ATTN: Becoming a Medical Assistant=Waste of Time

Nurses General Nursing

Published

i went to a school by the name of concorde career college( im sure sounds familiar) located in tx, tn, ca, and fl. this school, got me all excited by basically persuading me that i could be the equivalent to lpn status with the skills i was to learn in a "short"nine months and also guaranteed job placement assistance at the end of the course. before i went, i attempted to ask nurses that i had already been working with ( cna for 7 years), of their opinion about me attending to earn such title. many of them, didn't even know what a ma was or how you came about getting to be one, one lpn told me that it wasn't worth it and that it was a waste of time and money. but me, i was so determined to go to college and finish to get a degree in this field so that i could have a high skilled job while attending school to get my rn degree in the near future. i did training, did externship at a clinic, didn't get hired, and was only able to obtain 4 interviews out of 50 or more resumes sent out. then i thought, i should go ahead and get state certified, maybe that was what was keeping me from getting work. i was so anxious to get certified, that on my first attempt i was 4 points away from getting certified. :madface: i eventually found out that everywhere i go, i hear that this school has a reputation, i don't know about the other states, but the memphis, tn campus has a lot of reputation for sending students out on extern fairly skilled and not knowing anything that is truly required in the curriculum. i understand how important is to be certified, but still, you have to literally be experienced starting at 2 years even if you were, in a clinic. how are entry-level students supposed to practice their craft if they can't get in ?! i have been out of school a year and working odd end staffing jobs, its just not a great thing to pick up unless you are eager to just bein the medical field period. i'm gonna go prepare to finish getting my rn degree. and with a lasting note, i'm even somewhat skeptical about that , because the economy has made it where even rn's are havin a hard time getting work, that's krazy ! anyone considering, please go and do research on the school before you attend, this is 12 grand down the drain !:madface:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

MA is a ton of money and it isn't the equivalent of a nurse no matter what they try and tell you. You also have more limited job opportunities because they aren't hired in all areas of healthcare. Most MAs end up in a lot of debt because they make slightly more than CNAs and no where near RNs. but pay a ton of money for their education. Unfortunately we have heard about this quite a bit here.

Why don't you try and get into a community college RN plan? The MA courses will definitely come in handy and you will have some background that will definitely help.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in neurology, cardiology, ED.

I'm sorry you went through that! When I was a tech at a local hospital, the mgr told me I'd be having a prospective new employee shadowing me for my shift. Well, as I talked to the woman, it turns out she too had plunked down something like $25,000 for training as an MA, only to find out the only jobs she qualifies here in NY are ones that only pay $11/hr! So she was trying to get a per diem in the hospital to help pay back her schooling, because she had taken out loans for all of it! I was so sad when she told me all this- in comparison, I just graduated from RN school, making $25-30/hr with $11,000 in loans, and I went to a pricier private school-community college around here is only like, 1500/semester for full time!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

MAs who manage to get jobs only make slightly more than CNAs, that is, if they manage to get jobs. Of the few ads I've seen for MAs, almost every one said that they wanted someone with experience. That is why it is always important to do the necessary research before one gets involved in anything concerning a prospective career.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

My sister almost went to school to be a MA. I'm so relieved she didn't. I am a staffing coordinator at a LTC facility and I have had several Medical Assistants apply for anything they can get. I always have to turn them down because they are not certified as a Nurse Assistant or a licensed nurse. It's sad because schools lead you to believe that it's a demanding career when it's certainly not. The best of luck to you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

i was a ma before i was a lvn ...the two are as different as day and night. if your ultimate goal is to be a rn then either start out as a lvn or go straight to rn school...otherwise you are wasting your time...

denise rn

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg/Ortho, Telemetry.

I tried to talk my brother's girlfriend out of going to MA school at Concorde. I even went as far as showing her alternatives because paying $15k for the program is ridiculous. I sent her a link to a MA program at an adult school, which would've cost $2k. Instead of waiting 6 months for the next program to start, she decided to go to Concorde because she didn't want to wait. She had to quit going to a community college to do that. *shakes head* I would hate to say I told you so when she is done and can't find a job with a loan breathing down her back.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac, Adolescent/Child Mental Health.

Eh, I guess everyone's experience is different.

I was an MA for eight years with a large specialty practice before finishing nursing school. They're a great group of docs (mostly) and now I work in their hospital as an RN. I feel like I learned a lot as a medical assistant so I wouldn't say it was a complete waste of time.

I made pretty good money (capped out at $17.50) when I left to start my career as an RN.

I didn't kid myself that I was getting the same education as I would in nursing school or that I was going to function in the same capacity as a licensed nurse. I was told when I went to the school to sign up that LPNs were being "phased out" and that MAs would be taking over those roles. Yeah, right. I would tell people to take whatever the school advisor / salesman tells with a grain of salt and check it out for themselves.

And I did pay way too much for the program, which I knew at the time. In my state MAs don't have to have any kind of formal education or certification and I probably could have gotten on the job training somewhere.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Concorde is a joke (((hugs))) I went to their program here in Denver and was in the LPN program(I had to leave 1/2 thru b/c my sister was killed in a car accident) it was almost criminal what they told some of those MA students they HONESTLY thought they were going to be the same as a nurse and make just as much but in a shorter time....but not really it was only 3-4 months shorter!

MA is the most graduated program in America and is almost impossible to get a job I am really sorry you had to go through all of this go to your local Community College and start taknig prereqs for your LPN/RN!

If you google 'Concorde scam' it is really sad what you pull up

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OB, MS, Education, Hospice.

I did this too--years ago. I did land a job in a doctors office--and quickly realized how much I still needed to learn so I enrolled in pre-nursing courses at the local community college. I will say that my experiences (mostly on the job though--not from the program I was in) helped me a ton in nursing school. I hope you will find a way to go earn a nursing degree--good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I too was told that becoming a MA would "be a great career move & MA's were replacing LPN's". That was a load of c***! I did get out before completing & owing full amount. I went to Sanford Brown. They are being sued for diverting student funds & over Christmas break they changed their school code to where it says I attended a Texas culinary institute. I'm in Illinois.:rolleyes:

I'm starting prereqs for my RN next month which I'm very happy about. My experience as bad as it was, wasn't all a waste. I learned I'm actually quite good at drawing blood & I know I can handle anything that gets thrown my way.

'

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC/Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

just an FYI...I'm a new-ish RN and have not had problems finding jobs. Maybe not the best, ideal, highest paying jobs, but I work .8 in an LTC/TCU (started as an LPN in 2008), I have a peds. home care client, and just started orientation to be on-call in a med/surg unit at a local hospital. I'm in the midwest/Twin Cities area.

I'm sorry you had such a rotten experience with your job hunt as an MA, best of luck in the future.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment