CMA posing as nurse...?

[WannaBeNrse]

Hi,

I have a question: Is it legal for a CMA to pose as a nurse and give medical advice? I called the clinic here this a.m., because I have a fever & sore throat, and the clinic's receptionist, who I know is a CMA, answered the phone. I asked to speak with a nurse, and she said "This is her". Ok, I thought that was odd, but this tiny clinic here maybe doesnt have any nurses, so I told her about my symptoms and asked if I should come in to rule out strep throat. She then pretty much told me that i'd know if I had strep, because I would be "unable to function", so its probably viral and theres nothing they can do for that. Doesnt she overstep some bounderies here??? The result of this conversation was that I felt like I am probably overreacting, so I didnt go in, but my fever is still there. So I will most likely have it checked out tomorrow. I do not want any medical advice here. I just wanna know if a CMA is allowed to pose as a nurse & give advise like that, because I doubt it.

Thanks!

[Roben1164]

We do get all that training plus.... Some hospitals have done away with there LPN's and hired CMA's We do the same things. We just get less money might change in time. Some of our training does not come from a book. We are directly trained by the Doctor. Nothing wrong with that. Look how upset you all get. No reason.... We all have a job to do it isn't about who is the Nurse or who is the CMA. YES, I do speak for myself and any other MA out their.

[maikranz]

We do get all that training plus.... Some hospitals have done away with there LPN's and hired CMA's We do the same things. We just get less money might change in time. Some of our training does not come from a book. We are directly trained by the Doctor. Nothing wrong with that. Look how upset you all get. No reason.... We all have a job to do it isn't about who is the Nurse or who is the CMA. YES, I do speak for myself and any other MA out their.

"...We are directly trained by the Doctor. .." Really? So you didn't complete an educational program of some sort?

It's illegal for someone who has not successfully passed the certification exam to call themselves a "CMA". Where do hospitals utilize CMAs because the training is not geared toward acute care and is nothing like LPN education, plus nurses with any educational preparation must be licensed and in good standing in order to practice. Medical assistants are not required to be certified in any state, but greatly enhance their employment chances if they are.

Yes, it is illegal in any state to impersonate a nurse or physician, and should a lawsuit occur, the medical assistant is held to the standard of care required of the healthcare professional s/he is impersonating, in this case, a RN.

[APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

i am a cma. i do not want to be a nurse. i wanted to be a cma so i am. with that said... i am seeing more and more that nurses are feeling threatened by us. because they dont understand what we are or what we do. we are made for the physicians. we are to work with the doctor. i don't know why they came up with the new positions. i hear because of all the crap that they have to hear from nurses. i have worked in places were the nurses tell the doctors what they can and what they can't do. they belong to nurses unions some of them not all of them. they demand a lot more money. we work with the doctor become his right arm. plus we do all the billing, coding, the admin. stuff, the blood draws, we have such a wide variety of training. we are just like a lpn but we do more. no we do not have the nurse after our name but we do not need it. a lot of places are going with the cma i know it is because of the pay. we get paid a lot less then the nurse. there always has been a shortage of nurses. so they came up with us. i have met a few nurses that dont even draw blood or even know what a icd-9 code is. and that is ok. we as cma's know it. yes we can do perscriptions, write orders, and even put in an iv line if we are under the physician they train us they're way. that is the difference between a cma and a regular ma. we are not under the nurses like pct's , lpn's, cna's are they alaways try to tell us what to do. but you are not our boss. you are regulated i think by the nurses association or something like that. we are regulated by the ama just like the doctor's are. the physicians created us. i am sorry that we all cannot work together. nurses are threatened by us. no need to be. it is all about the pt.

right off the good ol' california medical board website:

http://www.medbd.ca.gov/allied/medical_assistants_training.html

the medical board receives numerous inquiries concerning the use of medical assistants in a physician's office. (by law, a medical assistant may not be employed for inpatient care in a licensed general acute care hospital.)

medical assistants are unlicensed, and may only perform basic administrative, clerical and technical supportive services as permitted by law. an unlicensed person may not diagnose or treat or perform any task that is invasive or requires assessment. the responsibility for the appropriate use of unlicensed persons in health care delivery rests with the physician.

the classification of medical assistant is defined under the provisions of the medical practice act (business and professions code sections 2069-2071) as a person who may be unlicensed who performs basic administrative, clerical, and technical supportive services under the supervision of a licensed physician or podiatrist.

under the law, "technical supportive services" are simple, routine medical tasks and procedures that may be safely performed by a medical assistant who has limited training and who functions under the supervision of a licensed physician or podiatrist. "supervision" is defined to require the licensed physician or podiatrist to be physically present in the treatment facility during the performance of those procedures. the only exception is contained in business and professions code section 2069(a) and relates to clinics licensed under health and safety code section 1204.

prior to performing technical supportive services, a medical assistant shall receive training by either (1) a licensed physician and surgeon or podiatrist or (2) an instructor in an approved school program to assure the medical assistant's competence in performing a service at the appropriate standard of care.

a medical assistant who has completed the minimum training prescribed by regulation may administer medication by intradermal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular injections, perform skin tests, and other technical supportive services upon the specific authorization and supervision of a licensed physician and surgeon or podiatrist.

"specific authorization" means a specific written order prepared by the supervising physician or podiatrist authorizing the procedures to be performed on a patient, which shall be placed in the patient's medical record; or a standing order prepared by the supervising physician or podiatrist authorizing the procedures to be performed, the duration of which shall be consistent with accepted medical practice. a notation of the standing order shall be placed in the patient's medical record.

other technical supportive services which a medical assistant may perform have been established by regulation and include: applying and removing bandages and dressings, removing sutures, performing ear lavage, preparing patients for examinations, and shaving and disinfecting treatment sites. the regulations governing medical assistants can be found in title 16 california code of regulations sections 1366-1366.4. medical assistants who have completed the minimum training prescribed by regulation may draw blood.

medical assistants are not allowed to perform such invasive procedures as:

• placing the needle or starting and disconnecting the infusion tube of an iv.
  
• administering medications or injections into the iv line.
  
• charting the pupillary responses.
  
• inserting a urine catheter.
  
• independently performing telephone triage.
  
• injecting collagen.
  
• using lasers to remove hair, wrinkles, scars, moles or other blemishes.
  
• administering chemotherapy.
  

medical assistants may not interpret the results of skin tests, although they may measure and describe the test reaction and make a record in the patient's chart.

in summary, medical assistants are not licensed, and it is not legal to use them to replace highly trained, licensed professionals.

the medical assistant is present to assist and perform basic supportive services in the physician's office.

those duties must be appropriate with the medical assistant's required training.

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

I hope you feel better soon :)

Strep is going around here. I wish it was one of those bugs you got once and that was it, like chicken pox or mono.

I'd find another doc if that was an option, IMO. I can't remember ever calling a doc and not having the doctor be involved in the decision making. Either I go in for an appt or the nurse takes my info and calls me back with what the doc said to do.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

i am a cma. i do not want to be a nurse. i wanted to be a cma so i am. with that said... i am seeing more and more that nurses are feeling threatened by us. because they dont understand what we are or what we do. we are made for the physicians. we are to work with the doctor. i don't know why they came up with the new positions. i hear because of all the crap that they have to hear from nurses. i have worked in places were the nurses tell the doctors what they can and what they can't do. they belong to nurses unions some of them not all of them. they demand a lot more money. we work with the doctor become his right arm. plus we do all the billing, coding, the admin. stuff, the blood draws, we have such a wide variety of training. we are just like a lpn but we do more. no we do not have the nurse after our name but we do not need it. a lot of places are going with the cma i know it is because of the pay. we get paid a lot less then the nurse. there always has been a shortage of nurses. so they came up with us. i have met a few nurses that dont even draw blood or even know what a icd-9 code is. and that is ok. we as cma's know it. yes we can do perscriptions, write orders, and even put in an iv line if we are under the physician they train us they're way. that is the difference between a cma and a regular ma. we are not under the nurses like pct's , lpn's, cna's are they alaways try to tell us what to do. but you are not our boss. you are regulated i think by the nurses association or something like that. we are regulated by the ama just like the doctor's are. the physicians created us. i am sorry that we all cannot work together. nurses are threatened by us. no need to be. it is all about the pt.

what do you mean by you "can do perscriptions?" it is "prescriptions", by the way.

and what kind of "orders" are you writing?

[sevensonnets]

Amen to the California BON! I was the victim of an unlicensed medical assistant who did not notify my doctor of my emergency, which nearly cost me my life. I don't allow UMC's to make medical decisions which deny me access to medical care.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I am a CMA. I do not want to be a Nurse. I wanted to be a CMA so I am. With that said... I am seeing more and more that Nurses are feeling threatened by us. Because they dont understand what we are or what we do. We are made for the Physicians. We are to work with the Doctor. I don't know why they came up with the new positions. I hear because of all the crap that they have to hear from nurses. I have worked in places were the nurses tell the Doctors what they can and what they can't do. They belong to Nurses Unions Some of them not all of them. They demand a lot more money. We work with the Doctor become his right arm. Plus we do all the billing, coding, the Admin. stuff, the Blood Draws, we have such a wide variety of training. We are just like a LPN but we do MORE. No we do not have the NURSE after our name but we do not need it. A lot of places are going with the CMA I know it is because of the pay. We get paid a lot less then the nurse. There always has been a shortage of nurses. So they came up with us. I have met a few nurses that dont even draw blood or even know what a ICD-9 code is. And that is ok. We as CMA's Know it. Yes we can do perscriptions, write orders, and even put in an IV line if we are under the Physician They train us they're way. That is the difference between a CMA and a regular MA. We are not under the Nurses Like PCT's , LPN's, CNA's are They alaways try to tell us what to do. But you are not our boss. You are regulated I think by the Nurses Association or something like that. We are Regulated by the AMA Just like the Doctor's are. The Physicians created us. I am sorry that we all cannot work together. Nurses are threatened by us. No need to be. It is all about the PT.

This was funny. Thank you!

[OCNRN63, RN]

What do you mean by you "can do perscriptions?" It is "prescriptions", by the way.

And what kind of "orders" are you writing?

I would love to know how you "put in an IV line when you're under the physician."