boards need to regulate MA's

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Really sick of ma's doing all sorts of things under a dr's license. (or RN license). It is quite amazing the things they do. Scary as a matter of fact. Really feel the boards of Nursing need to take a stand on this issue. They regulate everyting else , why not MA's (medical assistants). I plan on looking into it in Ohio. Any one else ? Don't get me wrong, I love MA's Cna's etc... they are a vital part of the medical world. However, the things they are allowed to do are jaw dropping. Not that skills are difficult but the critical thinking aspect of the skill is another matter. I know they are acting under the license of a DR. but, don't want them to care for my child or 88 yo mother.

I just received I started reading back through all of everyone's comments. It amazes me how snooty some of you nurses are sounding!!! Did you become a nurse for a title or because you want to help people??? If you have had problems with MA's or any other office personnel calling themselves nurses---who cares----if someone needs to give themselves a ficticious title to make themselves feel better---LET THEM!!! Why are you wasting your enrrgy putting them down??? I thought this site was for nurses to come together?!?!?!?

Who cares? Everyone should care. Let's look at a situation. Pt gets called on the phone for a Rx to be filled. It's the "nurse" (MA) that is calling her. Rx is wrong, but the MA doesn't catch it. Pt ends up in hospital where she is told her new Rx was what caused it because of old meds she was still on. Pt. then calls the BON and says that the "nurse" working at her doctors office gave her wrong info and told her she'd be fine. You're the only nurse working there, and the BON starts an investigation...all because someone used a 'ficticious title'.

Situation 2- You have a loved one that is dying. Litterally dying. Two people run up to preform CPR (we're assuming in this scenario you don't know CPR). One is a liscensed RN, one is an MA. Who do you want preforming the task?

Situation 3- Your father calls in some questions about his meds. The "nurse" gives him some info that doesn't seem to add up. He has limited knowledge of his medication and is afraid of a severe allergic reaction to his new Rx. After a little prodding, the "nurse" states that she is, in fact, an MA. Do you go with the info she gave, or ask for a 'real nurse'.

These things not only happen, but are COMMON. (The first obviously isn't as common but could be.) THIS is EXACTLY why all liscensed (LISCENSED) professionals should care about an MA calling themselve a nurse.

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.

There is one major difference between a MA and a nurse. MA's are trained. Nurses are educated. We are educated to question why we do something and it's impact on an individual. We are taught the need to reason out a patients signs and symptoms and what is important and what is not. We are taught not only the classifications and drug actions of medications but the interactions of medications on one another, on our patients. We are taught critical thinking skills. And that is the major difference between us. You can train anyone to do something. Educating them is an entirely different matter.

Woody:balloons:

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Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.
crystal,

the other thing you have to realize is the cockiness you are portraying. you will most likely say it is confidence, but it is not. it is sheer arrogance. it is honestly (no disrespect meant in this comment) like that of a 15 year old speaking to a 35 year old. you don't know what you don't know. you may think that, because you have experience certain things, you have a grasp on everything. nurses experience this stuff first hand. and ma's tell them that "i do the same thing you do for less money". that statement in-and-of itself is belittling to the nursing profession. to say that you could get the training you need in one year that nurses take 4 years to aquire, and then (at minimum) 2-4 years of on the job before they really grasp what they are doing...is just arrogant. and that, above all is what is scary.

kmcnelly,

i read all the threads and i am sensing (based on the above statement) that you think to be called a nurse, you have to have bsn??? i am sensing that you have problems with lpns and adns calling themselves nurses??? so for the lpn's who completed the lpn program in one year, they cannot call themselves nurses??? what would you call them, little pretend nurse??? i am just curious. i will be a nurse (lpn) soon, 4 more months to go and i can tell you that i will call myself a nurse despite of what you said about having 4 years to be called a nurse.

in addition, i know cma's should not call themselves nurses because their title says medical assistant. i know some people said some negative stuff about the training of the cmas but are we kinda in the same boat when we are nursing students?? i mean cma's get their clinicals skills or perfect their skills with the direction of the doctors and we get our clinicals with our nursing instructors?? and we both work under the licenses of both individuals. i know the difference is we only work (during clinicals) under our nursing instructors as a student and cma's always work under the mds license.

for those who are very experienced with what they do now, were you that experienced right after nursing school? i do not think so. i am not saying that i am in favor of cmas doing "everything" but they should have board to regulate them so basically i am agreeing with the original poster. thank you..just my two cents...

soon to be lpn (ofcourse i will call myself a nurse when i get my license!), angel :devil:

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kmcnelly,

I read all the threads and I am sensing (based on the above statement) that you think to be called a nurse, you have to have BSN??? I am sensing that you have problems with LPNs and ADNs calling themselves nurses??? So for the LPN's who completed the LPN program in one year, they cannot call themselves nurses??? What would you call them, Little Pretend Nurse??? I am just curious. I will be a nurse (LPN) soon, 4 more months to go and I can tell you that I will call myself a nurse despite of what you said about having 4 years to be called a nurse.

In addition, I know CMA's should not call themselves nurses because their title says Medical Assistant. I know some people said some negative stuff about the training of the CMAs but are we kinda in the same boat when we are nursing students?? I mean CMA's get their clinicals skills or perfect their skills with the direction of the doctors and we get our clinicals with our nursing instructors?? And we both work under the licenses of both individuals. I know the difference is we only work (during clinicals) under our nursing instructors as a student and CMA's always work under the MDs license.

For those who are very experienced with what they do now, were you that experienced right after nursing school? I do not think so. I am not saying the I am in favor of CMAs doing "everything" but they should have board to regulate them so basically I am agreeing with the oroginal poster. Thank You..just my two cents...

Soon to be LPN (ofcourse I will call myself a nurse when I get my license!), Angel :devil:

LOL

Well, I appreciate the politeness in your response, Angel. Just FYI...I'm a nursing student. And I'm pursuing my ADN. I'm not sure how it works at other schools, but at our community college you have 2 years of pre-req's before you're admitted into the nursing program. So it takes 4 years to get your 2 year degree here. Sucks.

I totally respect CMA's that are hard working and eager to learn. What I don't respect, however, is CMA's that think they are really nurses. That kind of thinking is dangerous. I have yet to meet a CMA (or MA) that has introduced themselves as such. I had met one who was telling me that they gave free shots to protect against HPV...which she repeatedly referred to as herpes. I asked her which it was and she told me that they were "the same thing". So if you give a young woman that shot, and she listens to this MA, she believes that she can have sex with someone who has herpes AND NOT GET INFECTED!!! That is DANGEROUS!!! It's MA's like THAT that aggrivate me. And like I said, this MA introduced themselves as a nurse. (I spoke to her boss, an NP, and she said that she would talk to her). I believe anyone who has "nurse" somewhere in the title is a nurse and deserves that respect. I also believe anyone who doesn't should respect the title and not throw it around like they do. Just my 2 cents (about all I have since I'm still a student ;) )

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

Chrystall. As a CMA of 5 years and now a nursing student; I can say you are wrong! Unless you are just reading off test results that the doctor has made notes of, you are not trained to interpret these results; FNP and PAs are not even aloud to fully interpreter EKG strips and give formal Dx. I am not sure what your state allows, but in California x-ray technicians do x-rays and they have training to do so; and that does not include reading them; that requires a RADIOLOGIST, as in an MD. You are NOT "doing the same work as a nurse but just at a lower pay". I know from experience. If you are doing the work of a nurse you are at risk for big trouble. The difference between when I was an MA and the training I am getting as a nurse is Critical thinking, any one can perform a technical task, it takes Critical thinking to go beyond the techincal aspect of it. Any one can be taught how to set up and start an I.V. it takes critical thinking to know what to put in one and to know what to do if somthing goes wrong.

I am sure if and when you start nursing school your outlook on being an M.A. will change, its small potatoes compared to being an RN.

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Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.
lol

well, i appreciate the politeness in your response, angel. just fyi...i'm a nursing student. and i'm pursuing my adn. i'm not sure how it works at other schools, but at our community college you have 2 years of pre-req's before you're admitted into the nursing program. so it takes 4 years to get your 2 year degree here. sucks.

i totally respect cma's that are hard working and eager to learn. what i don't respect, however, is cma's that think they are really nurses. that kind of thinking is dangerous. i have yet to meet a cma (or ma) that has introduced themselves as such. i had met one who was telling me that they gave free shots to protect against hpv...which she repeatedly referred to as herpes. i asked her which it was and she told me that they were "the same thing". so if you give a young woman that shot, and she listens to this ma, she believes that she can have sex with someone who has herpes and not get infected!!! that is dangerous!!! it's ma's like that that aggrivate me. and like i said, this ma introduced themselves as a nurse. (i spoke to her boss, an np, and she said that she would talk to her). i believe anyone who has "nurse" somewhere in the title is a nurse and deserves that respect. i also believe anyone who doesn't should respect the title and not throw it around like they do. just my 2 cents (about all i have since i'm still a student ;) )

hehe. sorry i misinterpreted your comment. i was about to search for your profile and see all the posts you made so far. hehe. i didn't mean to be mean. hehe. i know it sucks to do all those prereqs. it is the same here in new jersey. i did most of my pre-reqs in 1 1/2 year for the adn. but now i am doing the lpn route so that it would be easier for me to get in the rn program and work already as a nurse while going for the rn. it's going to take me longer but this is what works for me and i will soon have that rn title (i hope sooner than later). thanks and good luck with the schooling...yeah maybe we should say "just my 1 cent since we are still a nursing student".

and yeah, those cma's should not mislead the patients. they are not nurses and if they want to be called a nurse then they have to go to a nursing school (lpn/adn/bsn). just my one cent...

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hehe. sorry i misinterpreted your comment. i was about to search for your profile and see all the posts you made so far. hehe. i didn't mean to be mean. hehe. i know it sucks to do all those prereqs. it is the same here in new jersey. i did most of my pre-reqs in 1 1/2 year for the adn. but now i am doing the lpn route so that it would be easier for me to get in the rn program and work already as a nurse while going for the rn. it's going to take me longer but this is what works for me and i will soon have that rn title (i hope sooner than later). thanks and good luck with the schooling...yeah maybe we should say "just my 1 cent since we are still a nursing student".

and yeah, those cma's should not mislead the patients. they are not nurses and if they want to be called a nurse then they have to go to a nursing school (lpn/adn/bsn). just my one cent...

no, i thought you were completely polite. i appreciated it.

i was talking to my father about the difference between ma's and nurses. the difference i see is like this...it is like the difference between a cook at denny's and a chef at a top-notch restaraunt in nyc. while the cook at denny's is in fact a cook and does know how to cook, the chef at the restaraunt is educated in food and knows why he's adding the ingredients that he adds. he can taste a dish and say "this needs x, or this needs x and y", just as a nurse can see a situation and know that something is wrong. can the ma do that? no. is that a bad thing? no. ma's are very useful when they know their scope. but, just like the cook at denny's, their scope is limited. even if they are trained to by a chef, they will never know why they do what they do, or be able to realize when something is 'amiss'. this is the critical thinking that nurses posses that makes the difference.

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kmcnelly,

I read all the threads and I am sensing (based on the above statement) that you think to be called a nurse, you have to have BSN??? I am sensing that you have problems with LPNs and ADNs calling themselves nurses??? So for the LPN's who completed the LPN program in one year, they cannot call themselves nurses??? What would you call them, Little Pretend Nurse??? I am just curious. I will be a nurse (LPN) soon, 4 more months to go and I can tell you that I will call myself a nurse despite of what you said about having 4 years to be called a nurse.

In addition, I know CMA's should not call themselves nurses because their title says Medical Assistant. I know some people said some negative stuff about the training of the CMAs but are we kinda in the same boat when we are nursing students?? I mean CMA's get their clinicals skills or perfect their skills with the direction of the doctors and we get our clinicals with our nursing instructors?? And we both work under the licenses of both individuals. I know the difference is we only work (during clinicals) under our nursing instructors as a student and CMA's always work under the MDs license.

For those who are very experienced with what they do now, were you that experienced right after nursing school? I do not think so. I am not saying that I am in favor of CMAs doing "everything" but they should have board to regulate them so basically I am agreeing with the original poster. Thank You..just my two cents...

Soon to be LPN (ofcourse I will call myself a nurse when I get my license!), Angel :devil:

Thank you for the comments. I agree. The more I read about what MA's do and what they think , I really know the BON's need to regulate them.. The only thing is , I would imagine their pay would decrease in most places because I have a feeling they would be considered more on the lines of a CNA. (not the 2 year CNA, but the ones that went to shcool 10 months). Not sure what the 2 yr CMA's would fall under. After reading more and more posts from CMA's I wouder why anyone would go to school 2 year when they could go 10 and get the same job?

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I Have A Lpn License In Ok And Nev Also An Lpn In Ca. What I Need To Know Is What Exactly Does A Cma Do. In A Nursing Home In The State Of Ok. I Hjave Been Told That They Give Injections And Also Narcotics. I Do Not Approve If This Is True. They Go To Ma School For Two Weeks And Think They Are Nurses. We Need Cma. But I Do Not Believe They Should Take Our Jobs. Please Anwer This Question. Can The Give Narcs?

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Thank you for the comments. I agree. The more I read about what MA's do and what they think , I really know the BON's need to regulate them.. The only thing is , I would imagine their pay would decrease in most places because I have a feeling they would be considered more on the lines of a CNA. (not the 2 year CNA, but the ones that went to shcool 10 months). Not sure what the 2 yr CMA's would fall under. After reading more and more posts from CMA's I wouder why anyone would go to school 2 year when they could go 10 and get the same job?

I just have to add my 2 cents to the above comment.....why go to school for CMA for 2 years or even 10 months when you could go and get AT LEAST an LPN?? LPN DOES give you more nursing knowledge and start you on the road to RN. CMAs do not give that "nursing knowledge and education" and time spent in a CMA program does not, as I understand it, provide credit towards RN.

At least with LPN you can bridge to RN. JMHO

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

this thread is about medical assistants. however, my husband just happens to have a ok med aide certification and he tells me they can do insulin, tube feedings and some other goodies. for a med aide to give the narcs that is a normal part of their job..but i do my own insulin's and tube feedings... all the texas med aides have always been able to give narcs but they cant give a inhaler, do up drafts or do any injections of any kind. i made my husband clearly aware that some of the things he was allowed to do is out of his scope of practice...don't care what oklahoma says ...some of those things belong to me for a reason , they are apart of my assessment. after saying all this i re-read your post...are you talking about the clinics or ltc...

i have a lpn license in ok and nev also an lpn in ca. what i need to know is what exactly does a cma do. in a nursing home in the state of ok. i hjave been told that they give injections and also narcotics. i do not approve if this is true. they go to ma school for two weeks and think they are nurses. we need cma. but i do not believe they should take our jobs. please anwer this question. can the give narcs?
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