PCT or CMA

Hi Bryana!
I am not an RN, I'm still in nursing school myself, but I do work as a PCT in acute Oncology and Hospice at a hospital. I don't know anything about being a Medical Assistant, but being a PCT in the hospital has helped me TREMENDOUSLY in school. Not only do you get to practice the basic PCT skills you get to see things done routinely- which makes it much easier when you get to it yourself in nursing school. The regular patient interaction is REALLY beneficial and makes your school clinicals so much more relaxed.

This is just my opinion of course! I really love my job as a PCT!

Kelly

I'm an MA and we do it all. I deal with the patients before, during, and after doctor visits. I prep them for the procedures, help with the procdures and even help with the after care and follow-up directions. We are also trained in the CLIA waved testings and medicine administration, and phlebotomy. I also have the training and skills for working the front office for scheduling and insurance billing and coding. We MA's are very versital. Besides we can also working in hospitals and clinics too.

Either is a good way to get some experience. I am a PCA, and I love it. I know a few MAs, and they love their jobs as well. The hospital I work at only hires MAs in the doctors offices and in the lab as phlebotomists, so the aides get more bedside care experience. I choose the PCA route because it was much cheaper. 700 bucks for a CNA course, and the hospital did the rest of the training for me (EKG, phlebotomy, etc). Around here there are so many MAs that your only chance of getting hired is if you have a certificate or degree, and that takes 1-2 years. I personally would suggest the PCA/PCT route, for the cost savings, especially if you want to go back to school for nursing. Also the PCT is trained in the direct patient bedside care with a nursing approach, and the MA is taught in a more medical approach. Hope this helps a little bit. Whatever you do... DO NOT GO TO A FOR PROFIT MA PROGRAM.... I know several people who spent 20k on a MA degree and now have to pay back the loans making 9 bucks an hour. OOOOh yeah... around here PCA/PCTs in the hospital make more than the MAs in the doc offices, so that is another pluse. Check around for your local area and then pick the best choice.

As for experience, I think either would give you lots of opportunity if you take advantage. PCT's are, in my area, certified only to work in the facility that provides the certification. CNA's can work statewide as their certification is awarded by the state. But if you plan to stay with one employer thru school I do not think it would make any difference. The job description is probably same or similiar.

I am in nursing school, but prior to that I went 2 years to be a Certified Medical Assistant. I love being an MA, I did that for 8 years. But then I decided I wanted more, so I'm in school. My school schedule conflicts with "office hours" so now I am working in a hospital as a nursing assistant, or PCT -whatever it may be called. I haven't work in the hospital long and I only work Resource (prn). As an MA in the office I did so many things, it was wonderful, and the hours are the best. However, in the short time I have been in the hospital the learning has been incredible. I am seeing first hand what nurses go through in a day. I am allowed to put in foley's, set up tube feeds, do glucose checks all day long, I prep pts for heart caths and CABG's (on a telemtry floor). I can get urine/stool specimens, then of course all the normal NA stuff. I have to admit at first I didn't like this job at all. I felt like I could do much more as an MA. But now that I have been there a bit longer and feel more comfortable I realize I am gaining skills and knowledge that will be extremely helpful in both my clinicals at school, but when I am a nurse. I won't be going in blind to what it is like to work in a hospital. Being an MA made me realize I loved the field and wanted to grow, but it is also very expensive and I wish I had just went into nursing school and skipped the MA. I hear the nurses talk to pts at discharge, I think, geez, I did most of that in the office, when they got home from the hospital they often called the office because they had lots of questions. I also did phone triage, called test results etc. It was great experience, but if you are going into nursing, I'd bypass the MA and go right into the hospital. Hope this helps.