I am an LVN in Texas, but I have a friend that has completed his C.N.A. certification and is now working on his Registered Medical Assistant license because he found that the C.N.A.'s here in Houston, Tx make $10/hr or less. This is frustrating him because he really wants to become a nurse ASAP, but has to wait for a program to open up for the LVN or RN courses. Questions: 1) What is the difference, if any, between a C.N.A. and a Nurse Tech? 2) Does a Medical Assistant really make any more than a C.N.A.? 3) What is the job market like for Medical Assistants? 4) What other considerations should he keep in mind when deciding if he will complete the Medical Assistant program or just work as a C.N.A. while in nursing school once the next class starts? I would appreciate any and all input/opinions, but would really like to hear from people in or near Houston, Texas. Being a new transplant to Texas, I don't feel I know enough to advise my friend, but I am of the mindset that he is wasting his time attending the Medical Assistant program at a cost of $13,000. (He finishes in Aug and then starts nursing school in September of this year). Even he is starting to think that his school just pushed him into the Medical Assistant program as a way for THEM to make money. Also, keep in mind, my friend has to be able to pay his bills and support himself in the meanwhile until he gets his nursing license.
Thanks everyone. Let me know if you need more info to better answer my questions.
Your friend is surley better in CNA. :)I'm a Medical Assistant myself. I am a recent graduate and I was trying for months to look for a job . I was hired through my mother's Dr. These schools give you all of these false hopes to make their money. I am trying to get into school now for LVN or RN. Still confused on which career path to take. But now days LVN's are beginning to be pushed out of the hospitals and they are hiring them more for Nursing Homes. In order for a MA to get a good job out here, they must be certified and have at least 1-2 years of job experience.
I would tell your friend to find a CNA job b/c the duties are similar to nursing and also alot easier to find a CNA job i've heard.
I completed a 14 month long Medical Assisting program and could not get a job because i didnt have the 1-2 years minimum experience everyone asks for. My program cost $23,000...so now I am in debt $23,000. So now im going to start my CNA class in August and try to start my medical career that way. I can't wait!!
1. As a nurse Tech you are also doing work with phlebotomy and EkG's along wiht your normal patient care.
2. It varys from state to state. Some states you make more and others you make less. From what i've heard from friends its only like a dollor or two more.
3. Again the job market varys from state to state. I were I live they have a better market then CNA's do but thats because hospitals been pushing out CNA's and replaceing them with MA's cuz they can do more than CNA's
4. As for nursing school, All the colleges in the state that i live requires you to take the CNA course and a prereq so really it would be better for him just to go to nursing school get his CNA and work as one because it helps open more doors. From what i have heard from friends who are MA's their job is just a dead end. But also the MA's can also get jobs as a LPN up here.
In Florida, the LPN, MA, and CNA can be taught in the vocational/technical schools.
Pell Grants for LPN and MA none for CNA. I'm applying for the LPN; if I get wait-listed I'm thinking MA instead of CNA. This of course depends on getting a Pell Grant.
I think the total tuition for the LPN is $5 inclusive. Hope this helps.
Pell grants will only cover a certificate course 1 year or longer. So, you would have to do MA because I believe that one is a year and CNA is only 12 weeks here. I am in Florida though, not sure where you are. Just a warning though, don't waste credits on anything that you won't use. Pell Grants only cover 150 attempted credits. I learned that the hard way. I was in my last 2 terms of nursing school and my Pell money ran out. I was forced to get a student loan, and then after I borrowed all that money to finish, I failed cardiac twice (the first time by 1 point, the second by 2 points). This happened because while I was on the waiting list for RN, I was earning my AA in Art with a minor in photography. Nobody ever told me that it was gonna run out! Now, I have a total of 165 credits and NO degree, student loans that I can't pay back and a crappy job. SIDENOTE: I did get a chance to return to school and finish my RN in 2 terms from a college about 50 miles away. Luckily, my mom is going to pay for it and I don't have to get anymore loans and my husband told me that I don't need to work while I try to do this. I just pray that I make it past all the testing first.
I am so glad I took a minute to read this thread! I recently began making a career change, as I always wanted to work in the healthcare field. In early July I signed up for a CNA program that cost me less than $1,200. I was told by a school here in the Phoenix area that a "CNA has nothing to do with the medical field", that going to their school to become a Medical Assistant was the "way to go"....that all the jobs out there are jobs for MA's. I am sooooo glad I went with my gut instinct and did what I felt was right. I graduated from my CNA program, went for my state test 5 days ago and am waiting to hear if I passed. There are a LOT of CNA positions advertised in this area. I was just floored that someone at a school would give me such false information. Glad I'm chasing my dream and getting my foot in the door. I plan to work as a CNA for a while and will go from there. So thanks for all the replies, I feel better and they were all very informative!
Everything varies from area to area but out where I am, MAs are in demand. I am in the MA program and will graduate in December. I'm getting my degree at a community college and thanks to Pell Grants have not had to pay anything at all for my education. Pay rates out here for MAs are 10 t0 14 dollars an hour. I was a CNA first, and even started out as one on this board :) so I can share my exp :)
As a CNA, I changed briefs, showered people, fed them, changed beds, cleaned them, took just the basic vital signs. Currently I'm in my MA externship where I do EKGs, blood draws, work in the lab, give shots, assist with exams, take patient historys, take vital signs, assist with sterile procedures, prepare items for autoclaving, patient scheduling, filing,insurance coding, handle patient education. I am constantly on the go and moving for the entire day. I love it!
I work with great nurses who are super supportive. Esp once I say I'm also planning on completing my BSN. They say I already know most of what my first semesters will teach me. In addition, since I'm at the community college, I had to complete some Math, English, Pyschology and Anatomy courses that will all transfer into the BSN program.
Last year our local hospital eliminated all LPN jobs and replaced them with MAs. As a CNA I had 2 choices, nursing home or hospital. And our hospital only kept a small number of CNAs full time. As an MA, I am looking at job openings in Urgent Care, Surgery Centers, and Doctor's offices. Out here, they are not requiring exp.
Being a CNA was great, it gave me basic knowledge. But I love all the things that I learned to do and practice as part of the MA program. I'm looking at job openings in the ER and a few specialists offices.
Pell grants will only cover a certificate course 1 year or longer. So, you would have to do MA because I believe that one is a year and CNA is only 12 weeks here. I am in Florida though, not sure where you are. Just a warning though, don't waste credits on anything that you won't use. Pell Grants only cover 150 attempted credits. I learned that the hard way. I was in my last 2 terms of nursing school and my Pell money ran out. I was forced to get a student loan, and then after I borrowed all that money to finish, I failed cardiac twice (the first time by 1 point, the second by 2 points). This happened because while I was on the waiting list for RN, I was earning my AA in Art with a minor in photography. Nobody ever told me that it was gonna run out! Now, I have a total of 165 credits and NO degree, student loans that I can't pay back and a crappy job. SIDENOTE: I did get a chance to return to school and finish my RN in 2 terms from a college about 50 miles away. Luckily, my mom is going to pay for it and I don't have to get anymore loans and my husband told me that I don't need to work while I try to do this. I just pray that I make it past all the testing first.
You are correct, my post was unclear on that point.
Well my thing is MA school is so expensive and CNA courses are so much cheaper. In MO there are always job openings for CNA's but there are never any for MA's. There's a school called Pinnacle Career Institute and there tuition for MA's is 17,000 dollars. That's a lot of money. My best friend is a MA and she started off at 8.50 dollars an hour. To me that's not a lot at all. She just got her pay raise last month. To me its worth it going on to be a CNA especially if you're wanting to become a RN.
As other people have said, the main difference between a CNA and Medical Assistants is that CNA's get a jobs and MA's beg for them, at least in my area. A family friend went through an MA program and couldn't find a job for 6 months. She was only able to get work after a CNA at her family doctor quit, and she's only making $9.00, she paid over $30,000 for an MA program at the local scam school.
I'd also like to add that my mother put my younger brother in the program. I told them it was a scam, he went for 2 semesters and dropped out when they raised tuition again. He was going to go for the surgical tech program, but they pushed him into medical assisting because that program had the most hiring potential.
Your friend should make a list of pros and cons. Most nursing programs require that you take a CNA class anyway. Medical Assistant programs cost more, and they get paid a couple of dollars more per hour than cnas DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU WORK. I work at a federal hospital and I make twice as much as I was making working at a private facility. I am also in school to get my RN. And since I work at a federal facility that doesn't operate on state regulations, cnas get to do more. The benefit of being a medical assistant is that you learn more, but many of the classes that are in that program cannot be transferred to an RN program. I have NEVER seen a CMA to RN bridge program at any college. I also don't think that MAs are properly compensated for what they do. Yes they get to learn more, and they have more responsibilities, but they do not earn much more than CNAs in my area, northern Illinois.
DaMrs01
1 Post
Your friend is surley better in CNA. :)I'm a Medical Assistant myself. I am a recent graduate and I was trying for months to look for a job
. I was hired through my mother's Dr. These schools give you all of these false hopes to make their money. I am trying to get into school now for LVN or RN. Still confused on which career path to take. But now days LVN's are beginning to be pushed out of the hospitals and they are hiring them more for Nursing Homes. In order for a MA to get a good job out here, they must be certified and have at least 1-2 years of job experience.