what the heck are medical assistant schools doing !

lauralassie · Oct 9, 2006

young buck ha ha ha, ok. i can do front office , back office, middle office ,underneath the office, what ever office you want me to do. if you want to fill my shoes, come to work with me. i'll even orient you. then , when we get that code, open heart that is going bad, trauma or mi, i'll have you do the rapid transfuser, explain to me the dynamics of your critical patient . also, at 2 am, i want you to talk to dr. levy,(who, by the way will be able to tell if you'r a nurse who is bs'ing him and will be sure to let you know that your an idiot in no uncertain terms...and i can't blame him, he is responsible for that patients outcome) you'll need to explain to him why you started the levo, dopa, epi etc.. and be able to cooralate why you initated treatments according the the hemodynamic peramiters, abgs's , general patient assessment. hope your ready when he comes in to see what's up with the patient.. he's not going to be in good mood when he comes in at 2 am. when he wants to know what the ekg says, he won't mean , how did you set it up. he'll want to know if he heart is functioning well, if it's getting blood supply (do you know what to look for (no...not the rubbish at the top of the ekg that says, abnormal ekg !) whoops, overwhelming, well then let the people who are trained for the big guns do it. if i don't know an office, it may be stressful until i learn the routine, but , got it covered, no big deal. critical thinking is not something you can learn by skimming the surface of patient care. "oh , all of the above and more are what i expect of the nurses i train. think you can do it? i realize what i said sounds cocky, but when one of our loved ones is being cared for do you want the one that knows their job or one that saves the hospital money. when i do a serious job i expect serious action ! you have to be top of your game all of the time as a nurse. as nurses we have to be on top of our game to not let changes happen that will most importantly endanger our patients or endanger or jobs!

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Oct 9, 2006

So since when are CNAs allowed to do what she did? I am just a student, and maybe naive but I STILL HAVE about a 5 inch bruise where she was digging in my arm!

They're not. I would drop a call to their nurse manager...

Spritenurse1210, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2006

uh, education????? who the h#$^^ is telling them an MA can do everything an RN does? We are able to use some skills, but we can't do everything

lauralassie · Oct 9, 2006

This may be different from state to state, hospital to hospital, In our ER we have EMT's who are allowed to start IV's etc. and who are very good at it I must add. I've worked in hospitals that CNA's are specialy trained to do such things as swan ganz readings with exception on PWP, So , I would say you would have to contact your state board of nursing or the hospital concerned . Find out their policies. Even RN's can have trouble starting IV's sometimes it just depends on the vein or even the day the nurse is having. There are days I hit every vein I try, can get veins other people can't, there are days I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with needle.

Jarnaes · Oct 9, 2006

MAs have just enough knowledge to be dangerous... and it's a scary concept.

fritz5668 · Oct 9, 2006

Rockford Business College is doing that. They are saying that just to get students and make money. RockValley College just adds new prereq's to make more money off of students. Both are an embarrassment to Rockford, but they are too politically connected to do anything about it.

pedi-er · Oct 10, 2006

I looked into the MA courses near my home a few years ago and the "High pressure" salesman told me I could get financing and make $10 an hour after graduating--in only 18 months. WOW. 10 bucks an hour with only 20+ thousand dollars to repay for the course!!! I let him know how sorry I was that HE wasted MY time. I was sure to have my purse in-hand as I bolted for the door.

My LPN education was less than $2,700 and that was with uniforms, fees and books. The pay is not great, but a far sight better than 10 bucks an hour. I could not afford to go for the RN at the time. Now that I'm in the door at the hospital, I'm not so sure I want to.

I, too know a few MA's working in the hospital--doing Health Unit Coordinator or CNA jobs--still paying for their big time MA school. Sad.

pedi-er · Oct 10, 2006

I looked into the MA courses near my home a few years ago and the "High pressure" salesman told me I could get financing and make $10 an hour after graduating--in only 18 months. WOW. 10 bucks an hour with only 20+ thousand dollars to repay for the course!!! I let him know how sorry I was that HE wasted MY time. I was sure to have my purse in-hand as I bolted for the door.
My LPN education was less than $2,700 and that was with uniforms, fees and books. The pay is not great, but a far sight better than 10 bucks an hour. I could not afford to go for the RN at the time. Now that I'm in the door at the hospital, I'm not so sure I want to.
I, too know a few MA's working in the hospital--doing Health Unit Coordinator or CNA jobs--still paying for their big time MA school. Sad.

I know enough to know that I know far less than there is to know.

Kinky Slinky RN · Oct 10, 2006

You know, I hear the same thing. I work in the NICU, and we have a tech that says she is able to do everything a nurse can do BUT pass meds... AGAIN, this is a CNA!!!! I think an MA is slightly more education than a CNA!!!! It's ridiculous... I am shocked... I kept telling her that no I don't think she can, but she insists that she is just as qualified for a nursing position as I am... It seems like such a sham... I am sure the school she spent lotsa money on told her that she is just as qualified as every other RN minus the medications part... I highly doubt they teach disease processes, medications, emergency management, assessment, etc to a CNA!! I do know another MA that is working as a Unit Secretary in our NICU... Poor people... I'm sure it makes them UPSET to find out that it's NOTHING like the RN position... if it was, there wouldn't be an RNs.. they would all be taking the easy route to an MA :wink2:

Spritenurse1210, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2006

A lot of Dr. offices employ MA's because they can get away with paying them less than a nurse.

lauralassie · Oct 10, 2006

A lot of Dr. offices employ MA's because they can get away with paying them less than a nurse.

Yep, but just don't call them nurses.:angryfire

MIA-RN1, RN · Oct 10, 2006

I just read this thread and agree with much of it.

Here is a question--there were comments that the MA is working under another provider's license in some instances. So if I were an RN in a doc office, I would be technically supervising the MA's. If the doc allows the MA's to give injections, is it HIS license or MINE that is in jeapardy?

I worked with someone who was going to MA school. She kept saying she was going to "test out" on the NCLEX-PN. Nothing I said convinced her that she couldn't just go take the NCLEX. She got fired long before she ever tried, so I never did find out what was the deal.

I was working as an (uncertified, trained on the job) MA at that office, and always identified myself as such. I took training in phlebotomy and so was allowed to draw blood, and did lab stuff like hcg urine testing, hgb finger stick, vitals etc. Never gave meds, never gave a shot. Never offered either.

Just before getting that job, I went to check out an MA program at a local business institue. They wanted $12K (and this was several years ago). It was outrageous. They touted the benefits of being an MA and the money I could make. The next day I interviewed for the above job and got it without the training. I am SO GLAD I didn't sign on the dotted line at that school the day before!!!!!