my career as a CMA that I supervised other MA's, LPN's and RN's. It wasn't that I was telling these people how to practice but I was basically setting policies for the office after the doctors signed off on them.

MA's do NOT work under a nurse's license. They work under the physician's license (at least in the states that I have worked).

In my years of working as an MA, I have seen my fair share of MA idiots who didn't know jack crap. But let me say, as an ICU RN I have seen my fair share of idiot nurses too.

Stop throwing each other under the bus!! MA's have their roles and RN's have theirs. I really don't believe that there is anything an RN can do that an MA can't do in an office setting, or at least in a Family Practice or Pediatrics office. Maybe in an Oncologists office where RN's give chemo, or an Infectious Disease office where RN's put in PICCs, but I really can't think of many other places.

Someone mentioned that MA's are calling in orders to the hospital and passing themselves off as nurses...........As an RN, I never take an order over the phone from an MA, or RN for that matter. My hospital requires that the physician give the order to me, the RN taking care of the patient.

Just one more little note. I was well respected as an MA, for my experience, knowledge and resutls and I was well paid.....very well paid. In fact, after graduating nursing school, I actually took a pay cut to go to work in the ICU, granted it was only $0.65/hr less, but it was less (yes, I work in Oklahoma one of the lowest RN paying states in the nation). :angryfire

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Thanks for such a fair and balanced statement, OKIE. I didn't know, however, that MAs get well-paid (anywhere).

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Specializes in OB, Family Practice, Pediatrics.

“An M.A. is not a nurse”. That’s true, but an MA does perform nursing procedures; as well as procedures from many other professions; and is taught “critical thinking.”. An MA receives training from the following professions:

Nursing

Laboratory Technician

Surgical Technician

EKG Technician

Respiratory Technician

Dietetic Technician

Medicoparalegal

Psychology

Pharmacy

I have never heard any of the other professions as hostile about MA’s saying that they perform the same duties as the other professions. Granted, in order to pursue any of the above professions requires additional schooling; BUT, an MA would have an advantage in pursuing any of the above areas, just by having been trained in the basic skills of each of the professions. Besides, MA’s may also have other degrees besides Medical Assisting, which have given them additional knowledge and experience above the basic skills of each of the above professions. Certification vs. Licensure is a political thing. If they would make Medical Assisting a Licensed profession, maybe it would bring more credibility and accountability. As it stands, there isn’t even mandatory Certification; and programs do not have to be accredited. However, because Medical Assistants work under the physician’s license, they are really not limited by a “scope of practice” in most states. Medical Assistants, however, are required to take an exam, just like nurses, to prove their knowledge; in order to get their Certification. Continuing education contact hours are also required.

It is unfortunate that some of our society is so elitist and some so insecure. We each have our own path in life. Not all Medical Assistants can or want to be LPN’s/RN’s or LPN’s want to/can be RN’s. Those who do want to should, but should stop judging everyone else. Nurses are specifically trained to work in hospitals and Medical Assistants are specifically trained to work in Ambulatory Care, for the most part. However, Illinois is hiring Medical Assistants to work in hospitals. Medical Assistants really have no reason to call themselves nurses. They should be proud of being trained professionals, who have a significant impact on patient care. Those who are Certified, should be even more proud. In regard to pay, part of it has to do with our lousy economy, and the area of the country you are in. In my area Medical Assistants are paid $ 12.00-$ 14.00/hr.; not bad money; but yet more than LPN’s in some areas; that resentment is understandable. That has to do with economy, not with the contribution of each of the professionals or their education. If someone doesn’t want to work in a hospital, there is little reason for them to pursue nursing. Just my two cents. Try to have a good day everyone and be proud of who and what you are.

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