Deluded Medical Assistant

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

We have talked about this until I am sure we are blue in the face; but this reminded me of our many debates. There is a CNA at my job that is now taking a medical assisting course. Unfortunately, she is getting cocky and saying that she will know as much as nurses, and will be one. I wanted to scream to her that she may be frustrated to take this two year course only to possibly work in a physician's office for about $10 an hour with not much mobility.

I worked as a medical assistant before and while it is skill oriented and can in fact, give a foundation for nursing, it was limiting and I found that after I attended nursing school, that I knew nothing of nursing. I missed a great deal of the nursing cirriculum such as peds, ob and even med-surg. I do believe that the medical assistants are a vital part of the health care team that receives little recognition. They are talented, skilled and contribute much, but I wish that the schools would stop fooling the students.

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Specializes in nursery, L and D.

I don't see why you shouldn't go ahead and tell her what's what. I have seen the ads for some of the MA programs, and they are misleading. With your experience from both sides of the fence, I think this CNA might appreciate your words of wisdom.

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medical assisting is task-oriented.

nursing focuses on one's critical thinking pathways.

please don't let her delusions bother you.

she will find out the limitations of her job, soon enough.

leslie

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
medical assisting is task-oriented.

nursing focuses on one's critical thinking pathways.

please don't let her delusions bother you.

she will find out the limitations of her job, soon enough.

leslie

Yeah, that, it will.

I don't see why you shouldn't go ahead and tell her what's what. I have seen the ads for some of the MA programs, and they are misleading. With your experience from both sides of the fence, I think this CNA might appreciate your words of wisdom.

It bothers me because I only paid $300 for my medical assisting course and was able to work through an agency doing what she will be doing when she finishes. I may wait on this one, for two reasons; one is that she already paid her money and started and also she may feel that I am slighting her since I became an LPN last year. I never thought that I was going to be a nurse when I took the class. The cheap school I went to made sure we knew we were not to be nurses but supportive staff. Many of these schools really make one believe that the only thing holding them from being nurses is NCLEX (and that it is not necessary). If I get her alone, I may mention it to her, though.

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Specializes in Nursing Ed, Ob/GYN, AD, LTC, Rehab.

I have a friends whos brothers long time girlfriend is a MA and walks around saying how happy she is finally be a nurse. I have tried to set her straight but it doesnt seem to work. Im sure she still misleads the public about her educational background. I think the only way this problem could be solved is to make it a serious crime that is reportable to call yourself a nurse without a license.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I have a friends whos brothers long time girlfriend is a MA and walks around saying how happy she is finally be a nurse. I have tried to set her straight but it doesnt seem to work. Im sure she still misleads the public about her educational background. I think the only way this problem could be solved is to make it a serious crime that is reportable to call yourself a nurse without a license.

Well, I assume she will see the difference if she tries to apply at a hospital only to discover that she'll need to take even another course to become a CNA and do even less than what she was trained to do as a Medical Assistant.

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My daughter got hired off the street so to speak and was being paid $1 an hour less than the MAs in her MD office job. Her job was supposed to be nothing but filing. She ended up training for and doing front office, back office, everything. The practice was using her because she was in LVN school. The MDs even came right out and told her so. She was working her butt off while others in the office just watched her little butt work and sat back quietly and let my daughter answer when there were complaints.

Just think. For this she didn't even go to MA school or get a CMA certification. When the doctors started going too far with her I told her she better get with the program regarding and get a copy of the nurse practice act and learn how to say no to the doctors. She ended up leaving the job.

I just get disgusted when I see the ads on TV and realize how much the average person is given a bunch of hype by these overpriced schools. I always tell someone who discusses these matters that they should go to a program in a public school, if at all possible. At least they won't be overpaying for whatever skills and title they obtain. The only reason for going to a private program, in my mind, is inaccessibility of a public program.

I also find it rather interesting that the ads in the paper for MAs usually want experienced people. MAs that I've talked to have told me how hard it is to get a job when they first graduate. Another myth in the ads. Go to our school and you will instantly have the job of your dreams!

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

I just hope no patient suffers before she wises up...

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
My daughter got hired off the street so to speak and was being paid $1 an hour less than the MAs in her MD office job. Her job was supposed to be nothing but filing. She ended up training for and doing front office, back office, everything. The practice was using her because she was in LVN school. The MDs even came right out and told her so. She was working her butt off while others in the office just watched her little butt work and sat back quietly and let my daughter answer when there were complaints.

Just think. For this she didn't even go to MA school or get a CMA certification. When the doctors started going too far with her I told her she better get with the program regarding malpractice insurance and get a copy of the nurse practice act and learn how to say no to the doctors. She ended up leaving the job.

I just get disgusted when I see the ads on TV and realize how much the average person is given a bunch of hype by these overpriced schools. I always tell someone who discusses these matters that they should go to a program in a public school, if at all possible. At least they won't be overpaying for whatever skills and title they obtain. The only reason for going to a private program, in my mind, is inaccessibility of a public program.

I also find it rather interesting that the ads in the paper for MAs usually want experienced people. MAs that I've talked to have told me how hard it is to get a job when they first graduate. Another myth in the ads. Go to our school and you will instantly have the job of your dreams!

I can imagine it, because I have seen it. I saw a course at a community college that gave a bit more than what I learned and took two of the additional courses. Since then, I spoke to some of my classmates and discovered that most of them did not find jobs as medical assistants, and for some reason, they were not even eligible to sit for the CMA or RMA exams.

I also see that the classified ads require experienced people. I got my positions from an agency. I had exactly one CNA certification, phlebotomy certification and then my 300 buck medical assisting course and did fine. Most of the time I administered PPDs, gave flu shots and drew blood. The doctors did the rest. I never did the front desk stuff, thank goodness (I HATE answering phones).

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I just hope no patient suffers before she wises up...

I have to be honest, for the most part, I have not seen patients suffer if the MA does her skills within her scope of practice. Advising and patient teaching may be another issue, though, because the teaching of disease processes are not that involved.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
but I wish that the schools would stop fooling the students.

I am also a Certified MA in nursing school. I got my training at a JR college and we were never given false ideas on what our roles would be as MAs. These other schools give a bad name to many....:angryfire

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I found that after I attended nursing school, that I knew nothing of nursing.

Oh Boy, isn't that the truth! I was a tech for 10 years and thought I knew it all....boy, was I wrong!

And it's hard to explain to people who aren't nurses....

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