Deluded Medical Assistant

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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.

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

Yes, they do. Do you find that any of your medical assistant training has assisted you in nursing school? I found that the diagnostic tests did, and injection sites...that was it for me; but my course was very limited.

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

Goodness, yes...I looked like an idiot. I am thankful that I didn't open my mouth to remove all doubt...LOL. I remember once walking into fundamentals lab with my CNA book with all of the positioning pics (thinking I was doing something). The professor took my book, placed it in my bag and told me "THIS is a whole new world, lady".

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I completed a medical assisting program about 7 years ago and was sorely disappointed, not only in the quality of my educational experience, but by the fact that I could not land a job after graduation. In addition, the knowledge that I garnered in the MA program was not really helpful in the LVN program. The MA program was more skills-based, whereas the LVN program included more disease processes, A&P, pharmacology, and so forth.

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.

I went to a public program (BOCES) during my sr year at high school, and I can honestly say that, yes, my training did help a bit while getting my BSN. But I also took advantage of my time there and really picked my instructor's brain (she was an RN).

But moreso the experience helped. When I worked, I picked the docors brain, and the nurse's brain, and the other medical assistant's brains.

I was familiar with the basics (albeit, the very basics-type of drug, why it was given, general strengths) of Lasix, Cardizem, betablockers, K-Dur, narcotics, azithromycin, and other pretty common drugs, whereas a lot of my classmates had never even heard of these and were really on square one.

It helped a great deal with medical terminology. I was more comfortable dealing with patients and other health care workers. I had sterile technique covered. Phlebotomy was probably the biggest help, because around here, LPN/RN schools don't teach IV skills. They leave it up to OTJ training. But I was already used to venipuncture--I knew tricks, how to avoid valves, how to make veins pop out at you, how to minimize having them blow, pt comfort measures, etc. All I had to do was master threading the cath and securing the line, which wasn't bad at all.

All in all, I definitely feel I had a leg up over those students who worked at Khols or Stop&Shop or something (not to knock those jobs!).

Having spewed all of that, I also taught MA for a few years at a privately owned vo/tech. The crap they feed their prospective students is pathetic (telling them they'll make $38k/yr?? Telling them they'll be in the "nursing field"). The saddest thing was, most of my students were single mothers. Many were immigrants. All were from poor or working class families. And this school was up to $15k. That was the biggest reason I left, I felt bad all the time, and refused to keep up the bs with my students (I wouldn't lie when they asked about salaries and opportunities and advancement potential, etc) and I refused to participate at recruitment fairs.

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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 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 once did a post about a friend who was a file clerk in surgeons office. The surgeon started taking her into the exam room with him. She kept doing more and more and started asking me for pointers about care of wounds and such.:uhoh21:I posted that I told her, "not on your life sister, you are not practicing off my license, tell that doctor to get a nurse".
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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
I saw a ad for one of those schools in a local newspaper. I thought it was very misleading and it disturbed me but darned if I know what to do about it.
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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
Yes, they do. Do you find that any of your medical assistant training has assisted you in nursing school? I found that the diagnostic tests did, and injection sites...that was it for me; but my course was very limited.

I already knew a lot of stuff during the first semester (minus assessments) and injections from the second semester, but after that it was all new for the most part. A lot of the drugs I learned about in pharm I had called in as refills as an MA. I was like "so THATS how that drug works!" it was really cool.

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Hi all where i'm from it's criminal to call yourself a nurse if you have not done a nurse course at cc.When i did my care giver course they set that straight from day one.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
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.

In Florida, it is a serious crime to misrepresent oneself as a nurse. It is a misdemeanor and it is reportable.

I wish that our ANA would grow a backbone and stop allowing these schools to mislead people. Their tactics are just plain fraudulent. :madface:

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I already knew a lot of stuff during the first semester (minus assessments) and injections from the second semester, but after that it was all new for the most part. A lot of the drugs I learned about in pharm I had called in as refills as an MA. I was like "so THATS how that drug works!" it was really cool.

This is intended as NO offense to you, but I am glad that my doctor has an LPN do his medication call-in refills.

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

Nursing has been romanticized for a long time, and I notice that people look for shortcuts to say that they are nurses; especially since it IS hard to enter into many LPN/RN programs.

One interesting observation I have always had is that many don't consider us LPNs to be nurses, either. It is felt that the course is too short, that we are 'pretend nurses, low paid nurses' and so on. Well, I do consider myself to be just what my title says: PRACTICAL nurse. We learned the nursing process, ongoing assessments, critical thinking and such, however, we cannot say, either that we are registered nurses or higher educated nurses because the scope of practice is different.

My cheapie school didn't delude us, either by telling us that we were to be nurses. We assisted the nurses in a different way, yes, but were not nurses. I just don't care for people being misleaded to invest a great deal of money and time into something and not be clear on what function they are actually performing.

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As an MA I totally admit I know very little amou the "medical" world. We MA do a vital job that is needed in offices and clinic settings, and are limited to that. There is a huge world of hospital, emergency,and other medical fields that I applaude those who can work in them.

I tell pt s that ask if I am a nurse that no , if I know an inch worth, a nurses learns a yard worth, and a doctor is the a mile. To put it simply.

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