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.

Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
Dr's offices hire MA's because they can give us the responsibilities of a nurse and the money of a janitor.

With all due respect there is one huge difference...a college degree. I realize that some MA's do have a college degree but if they choose to be an MA with an associate's degree than IMO they have also chosen to make less money.

One great difference between myself and a Nurse is that they make 3 or 4 times more money than i do yet in a doctors office I am doing the same work.

The work of an MA and a nurse has more than one great difference. The difference in pay is only the tip of the iceberg.

I am an MA, and the reason i give injections, draw blood, take x-rays, give patient test results, assist in medical procedures, call in Rx and can run an entire front office is because i was trained to do it. If i was told to do something i thought i couldnt do, I wouldnt. Being an MA doesnt mean you give out the wrong meds, and wrong information as some of these posts have stated. It shouldnt be "jaw dropping" or "scary". Rest assured if i didnt know how to draw blood or give injections, i wouldnt be running around poking people with needles.

It shouldnt be "jaw dropping" or "scary"

It shouldn't be but unfortunately it is sometimes "jaw dropping" and "scary". This is also true with nurses. I have worked with some jaw dropping downright dangerous nurses. That is not limited to MA's or any other profession.

As previously stated we are discussing MA's who do not follow the rules. No one objects to a good MA who is a valuable member of the health care profession. Glad to hear you are a good MA.

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No, the difference between you and a licensed nurse is:

1. She has a license.

2. She/he is restricted by the Nurse Practice Act of their state in regards to what she/he can and cannot do.

3. She/he works under her/his own license and can be sued as an individual. You work for the doctor. You work under his license. While you can be named in a suit, he will be the one held responsible financially.

4. You may your own limitations, there are those MA's who do not or chose to ignore their own lack of education.

5. She/he can have a complaint filed against them at their BON. And it will be investigated. And they can be held liable for any sanctions or lose of license, unlike yourself.

Our jaws drop because so many of you seem only too willing to take chances.

Woody:balloons:

I appreciate a nurse has worked hard for there "license." as i worked hard for my certification. That i recieved only after passing a mandated test as well. Im sure there are MA's who dont know there own limitations. As i am sure there are some nurses who dont either. I wonder how many of "us" exactly do you know that take chances?

Instead of appreciation for greatly reducing your workload, we get complete disrespect instead of being embraced as the vital part of the medical field we are. I became an MA to pay for school to become an RN. A title i will be very proud of, but i am just as proud of my CMA title.

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With all due respect there is one huge difference...a college degree. I realize that some MA's do have a college degree but if they choose to be an MA with an associate's degree than IMO they have also chosen to make less money.

The work of an MA and a nurse has more than one great difference. The difference in pay is only the tip of the iceberg.

It shouldn't be but unfortunately it is sometimes "jaw dropping" and "scary". This is also true with nurses. I have worked with some jaw dropping downright dangerous nurses. That is not limited to MA's or any other profession.

As previously stated we are discussing MA's who do not follow the rules. No one objects to a good MA who is a valuable member of the health care profession. Glad to hear you are a good MA.

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With respect, as i stated in my previous post. There is no difference in an RN and MA responsabilities in a Doctors office setting. Im sure in a hospital setting there is a great difference. In a doctors office however, there is none.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
I wonder how many of "us" exactly do you know that take chances?

Having daily contact with MA's I can personally list quite a few dangerous MA's. There are some who are very responsible and I enjoy speaking with them.

Instead of appreciation for greatly reducing your workload, we get complete disrespect

MA's get paid to do their jobs and their job function is not to reduce the workload of a licensed nurse because the scopes of practice between the two are vastly different.

There is no difference in an RN and MA responsabilities in a Doctors office setting.

...and therein lies the difference. The RN knows the difference and the MA does not. I have worked in a doctor's office and have had personal experience with MA's but prefer to remain civil. I think you'll understand better once you are a practicing RN.

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

i cant even believe we have taken this thread to this level. we need to back up and start over here...does this say there is no difference in a ma and rn in a office setting??????:eek::eek::eek::eek:

there is no difference in an rn and ma responsabilities in a doctors office setting. im sure in a hospital setting there is a great difference. in a doctors office however, there is none.
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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

this is the key. i was a ma for several years and did not know the difference until i became a nurse... big difference.

i think you'll understand better once you are a practicing rn.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
I can't even believe we have taken this thread to this level...

We try to have a debate and each and every time there are those who think we are talking about them. We know and have repeatedly said that we know there are good MA's. We do not have a problem with good MA's but those words seem to fall on deaf ears. This always turns into a heated debate. The topic of this thread is "boards need to regulate MA's". IMO the major reason they need to regulate MA's is that they continue to believe they are equal to nurses in every way except for the size of their paycheck. I do not, however, believe they will ever be a board to regulate MA's because no one wants to upset the doctors and doctors enjoy paying less.

Does this say there is no difference in a MA and an RN in a office setting?????? :eek::eek::eek::eek:

Yup, friend I do believe that's what I'm reading. I liken that to saying I don't have any kids but I know exactly what you're life is like with 6 kids. Ain't a chance, eh?

This is the key. I was a MA for several years and did not know the difference until I became a nurse...Big difference.

:yeahthat::yeahthat::yeahthat:

Now, back to the regularly scheduled thread....

I do not have a problem with MA's in doctors offices but think I think it should be mandatory to have at least one licensed nurse in the office to supervise the MA's. Question is...if a licensed nurse works in an office and supervises MA's whose license is on the line when they screw up?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC/Geriatric.

I don't believe that MA's will ever be state or nationally regulated. A doctors office is a privately owned business. They can hire whomever they want with whatever training the person does or doesn't have. It will show in spades in how their office is run, both administratively and medically though.

I was a medical office assistant (Canada) for the past 12 years and have just left the field to start LPN school in September.

There are no regulations here as to what an MOA can do. (Although most do just desk/reception, very little clinical work). I did take an MOA course and was "certified", but the bulk of my knowledge came from experience and not the micky mouse course I took. I saw great MOA's with no formal training and horrible MOA's with the course.

However, back to my original point, I don't think MA's will ever be fully regulated because you can't tell a private entrepreneur whom they can and can't hire.

ETA: Oh, and I also think that if MA's became nationally certified, they would then become more expensive to hire. Then the doctors offices could hire "non-certified" MA's and keep the ol' overhead down.

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I appreciate a nurse has worked hard for there "license." as i worked hard for my certification. That i recieved only after passing a mandated test as well. Im sure there are MA's who dont know there own limitations. As i am sure there are some nurses who dont either. I wonder how many of "us" exactly do you know that take chances?

Instead of appreciation for greatly reducing your workload, we get complete disrespect instead of being embraced as the vital part of the medical field we are. I became an MA to pay for school to become an RN. A title i will be very proud of, but i am just as proud of my CMA title.

Yes, I worked hard for my license, I also worked hard for my CCRN, TNCC, CFN ,PALS, ACLS,SANE ....CERTIFICATIONS. But, the cetificates give me needed information, make me more knowlegable in my job but , they are not regulated by the Ohio Board of Nursing. Like I said before, if I screw up my CEU's I'll lose my certification in those areas. If I screw up my CEU's with the board I will be fined and so on. I will not lose my licensure for not knowing what filling pressures are or the effects of nipride and dopamine on the heart are but, I will no longer be an RN, if I practice out of the scope of nursing...defined by the OBN, not american heart or a fixed wing air co. I'm not convinced about MA's changing an RN's work load. Perhaps in an office setting, but not in most hospital settings. Most MA's I work with do the same work as a CNA. I can also run an office if, I can do front desk, back office under the office beside the office , what ever office the Dr wants me to do. Can you run a code on a little old man who comes in to the office , sitting talking to you one min. passes out the next. Because your very next action could save the mans life. What if the Dr isn't there, do you feel you can do anything for him or do you wait for EMT ? Do you feel flustered or are you thinking , wow this is cool.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
Can you run a code on a little old man who comes in to the office , sitting talking to you one min. passes out the next. Because your very next action could save the mans life. What if the Dr isn't there, do you feel you can do anything for him or do you wait for EMT ? Do you feel flustered or are you thinking , wow this is cool.

You Rock!

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
I appreciate a nurse has worked hard for there "license." as i worked hard for my certification. That i recieved only after passing a mandated test as well. Im sure there are MA's who dont know there own limitations. As i am sure there are some nurses who dont either. I wonder how many of "us" exactly do you know that take chances?

Instead of appreciation for greatly reducing your workload, we get complete disrespect instead of being embraced as the vital part of the medical field we are. I became an MA to pay for school to become an RN. A title i will be very proud of, but i am just as proud of my CMA title.

When I worked, I can recall ten who referred to themselves as nurses, gave patient's information and explanations that were in error. And several who called in prescriptions that were incorrect in dose and frequency. I did case management. And I had a great deal of inter action with doctors and their office staff. And more then once, when a client was given the wrong information, I called the doctor's office and spoke to the 'nurse' who had given the information. And after repeating the wrong information to me, I asked their level of education, the field and their license number. Unfortunately because they were not nurses, they were only able to provide me with the certificate number.

Most nurses I had to deal with, knew their limitations. And those that didn't, I transfered my client out of their facility, before they harmed my client even more then they had. And yes, I had the power to transfer. All I had to do was notify the insurance company, give them the reasons, notify the doctor and transfer to another facility where he had priviliges. I didn't do it very frequently but I did do it. Sometimes over the objection of the hospital administrator and the doctor, when they were treating an injury that was clearly beyond their skills. Fortunately it happened infrequently.

I believe you get the disrespect because so many of you refer to yourself as 'nurse'. And since you are not licensed, you can do just about anything, which a lot of you do. And because you worker cheaper, you have displaced a lot of nurses.

Woody:balloons:

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i am an MA in the state of mass. as an MA you do alot of things in the scope of practice. it is really up to each dr you work for, what they deem you responsible for. i myself will not take on any tasks i am not 100% comfortable with. i can do ekg's however i am not comfortable reading them, seeing as they can be off at times. this is why i prefer to not do them. iam now in my 3rd semester of pre reqs for nursing.

nicole

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