Do you feel it is appropriate for a LPN to apply for medical assistant positions?

[emllpn2006]

First I will give a little back ground. In my area approx 120 LPN's graduated from 2 different schools with in weeks of each other making it very competative to get a LPN job. I have no prior experince in the medical field which I feel is why I am having such difficulty finding employment. Many of my class mates are experinacing the same problem. The ones who were CNA's before school have gotten jobs but the ones that are starting out fresh have not. In the newspaper I have seen several jobs advertising for medical assistants that sound like great jobs but I have not applied becouse I am not a medical assistant. Do you think some of these places would consider hiring a LPN instead of a medical assistant or is that why it says medical assistant becouse that is specifically what they want? I know no one can tell me this specifically but I guess what I am really trying to say is do you think it would be okay to apply for these jobs ? Worst case scenario they trash my resume best case scenario I get a great job in a nice doctors office.

[Little Panda RN, ASN, RN]

Where I live they use Medical Assistants and LPN's in the same job capacity with some variations. You may not make an LPN wage with this position, but I would think you would have a good chance of getting the job. Good luck with your job hunt.

[Miss Ludie]

Many physicians use LP/LVNs in their offices. Be aware though that you may be held to a higher standard ie: your LPN license, than that of a medical assistant. I would check with the board of nursing.

[clee1]

As a MA, I am currently filling a LPN slot at an Urgent Care clinic.

Our duties are exactly the same, but I am paid quite a bit less.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I should feel very blessed to live in a very large metropolitan area where LVNs have no difficulties finding employment, regardless of the lack of nursing experience. The major trade-off is the fact that LVNs around here must be willing to work for nursing homes or home health agencies.

I applied for a position at a large urgent care chain that operates many clinics in and around DFW, Texas. Their advertisements read, "LVNs and graduate nurses welcome with no experience necessary." However, I declined to work at one of these clinics when the starting wage offered was $12.75 hourly. My license is unequivocally worth more than that. I am a newer LVN who earns $18.50 at an upscale nursing home. My advice is to do whatever you need to do in order to find employment without selling your license cheaply.

[anne74]

Be aware if you apply to any of these MA positions. It would be very easy for these places to take advantage of you - basically they would get an LPN-educated nurse, but pay you considerably less. In addition, you might not be able to use all your skills, like passing meds, etc. That can limit your ability to build skills and experience.

Maybe I would send your resume to these places, but not necessarily apply for an MA spot. Maybe once they got your resume, they might decide they can hire an LPN afterall. Or, maybe in the future they would have an LPN spot available. It's good to get your name out everywhere.

If you're seriously considering taking an MA position, maybe discuss with the employer the possibility of being promoted to an LPN level later on. Don't short change yourself. Or if you take an MA position, consider it a temporary way to get your foot in the door. Give yourself a time limit - like 6 months to a year to build your resume and then go get that LPN spot. Good luck!