Certfd Med Asst vs Certfd Nursing Asst

Nursing Students General Students

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Hello Students:

I have a question for you. I already have my B.S. and more than 10 years ago was a certified nursing assistant, but got married and changed careers. I am taking my last pre-nursing class this fall. In the spring I will be applying to nursing program for next fall 2011. I am thinking about taking the CNA curriculum and taking state boards and see if I can get some work hours here and there before nursing school. But I like the curriculum of the CMA course too. It seems MAs get to do more from patient care (injections, ultrasound) and office and billing know-how. I saw that I can do both programs online and at my own pace, since I've taken the CNA curriculum and am registered for A & P I for the fall, I figured they wouldn't be hard to complete.

Anyone else take a similar route and why did you choose which curriculum? Also, which is more beneficial to a hospital, CNA or MA?

Thanks in advance!

Specializes in LTC, Correctional Nursing.

I am both a Medical Assistant and a Certified Nursing Assistant and I can tell you the CNA is the way to go. Preferrably, if you can get on at a hospital where you live. You won't have to be certified to work in the hospital, they will hire you as a tech. (different places call them by different names). MA is pretty easy, but you are limited by the specialty that you work in. I wouldn't waste the money, you will need that for nursing school. If you want to become certified as a NA, you can wait til after your first term of school and then you can challenge the boards for that. Won't have to pay for school. IF you were doing a bridge program like CNA to LPN, then I can see you doing the CNA thing first... as you would skip the first term of LPN school. But if you are CNA going RN, you get no breaks. You still have to take fundamentals. Personally, I would get on at a hospital somewhere working on a med-surg floor. You will learn more from your nurses and they love it when the techs are eager to help. You can use that to your benefit as you are going through nursing school. Just remember that your nurses may not do their treatments and such "by the book." Nursing school and the real world are two very different places. You will not use half of what you learn in nursing school... the learning begins when you come out of school. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Student4lyf,

Thanks a lot that definitely helps! I don't know if I'll get in, so after this fall semester of A & P and applying for nursing school in the spring I may take the CNA refresher and start working. It's just me, but I prefer the certification, it may make a difference in doing a little work and some decent pay while in school. CNA it is!

Agree with the first person. Most people who become CMA's usually don't want to go further in careers, rather than CNA which is seen as the stepping stone to nursing. CMA's typically only work in doctor's offices from what my friend says while CNA's work in hospitals and nursing homes. My friend hates hospitals so that factored into one of the reasons she became a CMA. They do get to do a little more clinical work but again it's only for doctor's offices.

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