CNA vs Medical Assistant

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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What is the difference between a CNA and a medical assistant?

Specializes in Med/surg, O.R.

There is a big difference from CNA and MA. I CNA mainly does bedside care,etc. A CNA can not draw blood, give injections, start IV's ( If MA most can't start IV's but some have the training for it). There is a lot that an MA can do that a CNA can't. A question I have is if you are a MA can you work as a CNA. I would say NO YOU DON'T HAVE THE CERTIFICATE. The reason i ask is because I work with a MA who is always trying to take all the xtra shifts that are open for us CNA's. How can she do that. She doesn't event knoe what to do when a patient needs help.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

I guess it depends on your career goals. There's nothing wrong with being a medical assistant- but if your ultimate goal is to be a nurse, I think it's a waste of money to pay for a medical assisting program, especially because a lot of these programs are pretty pricey. I don't know the job market for medical assistants in other states, but where I live it's very hard to find medical assistant jobs, but there are a TON of jobs for nursing assistants.

I decided to go with CNA, because the course was short, not pricey, and I knew that my future goal was to be a nurse.

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Pressure pressure so much pressure. :uhoh3:

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I so know how you feel. I have both the CNA and MA. I was offered a job on both last week. The MA position offered me $15.11/hr... and the CNA position was $16/hr as an independent contractor.

Finally, yesterday, I made a decision and kept the CNA position. If you're thinking on going into a nursing program, you'll have to quit an MA position because they're mostly office hours 9-5pm.

As a CNA, I work from 2pm-10pm...and increase or reduce my hours.

Go for the CNA is cheaper

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Specializes in med/surg, neuro, ortho,cardica,pacu.

Medical Assistants can work in settings where there is a physician present always. Outpatient and ambulatory care centers DO like to hire Medical Assistants, especially pain management clinics and these places are on fire!

They have SO MANY patients and they will hire a medical assistant versus a CNA because the patients do not stay long and only need discharge instructions, monitoring of vital signs and assistance to stand and get to a wheelchair and into a car. So there is a place for medical assistants. They learn excellent customer service skills

and how to deal with people. They do not get hands on training for patients that are bedbound or wheelchair bound, but they can learn as much as they want to learn in these settings.

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The one big difference between CNAs and medical assistants is that CNAs cannot give injections whereas medical assistants can

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Specializes in OB, Family Practice, Pediatrics.

I agree that private Medical Assistants programs are rampant and a rip-off! It is not possible to earn enough as a Medical Assistant to pay back the loans. In my area there are about five such schools. However, there are also two reputable, reasonably priced schools in my area; one is the technical college and the other is a University. Medical Assistants here start out at $ 12.00-

$ 14.00/hr. CNAs start out at about $ 10.00-$ 11.00/hr. Our hospitals use CNAs and Patient Care Techs (which are CNAs with phlebotomy and EKG training; trained by the hospitals). Generally though as people have said, MAs are able to do a lot more clinically than CNAs. The trend in my area is for MAs to be Certified, which many are not, or cannot be because they attended the private technical schools; of which all are not accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES.

Those accreditations are a requirement in order to be able to sit for the Certification exam through AAMA. So, although they are pumping out graduates left and right, many of them will not be hired. Here there are also a lot of jobs for CNAs and Patient Care Techs. Financial aid is available for people who qualify; for MA Programs, but is not available for CNA training because it is not a diploma or a degree. That may make a difference for a lot of people in the present economy. Our CNA programs are about $ 800.00 - $ 900.00 out of pocket. Many people do not have that kind of extra money laying around. All health care professionals are needed and the choice should be a personal one, taking all factors into account.

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Specializes in med/surg, neuro, ortho,cardica,pacu.

I was reading craigslistpotings for medical assistants and they all want 5 years experince, so where is a new medical assistant supposed get experience? They do 4 weeks of externship

where they do not get paid anything and then, where do they go from there?

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If you have an opportunity to work as a Medical Assistant please give that a chance.Nursing Assistant do the dirty work and do not get paid nothing.A medical assistant has a wider variety of things they can do and will get paid a whole lot more than a cna will.Definately go for a Medical Assistant.

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Specializes in Trauma, Emergency.

thought this might help? http://www.differencebetween.net/science/health/difference-between-cna-and-ma/

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Specializes in NICU( RN), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

I have been a medical assistant or about five years. Not all MA programs are a rip off, you just have to do your research. My program was only 1200 and it included scubs, stethoscope(littman), books, and ncct testing to say the least. My program was about 7 months with a 6 week externship at kaiser. I got a job within 2 weeks of finishing my externship making 16.24 an hour. Now I make 21.00 an hour. If ou look for MA jobs at private doctors offices the pay will be significantly lower. Ma's can make good money and acquire valuable skills. I am looking into a nursing program right now and a pre-req is to be a CNA, which is a bummer for me. But I just think of it as a stepping stone, not back tracking. I think going a cna route or MA route, no matter which is a good choice if your end goal is Becoming a Nurse. Think of how much clinicals will be a lot less stressful if you have mastered at least half of the skills that both professions use. If your end goal is not a nurse, I think becoming a medical assistant is the best bet.

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cnas can work anywhere, but you will typically see them in nursing homes and hospitals. CMAs will typically only work in a doctors office. The pay for CNA and CMA is about the same in my state, but CMA training takes a lot longer because you will gain more skills and training. It really comes down to preference, if you prefer to work in a doctors office then be a CMA, but if you want to work in a hospital, nursing home, hospice care, home healh... etc, then be a CNA.

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