[Ogopogo]

Originally Posted by nursingis4me

Hopefully, you'll never have that experience, but I know that it can and does happen-based on personal work experience (18+ years work experience); people react differently to corrections-no matter how kind-so sometimes you have to keep your thoughts in check~just know that it doesn't help you in trying to educate the patients on proper titles/terminolgy when the physicians refer to the medical assistant staff as "nurses" (that same patient may say to themselves that the word "nurse" must be correct, if the doctor is using it).

Well, that's a different case entirely. I could see how correcting them could offend them if they just heard the doctor refer to you as "nurse".

I was never referred to as "nurse" by any of the docs I worked for, so I didn't run into that problem. I would always correct patients who referred to me as "nurse".

BTW, thanks for keeping this conversation so polite. These threads can get nasty when people have different opinions.

[nursingis4me]

Originally Posted by Ogopogo

Well, that's a different case entirely. I could see how correcting them could offend them if they just heard the doctor refer to you as "nurse".

I was never referred to as "nurse" by any of the docs I worked for, so I didn't run into that problem. I would always correct patients who referred to me as "nurse".

BTW, thanks for keeping this conversation so polite. These threads can get nasty when people have different opinions.

1st things 1st---you're very welcome! It is wonderful when people who have never actually met can converse respectfully.

I'm also very glad to hear that your docs refer to you in the proper manner-it makes your job of "politely" educating patients about your actual title a lot easier! Here in PA, a lot of the docs put anyone who isn't an actual "physician" or "physician assistant" in a general category of "NURSE"-and that isn't fair to the licensed RNs, LPNs, or to anyone else working as an allied health professional.

[Ogopogo]

Originally Posted by nursingis4me

1st things 1st---you're very welcome! It is wonderful when people who have never actually met can converse respectfully.

I'm also very glad to hear that your docs refer to you in the proper manner-it makes your job of "politely" educating patients about your actual title a lot easier! Here in PA, a lot of the docs put anyone who isn't an actual "physician" or "physician assistant" in a general category of "NURSE"-and that isn't fair to the licensed RNs, LPNs, or to anyone else working as an allied health professional.

Are you currently enrolled in nursing school or going to in the future? Sounds like you'll be a great nurse, as I hope to be next August!

[nursingis4me]

Originally Posted by Ogopogo

Are you currently enrolled in nursing school or going to in the future? Sounds like you'll be a great nurse, as I hope to be next August!

Thanks for the encouragement!
I just got released from a student loan garnishment I received for not paying back the loan I got while in school for medical assisting (I know, dumb not to pay it on my own-but the end result is that it's now PAID IN FULL and I am once again eligible to receive aid), so I'm now looking into attending LPN school (or even RN school) on a part-time basis. I'd like to specialize in the geriatric population-as you can see from my previous posts, it's an area that's near & dear to me.
Although I know of a few LPN or RN schools in the Philadelphia, PA area, does one have any thoughts on the part time programs in the area (full time isn't an option-I have to continue to work, as 2 incomes-mine & my husband's-are needed to run our household)?

[sharona97]

I started m career as a CMA-Clinically. I mand more per hour (basewise) after I completed my LPN course. I have worked in facilities that used a MA job description for those assigned to work with doctors. LPN's were paid more and recognized as licensed if they were in triage, (against MN rules) or if they the LPN's worked in the shot room. I protested this and eventually my experience (so they said) was the deciding factor togive me a raise. I eventually moved on to where my licensure was recognized and my skills.

[shirleyjt2003]

honey, let me tell you from experience how it is, i was a cma before becoming a nurse, i was fed the same bull you are being fed , i was really *issed off my last semester of ma school when i found out the pay and started getting job offers here, my first offer was for 7.50 hr worked there to gain experience for about 6mos, then got a job for 9.oo hr working your tale off, worked there till i got pregnant with my son and doc took me off work, then when i went back to work got a job for 11.oo hr working my tale off right beside nurses who do the same exact thing that i did, made more money and had more authority, so i told my husband, i was going back to nursing school, i chose lpn b/c it only takes 12mos then you can get out get a good job, making good money, so i did, graduated with honors, top of my class, valdictorian, and love it, now make 19.oo hr and love my job, ma helped me get through nursing school and the experience i had did, but if i were you i would definitely choose LPN over CMA anyday. you have more opportunities, more place for advancement, more career choices, and make better money. i am glad i went back to nursing school and wished i never set foot wasting my time in ma school, 2 years wasted down the drain.
hope this helps,
Shirleyjt2003, LPN

[nursingis4me]

You stated that the LPNs/RNs you worked with had the same duties as you, yet they made more money and had more authority than you. I'm sure that happened because they were able to go to school and get more intense training than what's available to someone going to school for medical assisting. This is not to put down anyone who is currently a M. A. (I'm a medical assistant right now myself), but just a statement of fact. If I went back to school for my LPN or RN license (which I do plan on doing), I would want to be compensated for the time and engery I put into my chosen field of expertise. Working with someone does not mean that you are on the same level as they are; for if some type of medical emergency arose at your place of employment, people would look to the to the person with the highest amount of medical training for resolution of the situation, and that may be why there's an LPN or RN on staff (they may also be on staff to alleviate some of the pressure the docs feel in monitoring someone who is essentially unlicensed, and allow them to get back to what they really want to do-treat patients). That is not to say that you could not competently handle the crisis, but at some point, a person with a more detailed medical background would be needed. The biggest problem in healthcare seems to be one of resentment against those who may not have chosen the exact same field to work in. We all need to remember and understand that EVERY member of the healthcare profession is a vital part of what we have all chosen to do-CARE FOR OTHERS IN NEED!

[shirleyjt2003]

I agree with you, and i wasn't meaning to offend anyone, i was just telling my experience that i had, and I do accept everyone in the medical field working , everyone there is to do one thing, take care of their patient's, I know though with MA in my state you have to go to school for almost 3 years and get an associates degree and make way less money than nurses, and you learn alot of things, i just didn't think it was fair, the pay they paid you after all that training, I worked beside ma in a clinic after becoming a nurse and they made less money than the nurses, i didn't think it was fair, b/c they worked just as hard as the nurses did, and did the exact same work, but got paid a few dollars less an hour. But, do what is right for you and your situation, i enjoyed both fields, i just had to have more money to survive on and wanted to go further in my career. I treat ma, and cna's with alot of respect, b/c i have been in their shoes and held their titles before, a matter of fact i still keep my cma certification up. : ), i was just saying it wasn't fair for the recruiter to tell those lies, If i would have known the truth up front i would have went for LPN to begin with, and graduated alot sooner, making more money. : )

[SMK1]

Originally Posted by Cajun-Junkie

I dont think it fair to say one is better then another. Being in the Nursing profession, just means you have a compassion to help others. Doesn't it? Shouldn't that be all that matters?
I am a NRCMA, I graduated with a 3.67 GPA on the Deans list, and I know so much more about nursing then the charge nurse thats works with us. I do anything from vitals to venipuncture and if I wanted to I could work along with surgeons, However I have never called myself a Nurse (yet anyway) I started out doing the BSN program with a 3.6 GPA and just decided there were to many unnecessary courses to get me to where I want to be (CRNA) Being a CMA is a stepping stone for me. One that lets me work while Im in school. LPN is my next step, and then RN. Being a working CMA allows me to better my skills, keep my terminology fresh, and do what I love, Helping patients. In all aspects, I am a nurse/caregiver/phlebotomist/technician/ and anything else that fits here. Just because I have a different title beside my name does not mean I am not capable, or able to do what LPNs and Rn's do, it just means Im not licenced to do them yet. Every one has to learn, and Im sure some of you newer LPN's and RN's still struggle with certain aspects of your Job. Shouldn't you be willing to help teach us instead of bashing and downing us for essentially doing what you do "helping others"

Being in the nursing profession should not simply mean having compassion to help others. That is what a charity service is for or a self motivated volunteer. A Registered nurse is the person who understands the pathophysiology of a person't disease process and how it relates to their their body systems at the cellular level, their psychosocial issues, the community at large and the broader scope of public health issues. They are qualified to teach the patients about their disease process and how best to manage it. They are the people who are licensed by the state to improve the health and well-being of the community and to work to prevent disease and health breakdown. They are responsible for the totality of the patient's care and face repercussions from the decisions that they make and are held to specific standards of care as laid out by their state boards of nursing. A licensed practical nurse has the education to manage patients with chronic illnesses or acute illnesses under the clinical supervision of an RN or physician. They are qualified teachers, skilled planners and vital participants in the careplanning process and are able to use their judgement in making decisions regarding care of their patients. They are licensed and held to standards of care as set out by the state board. A medical assistant is in no way edcuated to the depth of an LPN let alone an RN. When you begin a nursing program (assuming acceptance), you will probably be suprised at what you don't know, that you thought you did. Even if you are that one person in a million who truly does "know everything" that a nurse knows already, you are not being held to the standards of a nurse. You cannot lose a license, probably won't be sued, won't be charged criminally as a result of your practice as an MA. Nurses not only have the education, but they hold the responsibility that goes with it.

[shirleyjt2003]

Originally Posted by SMK1

Being in the nursing profession should not simply mean having compassion to help others. That is what a charity service is for or a self motivated volunteer. A Registered nurse is the person who understands the pathophysiology of a person't disease process and how it relates to their their body systems at the cellular level, their psychosocial issues, the community at large and the broader scope of public health issues. They are qualified to teach the patients about their disease process and how best to manage it. They are the people who are licensed by the state to improve the health and well-being of the community and to work to prevent disease and health breakdown. They are responsible for the totality of the patient's care and face repercussions from the decisions that they make and are held to specific standards of care as laid out by their state boards of nursing. A licensed practical nurse has the education to manage patients with chronic illnesses or acute illnesses under the clinical supervision of an RN or physician. They are qualified teachers, skilled planners and vital participants in the careplanning process and are able to use their judgement in making decisions regarding care of their patients. They are licensed and held to standards of care as set out by the state board. A medical assistant is in no way edcuated to the depth of an LPN let alone an RN. When you begin a nursing program (assuming acceptance), you will probably be suprised at what you don't know, that you thought you did. Even if you are that one person in a million who truly does "know everything" that a nurse knows already, you are not being held to the standards of a nurse. You cannot lose a license, probably won't be sued, won't be charged criminally as a result of your practice as an MA. Nurses not only have the education, but they hold the responsibility that goes with it.

hey! in some ways i agree with what you are saying, i didn't get that deep into the body systems in ma school, like lpn school, i did learn a whole lot more stuff about nursing. ma's are geared to work in the clinics mainly, where nurses are geared for the hospital, etc.