Medical Assistants in the office

Vailgang · Apr 15, 2004

I have only had limited contact with CMA and the ones that I have had contact with I am not impressed with them or their attitude. A student who was doing her intership at our clinic tried to tell me how to do my job when I had worked there for over 3 years. Needless to say I don't have much respect for her. Another one who was training in our office tried to tell me that I was going to file!! I am the nurse and I work the back office and I don't file. The other students that have been in our office were always late or didn't show or had to be gone. The were scared of the back office and only wanted to do paper work. Sorry to stereotype them but to me I am not impressed and hope that Dr's realize one of the reasons for increased malpractice insurance. Also do these CMA's know that they may think it is cool to play nurse but along with that is being sued if you don't know your job and trying to do a job you are not qualified for?

tiroka03, LPN · Apr 15, 2004

On my unit we have an n/ar who is studying to be a MA. She has been studying for the past 15 years for this position. Stil haven't passed it. :uhoh3: But, the attitude she has about her education and skills is amazing. She has made the statement that LPN's and RN's are trained monkeys. Are they learning this in their schools? She states she has more education then us and therefore is better equipped to make decisions. Following are some of her decisions:

When choosing who to treat in an emergency, she picks constipation over severe sob and chest pain.

How many inches in a foot? she asks, you tell her 12. Oh! But, then how do you know how many inches a 41 inch person is? Inches? How about feet dear? Oh. How do you know that? Divide it by 12 you say. Why she asks. You say then you know how many feet. Oh, she says how many inches in a foot? gritting your teeth you say 12 . Oh, she says are you sure, maybe you should look it up to be sure.

When asking her during a flu outbreak on the unit, how many people had emesis and how many had loose stools, she says, well someone else took care of the pt in rom 102. You say fine. Two minutes later she says. OH MY GOODNESS are you charting without asking the other person. Of course not. Then she feels the need to ask again "I wouldnt chart that without asking the other person you are wrong you know. Again of course I am not charting this, I am working on medicare, if she cared to look. She now feels the need to be my supervisor.

When asked what the UOP is she states 361 cc - your kidding right?

When this genius checks and changes a person, she states I think they are having a heart attack. when you check the person said, what? I told her I had a big mac attack.

When the urine is very slightly concentrated, she states they are in renal failure, she know the color and smell of renal failure by heart.

Need I go on.

She says one of the major hospitals in town will be soon replacing ALL it's nurses with people like her. Because people like her are so much more educated then people like us.

How many inches are in a foot?

No she is not a MA and I have never worked with one, but if she is any indication of what the attitudes are - I'm frightened. These are all real examples in the past month. She is due to graduate in one month.

Oh, and not too long ago, this gem. When doing a c-diff and finding it positive, we decieded not to repeat this test as a positive is what we were looking for. She stated I would always do three stool test on everything no matter what. Oh, I say I quesse I was wrong. You see we were doing the c diff test to check for e-coli in the stool. Had we found there was e-coli in the stool the person would be in certian trouble. Yes, she says, I've heard of the test looking for e-coli in the stool, it's a very important one. Too bad you aren't more aware of the tests you are doing and their importance. Just think of that person, she might have had e-coli in her stool and you would have to give her antibotics to kill it. And if you didn't test three times - well that could be a disaster. Good thing I am persistant isn't it?

Good thing she is so well trained, and oh by the way, she is already calling herself nurse.

newgrad04 · Jul 22, 2004

I was a MA for 17 years and I ran into many other MA's referring to themselves as "nurses". By now, I finished school and finally got my RN license. The last job I took prior to graduating from nursing school was in a GI outpatient office that never had a licensed nurse before. They've always worked with MA's. Very difficult, I can tell you. The last MA that left here before I started left a big mess behind, i guess, because she did not really have the skills required to do the job. With no licensed personell available, telephone triage, assessment, injections, prescriptions, patient teaching, .... everything was done by MA's. I don't think that's such a good and safe idea. I don't think I could have done the job the way it was supposed to be done without having the knowledge that I gained by going through school while working there. Now that I graduated and got licensed - I still work in the same office. I love my job, my co-workers (all non-medical) are very nice, and I really enjoy working for my doctors. And they are sooo proud to finally have a nurse.

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Jul 23, 2004

You shouldnt feel offended if someone ask to see the vials of meds you drew up. Let me give you a perfect example to shed somelight on this. What if you took your baby into a pedi office for upper resp infection or whatever. And the Physicain ordered a hefty dose of Rhocephin . Wouldnt you want to make sure the med was mixed right. This little senerio should change your mind. I bring the vials with me to the room and always have. I have no problem showing my patients what they are getting it is their body. I was a MA prior to being a nurse so I have seen both sides. I by no means are questioning your ability in your profession but CMA's do not get the pharmacology background they need to be giving injections or med's period. So feeling betrayed distrusted whatever that's a hang up you need to deal with , everyone has a right to know what they are receiving.:)

This comes about ALL the time. So, I'll say me peice on it as I usually have to do to clarify my career to others in the medical profession. I am CMA. I do injections, phlebotomy, EKG's, limited X-rays, some triage, RX refills and many other things. I DO NOT, assess a patient, formulate patient care plans or diagnoses, handle IV therapy or meds, triage to a RN ability. I am not a nurse, and I don't portray myself as one. However, the nurses and MD's here all know I am a CMA ( we are a 14 person practice), and they still refer to me as Dr. M's NURSE. I'm thrown in with the general "nursing staff". I am very confident in my ability to treat patients AS DIRECTED by my supervising physician. I do have critical thinking skills and the deisre to always learn, that enable me to know the differences between meds that I handle and call in, know what is urgent and what is not, and when to ask the nurse for help. I would feel very offended if a nurse asked me to show her the vials of medicine I was giving before I gave her the injections. As would you if another nurse asked the same. If this is truely the case, the lack of trust and understanding, or complete apparent lack of education on part of the MA, in your community, you should be bringing it up to the mdical board of that facility. As should anyone who obsereves a medical professional acting unsafely.
I think all MA's should have a minimum 2 years of training. I have an associates degree in medical assisting. I also think all MA's should have some kind of EMT or patient assessment, emergency training to bump up their skills.
I strongly believe that MA's should not cross the boundaries seperating them and the nurses they work with. Granted, many of our responsibilities are the same, and sometimes there are no lines between the roles, but there are skills and critical thinking that MA's just aren't taught.
i am considering LPN school to bump up my skills and finally have the title of nurse. I'm tired of having to explain to everyone what I do, and no, I'm not a nurse, even though I work in the clinic and do "nursing" things. I have several friends who are CMA's and I would never distrust them. My Doctor's assistant is wonderful and competent and caring.
Lisa

Nanceenurse · Aug 7, 2004

I have been an RN for almost 26 years and also have my masters degree. I am currently working in a supervisory position for a large practice connected with a major teaching hospital. We employ RN's and CMA's. This rivalry between nurses and MA's has been going on for years. I have to be honest here. I've employed quite a number of highly skilled MA's, some with their BS in science as their undergrad basis. I and others in a supervisory capacity have had MA's that were more astute in their position then some of the RN's. We RN's tend to have a "holier than thou" attitude and a complacency when it comes to even physicians we work, let alone MA's. We are still the only profession

that you can obtain RN licensure through a 2 year or 3 year diploma program and or a bachelors degree program. The war among nursing is far from being over either. Until the nursing profession makes permanent changes to elevate the standards of their education system things will never change. One can't teach school, or be a chemical engineer with a diploma program vs a college degree so why does nursing belittle itself in this way? The point is there are different schools of accreditation with Medical Assisting as well. We only hire those that are highly specialized in clinical training and theory. Many of these schools are taught by highly skilled RN's. The bottom line is there is a place for both of these positions in an office or clinic setting. I have found often that nurses overstep their boundaries as well with regard to giving out pt information. Unless you are a Nursepractioner, nurses are not in the position qualification wise or licensed wise to diagnose or to prescribe medication yet many do. I think all of us in nursing have worked with wonderfully trained and caring staff in our lives but have also encountered many RN's that lack skills pertaining to assessment or even decent clinical treatment. How many times have RN's been called on the carpet for poor people skills that make you wonder why did this person go into this profession in the first place? There is a severe nursing shortage in this country for a good reason. If nurses can't command respect, they usually don't give respect to each other or others who work in varying medical capacities.

cmtbarb · Aug 7, 2004

after reading all the complaining about cma's vs rn/lpn i have to wonder what i will be thought of when i enter the working force as a cma, i am a former nursing student who was capped but due to illness of hubby had to quit....i have studied what lpn's study and the classes are not that different in critical areas...no one in their right mind would over step their certification skills/with fear of losing that certification, no more than an rn/lpn would act as the doctor.

ImAnMa · Oct 17, 2004

Hello I am new to this Board, In Fact this is my first post!!! I read this topic from the first post to the last and really was amazed at some of what I read, I am a Medical Assistant I do not present myself as a Nurse I do not call myself a Nurse and I have corrected Patients in the past when they have called me a nurse, I do work with some great and I mean really great nurses who have loved teaching me, leading me, showing me and instructing me and helped in perfecting my skills, they have never shown any resentment towards my desire to help them and to care for people/patients.

And Because as nurses they have shown the greatest of care in teaching me I have excelled in my job and enjoy a great relationship with the Patient's the Dr and the friendship and respect I have for MY NURSES is endless.

I work in a clinic/office and yes i can do the front office but I dont the Dr and the Nurses prefer to utilize my skills in the clinical setting, My Dr calls me his nurse from time to time however he knows I am a medical assistant and thus he fully understands my limitations and my need for guidance at times, the patients i work with understand I perform many nursing duties and i provide much to them in the way of teaching, learning and nursing advise however when their needs exceed my knowledge they know i will step aside and get the nurse or Dr to assist me in learning how to meet that need for them.

In closing i think that its all about the medical team working together to give the best medical tx to each and every patient

Team Work works, I am a medical assistant part of a medical team of health care providers am I am very happy with my tital as Medical Assistant I play an important part in each pateints health care and I make a difference in many peoples life and that after all is what really matters not how long i went to school :balloons:

Dsulyma · Oct 26, 2004

Im a Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist. I would just like to say that I dont think I am a Nurse nor will I introduce myself as one. I am very proud of being an RMA. The nurses in my department that I work for now are very greatful that I am helping them any way I can. I am NOT looking to take there job or there title. The nurses I work for now are very secure with themselves and dont complain about anything. If there is something that they would like to teach me, then I am more than willing to learn. We learn from each other. There were times that I knew something and they didnt. I would inform them of new things and they appreciated it.

Some nurses shouldnt think that they are all high and mighty because they have a higher title. I have worked with some really incompetent nurses in the past. You got good ones and you got bad ones.

Whenever a patient asks me what my title is, I tell them that I am a medical assistant. Its not like I just walked off the street and started to work there. I worked for my certification and I get the respect for it. Even the doctors I work for dont look down at me. I am there to help everyone. :)

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Nov 1, 2004

In the healthcare profession, there is a lot of people from the top to the "hired help" that act high and mighty, mainly from their lack of confidentce. It's been called "nurses eating their young" and I too have worked with people who have been hight and mighty, but we have had an exchange on educational experiences as well. I have been an UAP for seven years (2 years of internship 5 years acute care), and I decided to go to nursing school. I got treatment just the same or worse at times until I showed my expertise as a "Nursing Assistant" (even one instructor has attempted to "eat" myself and several others who have experiennce, as well as ones who do not!!) and what educational additons and showed myself to be competent and compassionate for what I want to do and have done for many years.

What I am trying to say is that If you know your skills and you care about who you care for-the patient-that's what matters, nothing else:).

Fun2, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2005

I know this is an old post, but here's my 2 cents:

I am a medical assistant as well. I am not working, as I am going to a local cc to get my RN.

As a CMA, the only "RN" at any place I worked was the supervisor. Some places only had another CMA as a supervisor.

We were referred to as "nurses" because we "nursed", not because we were RN's. If asked by patients, I would explain to them I was a medical assistant, not a nurse.

I gave up trying to explain this to my lil' one though....."Mommie, when you were a nurse...." hahahahaha

I guess I will be offended with a MA being called nurse when I get to where I will be the RN. :)

As for asking to see vials, that is not really offensive...just cautious.

I started hemorraging after my lil' one was born. Some guy came towards my leg with a syringe. I put my arm up, and stop his hand in mid air to ask what he was about to give me. .....CAUTIOUS...... ty :)

stbernardclub · Jan 10, 2005

Having been in both jobs...m.a and r.n, actually was a lab tech also, but thats another story, lol, I never called myself a nurse nor do I remember our Dr calling me a nurse ( before I was a nurse). If a nurse asked to see a vial, which by the way I usually did not handle because our nurses drawn up their own meds and gave them, I would not be offended. What if it was the wrong vial?? You would be real thankful someone caught that now wouldn't you. Just as when I ran labs for the Dr after I became a lab tech, I would always want to see the order myself, I would not go by what the nurse said. Mistakes happen, and I would like to make sure they do not.Basically, just do the job your supposed to be doing. Do not push your work on someone else.Why call yourself a nurse and take on more responsibilities than your being paid for. No one person is better than another.

curleysue · Jan 10, 2005

Wow this is a mess. I totally respect the nurses and what they have gone through with schooling to have all that knowledge and skills, its an honor to be able to call themselves "NURSES". MA's and CMA, CNA's they all do their work and what they have been trained to do and should not go beyond their scope of practice and not let patients get by with calling them the "nurse". They should audomatically correct them and say "oh I am a medical assistant, not the nurse". I think that is the appropriate way. And doctors should be taught to recognize the difference and refer to them in the correct way.

I think this is a very important issue. When you go to the doctor I automatically assume that person that admits me and gets info from me is a nurse however these days that has changed. All nurses, MA's, CNA, and CMA's should wear a badge stating their correct position. It would be nice for the patients to note who they are talking to and what questions to ask whom. For instance when the person admiting me asks about my meds I list them off with dosages and such and then is amazes me that they start to say and you take that med for? What?! You don't know. That makes me uncomfortable.

But really I am not trying to belittle anyone. I myself am a student nurse, CNA, and when I worked in the hospital and a patient called me nurse, I automatically said, "no I am the nurse's aid, would you like me to get the nurse or can I help you?" As long as it is in my scope of practice, it was okay for me to do. I think everyone should study their scope of practice and abide by it.

Anyways, I don't want to get anyone mad at me and hope I didn't say anything offending. I just like the idea of people wearing badges saying their title at all times and just practicing within what they have been trained and certified to do. :)