Are Medical Assistants being phased out/ replaced??

CMAtoRN · Jul 19, 2012

I have orientation on Tuesday for my M.A program. I cant wait =)

Good luck!

Apenland · Jul 20, 2012

Thank YOu!

ctmed · Jul 22, 2012

In my area (Louisiana), no one hires MAs. It is widely known as a rip-off program to lure CNAs who do not want to go through the rigors of a LPN/RN program but want to get a job where there is less poop to cough up student loan cash. Outside of working in the labs or clinics, which is considered a "lay out" and no one ever quits, there are no jobs for MAs here.

In fact, I have a deep feeling outside home health and nursing homes, they are going to phase out CNAs, too. One major hospital chain has let go all CNAs (Oschner) and is putting a gloat of new LPN grads on the floor doing CNA type work for a few dollars more than CNAs make. The LPNs in nursing homes are all older and are not going anywhere because of this unless they die, get fired, or retire.

LilacHeart · Jul 25, 2012

In my area (MI), there is plenty of work for MAs (but be sure you are certified!). It's almost exclusively in doctor's offices and clinics, benefits are hard to get but not impossible. There is stiff competition for jobs though (approximately 100 applicants for every MA job posting). This is because of all the vocational schools cranking out MAs. If you have a choice, you will definitely get a leg up on the competition for a good position if you attend a 2 year MA degree program and be sure you are a CMA.

For LPNs, work is also available mainly in home health care, outpatient surgical centers, urgent care centers, long term care facilities, although we have about 25% of the hospitals in my area that still hire LPNs, even though I'm aware that the majority of the US no longer has many openings for LPNs in hospitals anymore. In no way does this mean that LPNs are being phased out though! While the locale in which they are working may be undergoing a transition, they are still in demand and are still NURSES and are definitely not "doing CNA work for a few bucks and hour more".

CNAs are also in no way being phased out in my area. In fact, CNAs are in very high demand. It seems they just can't get enough of them!

None of these career paths are being phased out. I think we all just need to realize that things don't remain static and changes sometimes occur. For example, there is a movement among CMAs to establish national criteria that each state can agree upon and transition being an MA to a licensed profession. Personally, I think this will happen eventually, but it's going to take quite a bit of time for this to come together.

And something else that needs to be said: An MA and an LPN are not interchangeable. They each are trained differently and in different areas. The MA learns much less about patient care and more about laboratory procedures, testing, etc. The LPN is more focused on patient care, the education is more intense and the clinicals give far more patient contact hours than the externship hours the MA experiences.

Comparing an MA to an LPN is like comparing apples to oranges. Both are great, both are needed, and both are very different from each other.

prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP · Jul 25, 2012

In Georgia, MAs are hired in urgent care clinics and Dr's offices. They are cheaper to hire but also they come with a salary cap. I have a friend that has been an MA three times longer than I have been a nurse and her pay is stuck around 17 bucks. She wants to go back to school and become a nurse, she is currently working 2 jobs to make ends meet.

mdgale · Jul 26, 2012

Hey Everyone,
Ive heard different stories from different people, some M.A's and some who are going to nursing school.. Are M.A's being phased out or replaced? Atleast in Southern California??

I live in the midwest and we are the last area in the country to make any changes. That being said, I would NOT recommend to anyone I know that they take CMA or LPN courses. I have worked the majority of my career with CNA/CMA/LPN's and highly valued their addition to the team yet, even in the nursing homes CMA's and LPN's are being quickly phased out!

ctmed · Jul 28, 2012

I would like to put an addendum after reading some remarks in here to my original observations about the nature of MA and the fact that here, it is pretty much a rip off.

Please check your area. Either that, or if you are in an area that does not use a lot of MAs, know someone who can for sure give you a job. Or, move to an area after you get certified that does use MAs. Some areas, if what my research indicates and what i am reading is not "medical labor shortage" propoganda, jobs are fairly easy. Other areas, not so much.

One of my problems is that many of these schools are for-profit institutions with tuition as much as prestigous private colleges. Yes, it is good to get you past all the B.S. admission requirements and possible waitlists at a real college. But, why pay 40 to 20 K for a 15/hr job? If... they even hire for it! I know a bunch of folks that wracked up huge student loan debt when they could have done bio-med, COTA, PTA, LPN, or even stick with RN, or paramedic and not able to find work unless they go to CA where they actually use these guys.