CMA Student Fooled...

Nurses General Nursing

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Working in the Coumadin clinic today, I met a patient that is attending an Associate Degree program to become a Medical Assistant. She was overly excited speaking about this program, saying "Because you see...they will not be using nurses forever... and I can start a job making $40 an hour". She is paying $5000 per semester (two year program), saying that she can probably transfer her credits to becoming an RN and that this school even has a Bachelor's Degree in Medical Assisting. She spoke about the papers she has to do, showed me her work, books, etc... I felt bad for her, because the textbooks were basic duties of a CMA, something that could have been learned in a cheaper program, and they were not even certifying them. She proudly toted her Medical Billing courses, saying "You didn't learn that...", etc...

I have seen courses where people can take individually for so much cheaper at community colleges, in fact, some community colleges offer the CMA course for $1000 for the ENTIRE program.

Since the clinic, where I am a nurse was not the appropriate place to challenge this person who came in the role of my patient, all I could do is wish her good luck, and keep me posted. The other LPN that was listening with me shook her head as this girl left the exam room. She will be thousands of dollars in debt even if she does get a job making $10 an hour. These schools should be shot for the hype they are selling!:angryfire

Specializes in LTC.

Two years to become an MA? I know a girl going to a community college in my area and she told me 6 months total to get hers..How long is the average MA program?

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I guess I'm feeling kinda heartless right now, but if she has internet access and even the slightest clue, she'd realize she screwed up in getting into this. Or more accurately, she'd have realized she shouldn't get into it before she committed.

It doesn't take a genius to do a salary search. Or look through the classifieds in the local newspapers to see who is hiring what. A very simple comparison of schools, even, should have shown her she was getting royally worked over by this one. And that an RN program could cost her alot less and pay off alot faster.

She was a fool, and unfortunately for her, while WE know it already, SHE will have to figure it out later.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I guess I'm feeling kinda heartless right now, but if she has internet access and even the slightest clue, she'd realize she screwed up in getting into this. Or more accurately, she'd have realized she shouldn't get into it before she committed.

It doesn't take a genius to do a salary search. Or look through the classifieds in the local newspapers to see who is hiring what. A very simple comparison of schools, even, should have shown her she was getting royally worked over by this one. And that an RN program could cost her alot less and pay off alot faster.

She was a fool, and unfortunately for her, while WE know it already, SHE will have to figure it out later.

I am also a bit heartless, really. If you saw the wide-eyed wonder, the smugness "because you see, they won't be using nurses forever..." (that was the hint for us nurses that we are not needed), all I can do is say in my own mind that she will see sooner than later.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
Two years to become an MA? I know a girl going to a community college in my area and she told me 6 months total to get hers..How long is the average MA program?

Hard to say. Because they don't seem to have standards, it can be anything from 3 months to 2 years. Never heard of a Bachelor's program in Medical Assisting, though...

I'm telling you, I attended a quickie course for medical assisting, only paid $299 and was able to obtain agency jobs doing it for a few years. I think that what made me a good candidate, to be honest was that I had experience as a phlebotomist and as a CNA. The community colleges in my area can be completed within 6-9 months.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
What in the world....

A few months ago, my younger sister (20 yo) sent me text, letting me know she was on her way to a school that would charge her $13k for a medical assistant course. (They told her if she didn't sign up that day, the tuition was going to be raised to $16k). She wanted to make sure it was the correct price for this course. I immediately called her and said "DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING!". Long story short, she is applying the LPN schools. Phew!

Wow...now they are having a race to have people sign up within a certain frame of time...unbelieveable. Thank goodness you were able to intercede before she made the mistake of a lifetime.

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Specializes in OBGYN.

Retyped....

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Specializes in OBGYN.

Thank you for this post. I am a Certified Medical Assistant and there are many people/perspective MAs that have this belief that they are going to be able to make *big money* or have all of these opportunities to do this and to do that. Please do not get me wrong (I value all of the education that I've recieved) but I feel like this career (for the most part) is a dead end. Yes it is awesome to give injections, perform clinical testing, assist with minor office procedures, medical coding, transcription, etc. BUT that, sadly, is IT for Medical Assistants. Yes, many (not all) MAs get too comfortable in what they are doing and began calling themselves *nurses*! :angryfire This really angers me because the FIRST class that I took in my program was Medical Law & Ethics. You are taught on day one (where I come from) is "YOU ARE NOT NURSES. PRETEND TO BE ONE AND YOU WILL BE HELD LIABLE AS ONE." I would never call myself or present myself to be something that I was not. Just like a nurse would not present him or herself as a doctor neither should any other respective professions. I worked as a Nurse Aide and as a Phlebotomist and had the same type of people that called themselves *nurses* then!

As for the education: I went to an accredited community college that offered An Associate Degree and Diploma. The classes for both were college english, bus. english, psych, anatomy, college algebra and then the major courses. I earned a Degree and an additional Associate in Science Degree because I was educated about what a Medical Assistant does. I wanted more later but for the time I need to work d/t having a newborn. My program costed about $35 per credit hour which was about 47 credits for a diploma and 72 for a degree. I earned an academic scholarship and a grant to have the entire program paid for. I feel really bad for the people that pay as much as $20,000 for a program and probably will barely be making $20,000 when they graduate! I am getting my transcripts together now to apply to nursing school for 2009. The other hard part of being a MA is most of the jobs are M-F 8-5. Therefore, you would probably have to quit your job or hope and pray that there is magically an opening at an urgent care so you can work nights/weekends!:cry: I have been a CMA for almost 3 years and making only a $2 more an hour than I did at my former retail job! I am 27 years old and I have a small daughter that calls me a nurse because of my stethoscope. I sat her down and told her my *Real* title! She doesn't recognize what that is so she still says "I wanna be a nurse mommy!" The sad thing is, the majority of patients today do not understand my title either! I hate to sound like I am being a cry baby but I won't other MAs and nurses to understand that this is how many MAs feel. I work in a very busy OBGYN clinic and everyday there are critical decisions that are made everyday. If I do not know the answer to a question I am very quick to tell the patient that I will get the nurse or the doctor. I will never jeopardize anyone's health. I am not saying that I am not competent but I know where my limit is. I love being part of healthcare and I love taking care of patients so am I wrong for wanting to learn more and earn a higher education? Thank you for reading my two-day-long post! :typing =:zzzzz

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:sofahider I trained as a medical assistant in a physician's office while being paid to work. I worked under an agreement with him -under his license.

Didn't cost me penny. :behindpc:

steph

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

She is due for a wake up call. I graduated from MA school back in 2002. I graduated from a JC and unit were about $20 each so my entire education was $1,000 or less including books. When I went back to nursing school I was making $9.50 without benefits. I only got my certificate of completion. When I got my associates degree in transfer studies (could have applied for AS in Medical Assisting but was advised against it because my adviser said it was a dead end degree) I did not make a cent more (I was getting it anyways since I was transferring to a University for my BSN) so a BS in Medical Assisting would be an even bigger waste. And no, none of my MA classes transferred. My school was straight up with us and told us we would not be making any money...the school this girl is going to is wrong is so many ways, not just because she will have to work years to pay off her tuition, but because her perception of a medical assistant (pay, nurses will not be needed, her courses will be transferred, ect) are sooooooooo wrong. I know you did not want to risk your job, If you see her again maybe find out what school she attends, they need to be turned in!

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Specializes in Home Health.

I've been a MA for five years. I graduate high school a year early and was fooled by a local private school into it. I paid a but load of money only to get 14.00/hr. I paid more then it would have cost me to get my ADN:banghead:. I was so angry when I found this out:angryfire. I thought all my classes would transfer and I would get to work will working toward my RN. YA BIG LIE! I knew the first day of A&P that some thing was wrong. I was making 100's and every one was wondering how I got such good grades. Ummmm..don't people learn this info in middle school! But I do have to say that I work around a TON of RN's and LVN's and I know my scope of pratice. Even though I know a lot I still stay within my scope of pratice. The LVN's and RN's that I work with trust me 100% and I even catch labs/issues/problems before they do but I never step over the boundries. I do get very angry though when some one disrespects me for being a MA. I once had a pt...premature boy needing a blood culture...mom wouldn't let me draw blood...she only wanted a RN...no prob...RN missed...blood drawing isn't everyones thing...I asked the mom for a chance...not b/c I wanted to prove to her I could do it but b/c the pt needed the test....first stick got the blood...and even helped the RN with a IV....the nurses and I have no problems with each other....we like working with each other...but the mom (all of a sudden) was p*** and told me that I should never impersonate a nurse...I never once told her I was a nurse... I have Medical Assistant on my name tag with font bigger then my name.

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Might not be a bad idea to print this thread out and give it to the poor girl.

steph

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