Medical Assistants the new RNs???

[ayorenee]

Is it me or are more and more doctor's offices replacing RNs with MAs? Some places go as far as letting them do histories, injections, and give results. As a nurse I have worked as a patient care tech/cna but I also know the level of critical thinking it takes to be an RN so it does bother me that MAs seem to be given a lot of RN responsibilities. As fellow nurses I wanted to know your thoughts?

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

Apology accepted.

[flowerlilly]

@linearthinker... you are absolutely right! Again, for the millionth honestly I apologize for offending or rather ******* off any RN's here.

[ayorenee]

Another thing I noticed in this thread was some of the disrespect that MAs were giving to nurses, even though they are trying to be nurses. Please be aware of this negative energy you put out as you will soon find once you are an RN MAs who say the same thing about you. Not once being a CNA did I disrespect the nurses I worked with, because that nurse you see sitting by the phone is really playing phone tag with a doctor to get an order, or the nurse you haven't seen all shift has really been in the room of one patient due to the amount of care that is needed. As stated this forum was not to diss MAs, I work with the best MAs in all of the Chicagoland area. I like working in outpatient clinics and public health and the truth of the matter is MAs have started to become competition due to the fact they are cheaper to hire and I am not sure if that sits well with me, especially with how tight the job market is.

[Spoiled1, MSN, RN]

Who do I think I am? I think I'm a nurse. I even have a license that confirms that, so in my case it is not a delusion. You didn't say you had no respect for nurses, but your post sure demonstrated a lack of respect. And no, it isn't PC to point it out, but a medical assistant does NOT meet the standard definition of a Profession (the noun). You can behave professionally (the adverb) but you are not a member of a profession. I declined to hire a MA b/c I wanted a nurse. They are not comparable, not matter what they told you.

"Threatened by MAs." If they start replacing independent, Doctorally prepared FNPs with MAs, let me know.

Well Said!!!!!!!!!!! :yeah::yeah:

[PeepnBiscuitsRN]

Not so... when I was an LPN (I'm an RN now) I worked in peds in a regular clinic and there was a fair mix of CMA's and LPN's, and there were RN's as well, they didn't do really any direct patient care as much as they did telephone triage and med refills. But they would handle walk in patients...when they weren't busy (usually they'd pass it off to an LPN :) )

Certain clinics prefer CMA's over LPN's because they are cheaper and can do more where blood draws and administratve stuff is concerned. In the clinic a CMA and LPN's job description is basically identical, and the scope of practice is pretty similar too (in the clinic anyhow). But where I'm at, it's all a matter of preference, and every clinic I know of has RN's- totally different job description/scope of practice. CMA programs like to tell their studens or prospectives that LPN's are being phased out or being pushed into LTC, but that's not really true, it's kind of a round robin thing. The recruiters for CMA programs, in my experience (in all schools save for one) talk the job way out of proportion. But that's mostly from the recruiters at the colleges one sees commercials for on day time tv.

[nursel56]

The most important thing for people investigating MA and/or LPN/LVN programs is that your LPN license is a stepping stone to higher education in nursing, and an MA program is not. So when you hear it said that an MA program may be nine months long, almost as long as LPN school!

Realize that is not the point. Nor is the point what sort of procedures you may eventually do. Unless you are absolutely certain you want to stay an MA forever, use your time and money wisely.

[Lifeofanurse]

I don't like the practice of allowing ANY unqualified personnel whether it be MA, LVN, CNA or whatever...practice skills that they were not trained for.

It is not okay for state boards to say ...they can do things outside of their trained scope as long as your employer 'certifies' your ability to do so in their facility/office/clinic.

sometimes their "certification" consists of "go give susie her MMR vaccine"

No this is not a safe practice.

It also hurts the healthcare industry.

Why not hire an MA....get them to do the work of an RN...or LVN... do alittle ego stroking... the whole..how could I manage without u...and that kinda crap...and still pay them a MA salary.

I think this is a misuse of power on many levels by those in charge.

[Sally Now]

"I do a ton of RN work for half the pay." If you are not an RN you should not be doing any RN work. The difference is that RNs can (legally) do anything an MA can do, but the reverse is not true. Often, this seems to be the crux of the matter: MAs, some of them, truly believe they are doing "RN work" for less pay. MAs may gather data, but not assess, and need direct orders for anything whatsoever that they do, be those standing orders or otherwise. MAs may communicate information, but not idependently formulate a plan of care or teach. There are individual exceptions in ability, such as the Combat Medic. However, MAs are classed as Unlicensed Assistive Personnel and need to remember this regardless of what is directly or indirectly conveyed in MA school. Unfortunately, in the ambulatory setting MAs in general have been exceeding scope of practice. I work with some terrific MAs who could probably pass NCLEX tomorrow, however the reality is that's not possible. I work with some MAs who understand that the RNs scope of practice far exceeds theirs, and some who do not or will not get this. If you want to practice as an RN, go back to school

[boricualuv4ever]

Sadly plenty have told me the MA are cheaper and do just as much as nurses. In my area 99% of clinics and private practice have been replaced by MA. It makes a newgrad hard to find work since the only place left would be an LTC facility.