As nurses do you see the need for medical assistants?

[pumpkin1984]

I have been wondering this for a while, do nurses need medical assistants? Do nurses need assistants at all? Do you feel that some careers in the medical field are just wannabe nurses? Whats you take and how do you feel, honestly.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

The MA in my docs office does many things. She does vitals, height and weight, gets your new medical history, if needed takes blood, ekg's, and calls patients with results of tests. this is what she has done to me as the patient, so she may do many other things that i do not know about,

The only thing that bothers me is the calling patients with their test results. What if they have questions? Do they call results that potentially need treatment or indicate a less than desirable result? I guess I could see it if the results were o.k. "you're mammogram had no masses detected", or something like that.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

The only thing that bothers me is the calling patients with their test results. What if they have questions? Do they call results that potentially need treatment or indicate a less than desirable result? I guess I could see it if the results were o.k. "you're mammogram had no masses detected", or something like that.

when she has called me with results, I once asked, "so where do we go now" and she said she would ask the doc and get back to me.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

when she has called me with results, I once asked, "so where do we go now" and she said she would ask the doc and get back to me.

I think a more client friendly approach would be to know the plan prior to calling. I hate to sound elistist but perhaps the doc, NP or RN/LPN should make these kinds of calls in order to be available to answer questions, such as "what does a sodium of 130 mean and what should I be doing?".

I'm not anti-MA, because they definately have a place in MDs offices, but I sometimes think MDs take advantage of them, giving them extra duties, and of course getting those duties at MA salaries. It seems there are docs that do this like the recent thread about the doc who uses an LPN to call for me through the night.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

I think a more client friendly approach would be to know the plan prior to calling. I hate to sound elistist but perhaps the doc, NP or RN/LPN should make these kinds of calls in order to be available to answer questions, such as "what does a sodium of 130 mean and what should I be doing?".

I'm not anti-MA, because they definately have a place in MDs offices, but I sometimes think MDs take advantage of them, giving them extra duties, and of course getting those duties at MA salaries. It seems there are docs that do this like the recent thread about the doc who uses an LPN to call for me through the night.

Ya. as far as I know (though I have only been a patient of this doc for about a year) there is no RN/LPN or anything like that on staff.

I have seen, that doc, the other doc, the MA, and the receptionist, thought there may be more people I do not see.

And it was frustrating to wait a couple of hours to be told "double up on your med"

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

So this goes back to trying to recruit more folks to become nurses.

I respectfully disagree.

The focus needs to be on the retention of the nurses we've already got in the workforce, and definitely not on the recruitment of new nurses and foreign nurses.

When we look at the ridiculous waiting lists of community college and university nursing programs, we can see that there's a tremendous amount of people who want to enter the profession. However, many of these people abandon the field and stop working as nurses within a few years of earning their licensure. There would be no need to recruit and train people to become nurses if the ones who are currently working could be enticed to remain in the field.

This is just my $0.02 on this issue.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

As for MA, they make me very nervous. Personally there is no way I would let one touch me.

I respectfully disagree. :)

If I had a choice between an experienced MA and the physician to draw my blood, I'd happily select the experienced MA any single day of the week. The MA training program is very skills-based, so the typical MA has excellent hands-on skills. As long as they are not practicing outside their scope, I'm comfortable with them.

Nobody needs a license in order to competently obtain vital signs, patient histories, specimins, appointment dates, etc. As long as the doctor is interpreting the information that has been gathered by the MA, then the MA is wholly practicing within his/her scope.

[ann945n, RN]

I respectfully disagree. :)

If I had a choice between an experienced MA and the physician to draw my blood, I'd happily select the experienced MA any single day of the week. The MA training program is very skills-based, so the typical MA has excellent hands-on skills. As long as they are not practicing outside their scope, I'm comfortable with them.

Nobody needs a license in order to competently obtain vital signs, patient histories, specimins, appointment dates, etc. As long as the doctor is interpreting the information that has been gathered by the MA, then the MA is wholly practicing within his/her scope.

You can disagree but this was a person statement. As for MA I believe they should do their job by taking vitals histories apt dates etc but we all know they often do more then just this. This is my problem with a MA. I still would pick a doc over an MA for an invasive procedure. Sure the MA may have done more recently but they do not have the knowledge behind the procedure which is what scares me. I remember reading on another post somewhere someone said you can teach anymone how to perform an appy but it takes years to teach them what to do if something goes wrong. Soooooo true!

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

Does anyone here think they should be allowed to call in prescriptions to the pharmacy for pts?

Just curious.

Thanks

Diane

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

Does anyone here think they should be allowed to call in prescriptions to the pharmacy for pts?

Just curious.

Thanks

Diane

at my docs office she does. you call the "nurses line" and the MA takes care of it.

[steelcityrn, RN]

I feel there is a need for medical assistants in the office setting. There are many tasks that they can perform that the nurse has no time to do. One thing that I feel is wrong, is when a person asks to speak to a nurse and the M.A. comes on the phone never telling the person she is not the nurse. Its ethically and legally wrong to say your a nurse or give someone the impression you are, when you are not. That would be like the CRNP or the P.A. answering the call when it was for the doctor and not clarifying who they are.

[sharona97, BSN, RN]

I think first its important to point out there is a HUGE difference between a CNA and a MA. I love CNA's I was one my self for several years. They are vital to the medical team and know their role and stay within their role which makes everyone safe. There is no way I could do my job without them

As for MA, they make me very nervous. They can do whatever a doctor trains them to do. Thus they can take over nursing roles in private offices. Personally there is no way I would let one touch me. I feel this position has gone WAY beyond what it was ment to be and is making now pseudo nurses who think they are nurses with out the training. I cant tell you how often I have corrected MA's that no they are not a nurse. I think that their role should stick to office type work in the private setting and the gathering of vitals. I do not think they should be able to pass meds, give injects, or do invasive procedures, talk to patient over the phone ect. Their vital role in private practice is going beyond their level of education and that is scary for everyone involved. I do think that when they stay within what they were originally ment to do though, they are a wonderful part of the team.

I hear what you are saying, but it sounds like a generalization of "MA's or CMA's. Have you ever sat in a classroom that is for MA's? They are taught differently than nurses, yes, but not all fall into the purported category you have just described. And just like CNA's many further on their education.

Just like any LPN or RN, there are good and there are bad practicing workers, IMO:uhoh3:

[sharona97, BSN, RN]

The only thing that bothers me is the calling patients with their test results. What if they have questions? Do they call results that potentially need treatment or indicate a less than desirable result? I guess I could see it if the results were o.k. "you're mammogram had no masses detected", or something like that.

For an MA to call back labs, the doctor must review first and sign off with "ok call patient nl", or give instruction as to what is the next step.

For MA's calling a patient without a doctor signing off of the result is totally wrong and they are taught that.