MA saying she's "the same as an RN"

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At my job, we are offered classes each month for our CEU's as LNA's. We were at one the other day for some psych training, and we were asked what we wanted to be doing in 5 years. Myself and another woman said that hopefully we be all graduated and working as RN's, since we're both in nursing school.

Another woman said that she was graduating next week from an Medical Assistant program, and how it was "exactly the same as being an RN", but she got her degree faster, but won't get the same money (and she proceeded to b!tch about that).

Now, I've seen the debate here in the General Nursing discussion, but this just chapped my rearend. I think MA's are great - as are LNA's and LPN's and RN's and everyone that works in healthcare. A friend of mine is an MA, but she does not pass herself off as a nurse. Another friend is a Surgical Tech, and while she doesn't say she's an RN, her son calls her a nurse, saying his mom told him she did "more" nursing in the OR than the nurses do. I've corrected him twice about it, but don't anymore. It just bugs me that I'm busting my hump to become an RN, yet anyone that works in healthcare feels they can call themselves one.

I'm so careful, I don't even call myself an SN while at work, and don't call myself an LNA while in clinical!

I don't know why people can't be proud of what they are. Some of the best tips and knowledge I've gotten on the job has been from the LNA's, many of which are career LNA's. THey're damn good at what they do! It's bothersome that some feel it all comes down to you're either a nurse, or have to claim to be one to be recognized.

Anyway, I kept my mouth shut when this LNA/MA was going off, but I so wanted to say, "So if you're the same as an RN, why won't the hospital or the state recognize you as one? Why? Because you aren't. You may as well call yourself an astronaut. You aren't one of those either!"

Okay, back to the regularly scheduled programming.

The poster who is going to spend 14,000 on MA school needs to turn and run now. IT IS NOT worth that cost. If you want to be a RN, go to LPN school and then bridge or go to RN school.

I have been a MA for 6 years, and it has it's place in healthcare but I was not a RN. I have gone back to school to get my RN and the only thing being a MA has done, is make RN school a little easier. If you want to be a MA, the cheep way is to get on at a office as a clerk. Most offices will train you as a MA, that is the way that I did it. FREE not 14,000.

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Specializes in ICU.

hoping not to get lynched.....I was a CMA that called myself a nurse. Now that I am actually about to graduate from nursing school, I am incredibly ashamed that I ever did that, or even thought that what I had amounted to any kind of nursing education. Don't get me wrong, I was very good at my job, skill wise and knowledge wise, but no where close to where I am now. No they are not the same, and NO ONE that has not gone thru what we go thru in order to be pinned deserves to call themselves a nurse.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
hoping not to get lynched.....i was a cma that called myself a nurse. now that i am actually about to graduate from nursing school, i am incredibly ashamed that i ever did that, or even thought that what i had amounted to any kind of nursing education. don't get me wrong, i was very good at my job, skill wise and knowledge wise, but no where close to where i am now. no they are not the same, and no one that has not gone thru what we go thru in order to be pinned deserves to call themselves a nurse.

congratulations snowangel :saint: for making it through nursing school and for having the courage to admit you made a mistake and have learned from it. no lynching required! :bowingpur

:clpty::ancong!::clpty:

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

In most states as I understand it, it is ILLEGAL for anyone to call themselves a nurse if they are not holding a license to practice nursing. It might be a good idea to repor the MA's & others who do this to the Board. If we don't take care of our licensing ourselves, others will do that for us & we know where that will probably lead....

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Why do you care so much about what other people say about themselves? And if you feel the urge to correct them, then it is really about you and not them. If you really have confidence in yourself, it should not affect you. Unless, of course, if that person is doing something illegal at your work and you have to protect the patient.

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

If a non-nurse presents themselves as a nurse, it is illegal. We as nurses have enough to deal with that affects our profession without someone FRAUDULENTLY presenting themselves as a nurse. A patient has the RIGHT to know the qualifications, eg., legal qualifications, of the person caring for them. I don't want a person who is taking my history, giving me an injection, fill in the blank, telling me they are a nurse if they are not. That is LYING. And, if they will lie about that, how do I know they won't be careless in giving me or a loved one care, etc? (I'm not saying I don't want MA's taking my vitals, etc., because that is not the issue & I've had some good ones take care of me in the past) Confidence in myself as nothing to do with another person calling themselves a nurse when they are not, and vice versa. And correcting them may keep them or their agency/employer out of legal trouble, especially if I were an auditor with an accrediting board who just happened to be a patient in their clinic/doctor's office that particular day!

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If they do that at work, then it's your duty to report that. However, I was talking about people here who are posting about every John Doe who is telling that he is a nurse. I do not think that's illegal. To me, it's pretty much the same as those people on the American Idol thinking they are the next Celine Dion.

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

Understand what you're saying, Glina...like the American Idol analogy!

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Specializes in LDRP.

MA's do not use the Nursing Process, period. They are not nurses. Man, this drives me NUTS!!!

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Specializes in Tele.
The poster who is going to spend 14,000 on MA school needs to turn and run now. IT IS NOT worth that cost. If you want to be a RN, go to LPN school and then bridge or go to RN school.

I have been a MA for 6 years, and it has it's place in healthcare but I was not a RN. I have gone back to school to get my RN and the only thing being a MA has done, is make RN school a little easier. If you want to be a MA, the cheep way is to get on at a office as a clerk. Most offices will train you as a MA, that is the way that I did it. FREE not 14,000.

That is very true!

I went to school for MA and paid $6k for the program, the same as my ADN program!

I regret not doing my research well, because I could have gone to an LPN program, and we have tons of them here where I live, + I would have gotten financial aid and not paid a cent.

after that MA program I started working as a nursing assistant in the PICU at the hospital where I work now, and I knew then and there the I wanted to be an RN. people encouraged me to go to LPN school ....... but I did not want to spend another year from 7:30am-3pm and spend 5K dollars when I new that I should just wait and take my classes and go to RN school.

I should of done LPN instead of MA......

oh well, at least I am an RN now! and i am very very happy.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
why do you care so much about what other people say about themselves? and if you feel the urge to correct them, then it is really about you and not them. if you really have confidence in yourself, it should not affect you.

respectfully, you cannot judge us until you have a nursing degree :twocents:

i was talking about people here who are posting about every john doe who is telling that he is a nurse. i do not think that's illegal.

it is illegal in all 50 states.

to me, it's pretty much the same as those people on the american idol thinking they are the next celine dion.

:smackingf not even remotely similar. those people on american idol are wannabees. bad analogy!

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Specializes in Me Surge.

I just want to make a small general correction. A person does not "get my RN". A person goes to Nursing School. If one graduates then he/she is eligible to take NCLEX-RN. After passing this NCLEX-RN a person can then call theirself an RN. You can not "get an RN." RN is not sold at Walmart or Ebay. If a person is going to be college graduate professional person then please use appropriate terminology. "I'm going to nursing School, I plan to be an RN." Vent over.

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