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Discussion

CMA vs. Nurses

hi! :nurse:

i remember when i graduated from nursing school how proud i was that i officially had the title of a nurse when i passed my boards. i applied for a clinic job in pediatrics. i worked with about ten other lpn's who i got along well with. well, because the shortage of nurses, cma's are now being hired. my lpn coworkers and i have come to the conclusion that cma's lack the skill of empathy. all those adorable babies come into pediatrics and all the cma's do is do their medical cares and be done with them. what happened to health care providers being compassionate and kind? also, i hear cma's constantly calling themselves nurses. this has bothered myself and my other lpn coworkers on many occasions. they are not nurses, nor are they supposed to call themselves nurses. i do not personally have anything against cma's, but i find it hard working with them when they do not show compassion towards patients. i am interested in what others think about this...i will be anxiously waiting for replies! have a great night!

kn:nurse:

Featured Replies

Hi,

This is my first time posting and i immediately saw this posting. i am a CMA and i too work ina a pediatric clinic. i dissagree that CMA's lack the empathy needed to deal with patients. i give each child that comes to our office indivisual time. i don't just do the medical part of my job. i am also a pre-nursing student at that. i guess what i really want to say is that everyone is different and you shouldn't put labels on people.

thank you,

christian.d

  • Author

sorry to upset christian, it was not meant to upset anyone. i was just wondering what others thought of cma's is all. you have some nursing background so it may be different. i just posted my observation is all. have a great night:nurse:

i am not at all upset. sorry to have come across in such a way. you are not the first person to have those and feelings. i hear it all the time. yet at the same time i absolutely know what you mean. nursing is not for everyone you really must have the heart to do it.

thanks for responding, have a great night!!!!

I will agree that CMAs should not be referring to themselves as "nurses," in fact I consider this deceptive and fraudulent towards the patients they are providing care for. This issue you need to take up with your immediate superior.

As to whether a CMA can provide empathic and compassionate care, yes they can. Bear in mind that CMA training differs from that of an LPN, are you sure that's not what you're placing judgement on?

Ok, I'm a little lost here, I'm guessing CMA means certified medical assistant? What tasks to they do? (I don't really know anything about clinic work, so I'm not sure.)

Have been wondering for a while, thanks!

S

  • Experts

CMA's do many different tasks and have many different scopes of practices per their state's nurse practice act or medical practice act. (They work under the MD's license). There are several recent and lengthy threads on this subject.

As to whether a CMA can provide empathic and compassionate care, yes they can. Bear in mind that CMA training differs from that of an LPN, are you sure that's not what you're placing judgement on?

Is emphathy and compassion a learned skill?

Can a person be trainiedto have empathy? You either have it or you don't, to my way of thinking.

If you don't, you shouldn't be doing any sort of patient care.

I thought "CMA" meant Certified Medication Aide.

CMA here means Medication Assistant? I thought that was someone who worked in a doctor's office..........???

There is always so much criticism towards the profession of Medical Assisting. Not all medical assistants call themselves nurses, not all medical assistants lack training, not all medical assistants are apathetic. I think it's foolish to stereotype all of the people in a career when you are incapable of knowing every single person in that field. You hate it when people stereotype nurses, right? Then don't stereotype other professions.

-Ben

Wise words, Ben. Stereotypes have no place in medicine, nursing and medical assisting.

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