MA's being used as "nurses"

Mn.linda · Mar 13, 2001

I work in an office with 10 Dr's each has his/her own asst. 4 of the 10 are Ma's the rest are L.P.N's , as am I. The Ma's are great people I enjoy working with them. My concern is the knowlage base these ladies have . They surely have a wider knowlage of office,billing, and lab then I do. However while they spent their 12mo. learning "all" of that, I as an L.P.N spent 12mo. learning health mantinace,desease process,basic med's applacation, get the picture?If Ma's are doing the same job Nurses are doing, what about the saftey of patient?To have an Ma step in and call herself a nures worries me also in the fact that management does not pay an Ma as they do L.P.N's and will that then risk our job security as office nurses?The wage of the office nurse has always been lower then that of nursing home and hospital( You know the old saying of supply and demand )What will happen to the role of the office nurse if clinic can use Ma's to do what we as nurses are educated to do?Let alone what it will do to the aready low wages..

In closeing just let me say this, I respect the ladies who are Ma's in our office I just question their knowlage and legal right to do what I do.

xmasbabe · Mar 19, 2001

I as an L.P.N spent 12mo. learning health mantinace,desease process,basic med's applacation, get the picture?If Ma's are doing the same job Nurses are doing, what about the saftey of patient?To have an Ma step in and call herself a nures worries me also in the fact that management does not pay an Ma as they do L.P.N's and will that then risk our job security as office nurses?

WOW! I COULD HARDLY GET THROUGH THIS NURSES POSTING. A SPELLING CLASS OR TWO SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THIS NURSES CURRICULUM! I JUST QUICKLY COUNTED AT LEAST 15 SPELLING ERRORS. I FEEL A LITTLE EMBARRASSED AS AN LPN. HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH SCHOOL WITHOUT SPELLING ABILITIES? (SO SORRY, BUT I JUST HAD TO SAY IT.)

winniewoman9060ret · Mar 23, 2001

We all play a role in caring for the patients. I am an RN of 23 years and work in a clinic with 15 other staff for 12 primary care doctors and 1 NP. It's the little rewards that keeps me coming back to work everyday. I have been here the longest. Staff turnover is a real issue. Clearer roles and job descriptions would help a lot in clearing up questions. We all play an important role in keeping people well. It's the long term people regardless of the level of working that goes a long way in helping someone. We all have gifts to offer. We are here to help. Isn't that the bottom line??

Reading some of these posts make me realize how we most look to other professions? We can't decide what the roles are?? WE need to decide rather than have some one else tell us.

kewlnurse · Mar 24, 2001

Is it spelling or is it typing?!? Personally, i can spell, and can type acuratly about 25 wpm, however wheni post i type at about 75 wpm and don't go back and check

WOW! I COULD HARDLY GET THROUGH THIS NURSES POSTING. A SPELLING CLASS OR TWO SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THIS NURSES CURRICULUM! I JUST QUICKLY COUNTED AT LEAST 15 SPELLING ERRORS. I FEEL A LITTLE EMBARRASSED AS AN LPN. HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH SCHOOL WITHOUT SPELLING ABILITIES? (SO SORRY, BUT I JUST HAD TO SAY IT.)[/b]

jamistlc · Apr 20, 2001

Gretings all,

I am a LPN and have worked as the Clinical Nurse Supervisor at a Family Practice Physician's office, very high volume 100 pt's a day, one Doc! The MA's are not ID'ed as a such and assumed to be a Nurse by clients. I differentiated myself by wearing a long lab coat with my full name and title. The MA called in prescriptions, wrote impressions for the Doc, and did testing after I trained them on various equipment. I felt like I was just barely practicing within my realm and the MA was doing much of the same duties minus the physician letters to MCO's and insurance or community agencies. I got out because I felt I was endangering my licensure. Even though I was told these actions I and the MA's were doing (not listed because I know they were beyond the scope of practice) was part of the office protocol and standing orders, and as such the Doc would cover us, yea right my license or his, hum who's go's?

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Jeanbean · Apr 21, 2001

Part of the reason I left the office I was in was that I was also training MA's to do things out of their scope and was told that they were doing it under the MD's license, not mine. I didn't want to risk being involved in a lawsuit, couldn't stand by to see patient safety being compromised, and got tired of overhearing MA's on phone triage who didn't know what they were talking about. I worked in a urology office with an MA who once said "renal- is that the kidney?"- unfortunately she was not kidding. She was also the team leader, believe it or not.

Wow I had no idea when I started this post 1 1/2 years ago it would still be going. I'm not even in nursing anymore- I'm a full-time mom to a 6-month-old and loving it!!

fiestynurse · May 3, 2001

First of all, MAs do practice under the doctor's license, although the nurse can assist in their supervision and training, it is the doctor's that are held legally liable if the MA screws-up.

Secondly, most states have a legal scope of practice for Medical Assistants. Here in California, the California Code of Regulations clearly spells out what a Medical Assistant can and cannot do. I make sure that every MA and MD in my organization has a copy of this. I also have the MD sign something that informs him/her that they are ultimately responsible for what this MA does.

There have been deaths attributed to the illegal use of Medical Assistants in the office and this has been under stict scrutiny by the state of California. Let has been a lot of physician education regarding what a Medical Assistant can do.

Thirdly, it is illegal in the state of California to call a Medical Assistant a nurse. They are not nurses!! The public should not be led to believe that they are talking to a educated, licensed nurse, when they are not.Huge legal liability here!!

People are reprimanded in my organization if they are caught doing this.

redridnghud · May 4, 2001

M.A.'s are not Nurses...an M.A. is the "doctors" creation in answer to the professionalism that R.N.'s have achieved. The M.A. should be correctly termed...C.D.F.-Certified Doctor Flunky.....

robynv · Jan 20, 2006

Hello,

Um.. I take offense at that last comment. "The M.A. should be correctly termed...C.D.F.-Certified Doctor Flunky..... I want to be a nurse, but since the waiting list is so long I thought I'll be an MA instead for a while. My husband is in the USAF and we would have moved by the time I got into the program. I can do this in one year. No, I'm not a nurse. But I still bothered to get an education and have some basic medical knowledge. There was a post talking about MA's not knowing what an aprical pulse is. Well we learned that the first week. As I read this thread ( I got directed here by a search engine looking for info about schools in a new location in a few years.) I'm just feeling like you all think MA's are useless and stupid. I really don't think that I am either of those things. I'm just trying to get my foot in the door.

My school here is well known for sending out very well prepared graduates. I will be taking both the RMA and Phlebotomy exams. I expect to pass both with flying colors. I think MA's deserve more respect than comtempt.

Nurse Ratched, RN · Jan 21, 2006

I'm sure you're a fine MA. :)

The thread is several years old, so we'll do our best not to get all flamey over it. Meantime, welcome to allnurses - and please thank your husband for his military service (and to you also, for supporting him until you are in a place to continue on in your education.)

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Jan 22, 2006

I e-mailed several of these CMA schools, about a year ago, who actually refer to their graduates as nurses, I cited the law regarding using the title "nurse". I never heard back from any of them. I assume they know advertising using the word nurse is not ethical but don't care as long as they draw in students=money. I have no problem with an MA if they identify themselves as such. My PCP has several MA's and they are wonderful at their jobs and do correctly identify themselves.

LorraineCNA · Jan 22, 2006

I am a CNA and also a CMA. I work in an extremely busy family practice, front office and back. I do EKG's, phlebotomy, injections, hemoccults, urinalysis, etc.

I'm in PA and I really did want to go to nursing school. Unfortunately, LPN's are rarely hired by hospitals here now and most LPN's are in the LTC arena, which I knew I didn't want to do. At my age, I didn't want to go the RN route. The only local school had a 2 year wait list. The other nearest was an hour away on a good day with good weather. I still had kids home and couldn't see getting up at 4:30 a.m. to make it to a 7 a.m. clinical an hour and a half away in the middle of winter here.

We have 5 MA's and an RN for one doctor. We wear badges that clearly state our titles. We do not "impersonate" nurses. If I'm EVER unsure of anything I ask. And yes, if someone calls me a nurse, I correct them. I have the utmost respect for the RN that I work with. She is always willing to answer questions. On many occasions I have gone to her with questions...for example...one pt's glucose reading was extremely high but our doc had reviewed and ok'd it as normal. I asked her why and she had explained to me the extenuating circumstances of the reading. She never regards me as stupid, unqualified or uneducated. If fact, I think she values the fact that I want to understand these aspects. She doesn't demand respect, she commands it.

That being said, I love my job. It does bother me however that a lot of nurses think we MA's were just pulled in off the street with no formal training. I've worked with nurses I've had the utmost respect for and nurses who didn't know their butt from a hole in the ground, it had nothing to do with their "title".

Just my 2 cents.

Lorraine