what the heck are medical assistant schools doing !

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm an RN, in the ER. I know of 4 people who, in my opinion have been rooked into MA (medical assistant ) schools. Each on of these people have been told that , MA , can do everything an RN can do. Not sure about you but I don't think the Cardiac Thorasic Dr's want an MA to care for a crashing patient at 2:00 am. My best freind completed an ma course, her med list MOM, TD, Botox(go figure why this is even on a med list for an ma)etc. As compaired to an RN list of inatrops, ca blockers etc..

Any one have any ideas of how to stop the practice of ma schools comparing ma 's to Rn's? :nono:

Specializes in Onc/Hem, School/Community.
I have been a CMA and at the same job for over four years and I still only make $9/hr with no benefits. I did not go into thinking I was going to make money. Our teacher who was an CMA also told us you make nothing, and she had a fellow CMA come in and tell us how you work your butt off and your paycheck is so tiny. We were never given the impression that we were anything remotely close to a nurse. It is unfortunate that these programs can make other schools look bad. My experience has been good for me in nursing school. I can give shots, draw blood, dress wounds, ect ect...some of the stuff is new like lifting maneuvers, bed baths, ect, and I wounder if I would have benefited being a CNA for awhile...even they make more money than I did and I had more training. But whatever, that is all behind me now. When people ask if I regret that I became a CMA first I say no, but I would not recommend it, if you want to pay bills and have a mobile career.

Wow, I didn't realize MAs could give shots? I thought only nurses could administer meds? :uhoh21:

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.
Never was this statement more appropriate than it is now:

Caveat Emptor!

(let the buyer beware)

So powerful! So eloquent!

Yet! So simple!

I heartily agree!

cheers,

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"GRUNT WORK"? Please! The world is big enough for everyone, don't you think? Why should a MD pay $30 an hour for a nurse when they can spend less on a CMA doing the job they were also trained to do? If the MA does the same job as a nurse in the office, would that nurse be doing "grunt work"? Seems to me the job description hasn't changed, has it? I hope you are respectful and thankful to the CNA working her/his tail off for you in the hospital. I hope you do not think they are a nobody just doing "grunt work".

Well, it is grunt work. I don't think a lot of CNA's even disagree with that. They are worked like mules and they deserve better.

I think I encountered a CMA (maybe she wasn't even that, I don't know) at a doctor's office. She ran around with a stethescope around her neck and when she came to talk to us she identified herself as the nurse. Only when we asked about his medication (my pre-nursing days) which was sinemet and Altace she was totally bewildered and couldn't tell us anything about it.

As far as why would a doctor pay an RN $30 and hour when he could get an MA to do it for $10...well, a lot of doctors are all about the money, for one thing (cheap) and if they made people who get suckered into MA school go to real nursing school and get rid of this ridiculous CMA thing then the doctor's wouldn't have a whole lot of choice, would they? BTW, I don't know of any doctor who pays a nurse $30 an hour. The difference in what they make vs. an MA is likely a few dollars.

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Specializes in CV Intermediate, M/S, tele, PCU, ortho.
Come on people. There is room for more than RN's and MD's in the medical field. My daughter is a MA and yes, she did go to one of the schools that lie and say all the credits will transfer, ect. But we did our homework and knew better. She drove 50 miles each way, for 9 months to go to school and loved every minute of it. Not everyone is ready to commit to the time it takes to become a nurse. Some wait until later in life such as me (graduating in 12/06 at 47 YOA) :mortarboard: . She learned a valuable education at that school and has the certification behind her. Not many nurses out there can say they know the in's and out's of the insurance side of a medical practice like she does. Just like GN's and new RN's she also did a lot of "on-the-job" training. Even if you do not admit it, no RN out there knew it all just after graduation...if you did I beg to differ. I will graduate in December as a GN and I can proudly say I can not wait for my "on-the-job" training. MA's play a very important role in the MD's office and just like the MD would not know what to do without a good nurse at the hospital, well the same goes for MA's at the MD's office. My daughter continues to learn and improve her skills even after years of practice. She works in a large Internal Medicine practice and her MD's love her and know their office would fall apart if it was not for her. If an MA decides to work as a nurse tech/nursing assistant then maybe that is what she/he needs to do at that time in their life. Maybe they are trying to figure out if they want to go back to school to pursue a degree and as a member of the team, you should respect that.

FYI there are more than RN's and MD's there's LVN's who some can make up to 10-20 dollars more an hour than an MA and the schooling is only 2-3 months longer, and half the cost..........seems silly to me

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Well, it is grunt work. I don't think a lot of CNA's even disagree with that. They are worked like mules and they deserve better.

I think I encountered a CMA (maybe she wasn't even that, I don't know) at a doctor's office. She ran around with a stethescope around her neck and when she came to talk to us she identified herself as the nurse. Only when we asked about his medication (my pre-nursing days) which was sinemet and Altace she was totally bewildered and couldn't tell us anything about it.

As far as why would a doctor pay an RN $30 and hour when he could get an MA to do it for $10...well, a lot of doctors are all about the money, for one thing (cheap) and if they made people who get suckered into MA school go to real nursing school and get rid of this ridiculous CMA thing then the doctor's wouldn't have a whole lot of choice, would they? BTW, I don't know of any doctor who pays a nurse $30 an hour. The difference in what they make vs. an MA is likely a few dollars.

Not everyone is "suckered" in to becoming a Medical Assistant. Some people actually choose that line of work AND enjoy it! Not everyone is cut out to be a nurse or are capable of enduring nursing school, but are drawn to health care. There can and should be a place for those individuals, and MA seems to be a good fit.

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I feel the same way! I have 18,000 dollars worth of school loans and still I have no job or anything to show for it ! I graduated In the Medical assistant Associates degree program and its like I have went 2 years for NOTHING! So I tell anyone that is thinking about going to any of these schools promising a quick career in the medical filed DONT DO IT!!!!!Its all about the MONEY!! They promise you a JOB and GOOD MONEY but they wont tell you is that they are there to TAKE YOURS!! I feel that these schools be banned or something!!:madface: :nono:

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I know of one girl that went to college and got an Associate Degree medical Assisting, she was SO disallusioned and then wen't to nursing school and is now an RN. She felt she had wasted her time and money in the MA field.

I know two ma's that went through one of those expensive 8 month programs. The one works for our Internist and she ALWAYS identifies herself as the nurse. I called her on it one day (She knows I am a nurse) and she said "Well same thing". Umm no it isn't. The other girl I know does the same thing. She identifies herself to all as a nurse. I don't get that. Why don't they just say they are Medical assistants? According to my state's BON that isn't legal to identify yourself as a nurse, if you're not a licensed nurse.

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Specializes in Home Health, PDN, LTC, subacute.

When I was looking for an LPN program I contacted a private school that also had Med assisting, they told me, "why do you want to be an LPN? LPN's can't give shots in NJ, but MA's can!" A classmate of mine had a friend enrolled in a local private school for MA and they told him LPNs were being phased out next year, and he could bridge to an RN program when he graduated. I wound up at a county vocational school for my LPN for $10,000 less than the private school. We also had an excellent Medical Assisting program for less than $4,000. You really have to do your homework, go out and meet people in your field, ask questions and research before you commit.

I did medical transcription for 5 years at home before I lost my job to overseas outsourcing. But I did make some $$$ and my courses were a medical terminology course at the local community college and a medical transcription course at our county vocational school, both less than $150 each.

I am a great supporter of our affordable and accredited state and county colleges and vocational schools. We all pay taxes, so why not utilize them.

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Specializes in NICU.

I have no problems with MA's working in a Doctor's office. My only complaint? I don't know who is who. No-one wears a name tag, I don't believe I've ever seen one that says "Medical Assistant". The receptionist who answers the phone or works the front desk says she is the "nurse". This isn't just in one office, it's everywhere! I know that the office manager at one clinic is an LVN, but she doesn't do patient care any more. Everyone else is an MA.

We have to wear nametags in the hospital, why not in the offices, too?

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I have to say that I followed this thread because I too, fell into this. But for me it was more of my kids are in school now, I don't want to work at a minunum wage job, so lets see what I can do. Being an MA did get my foot in the door and I discovered I do like my job a lot. ( I work for a OB/GYN office) It is interesting we have RN's, LPN's and MA's doing the same job pretty much. Of course I'm sure the pay is much diffrent!!:wink2: As it should be. I however do not refer to myself as a nurse. OR A MONKEY OR THAT MATTER. I don't want to be sued! I started at $12.00 and really love what I do. I only do the clinical stuff and would hate having to deal with insurance so I'm mulling over the idea of a 1 year LPN program. In fact that is what I think I wanted to do before I was talked into MA. But I have to admit to a giant math phobia. sigh.

As to the monkey comment, not to be rude myself, but really.....? You think of MA's as trained monkeys? Isn't that a bit rude? I don't think a monkey could have tried to find fetal heart tones on a young woman and then comforted her when we couldn't find them. Nor do I think a monkey could assist in the many GYN procedures we do. ie.. LEEP's EMB etc.....

Go for the nursing degree.You wil make more $ and gain a lot of knowledge. The math isn't really that bad. You can do it!

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I have been doing grunt work for the past 20 + years, first as a nursing assistant, then as an RN. We do lots of stuff MD's and DO's dont want to. It is a way of life. It is amazing how many things some of the MA's do in the office that nursing assistants and other unlicensed people do not do in the hospital. It has been years since I have seen a doctor draw blood, start an IV, change a dressing, give a vaccine, or (God forbid) help a patient get cleaned up after vomiting, etc. I have met many MA's who are quite pleasant and a number who are quite arrogant. As one poster said they do not know what they do not know in some cases. I totally agree. My friend works in an office/urgent care clinic where she is actually paid pretty well as an RN. In fact, she makes more than the $30+/hr I do. She tells me that several MA's call themselves nurses, despite being told not to by the nurse manager of the office. (The company is for profit and doesn't want the liability of these people misrepresenting themselves). One MA was even let go for consistently overstepping her scope of practice. I have real issues w/ people calling themselves nurses who are not. Unless you are an RN, LPN, or advanced practice nurse, you are not a nurse. I think the MA schools exist because there are so many doctors out there willing to take advantage of their graduates to save some $'s. For about $8500 you can attend the local school in my town for one year and become an LPN for about the same amount, you can travel 15 miles to our local community college and become an RN in three years. No way would I encourage someone to spend an astronomical amount to be an MA.

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What really chaps my hide about these schools is that the federal government validates their existance by providing federal loan money for their students. Then on top of this the government, through various social programs, also recommends them as job training programs for folks who have either struggled through high school or who have run out of social benefits. Think of the sheer number of people attending these programs who, after graduating, can't find a job and are now hanging by an even bigger rope then the one they had around their necks before they even started. That to me is just plain wrong on so many levels.

We should be encouraging people to attend public institutions and giving job training at the local community colleges. If you want to be an MA great!! Here at the local community college we not only have an MA program but we also have an LPN and an RN program if you should decide you want to further your education.

Just my vent.

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