help please!! not sure what to do!!

trew1020 · Jun 29, 2013

I am starting Medical assisting program in July. My dream/goal was and still is to become a nurse but fear got in the way so I decided to take baby steps first which is to go to Certified MEDICAL Aassisting school. I have been waiting to go back to school for five yrs. Now due to me being a stay at home mom my husband been supporting us for five years. He is very supportive. But I can tell he is excited for me to being to help out with finances. Now that my kids are starting kindergarten I need Wat do I do do I spend $20,000 on cma school for ten months to help out with bills or take two half years to go for my long term goal which is nursing. By the way none of my classes will transfer from cma school so I would have to start over if I waited. I just don't know if I will ever have time to go back to school cma hours are 8-5 Monday-friday please help any advice.

krazievi3t6url · Jun 29, 2013

I suggest going for the long term goal of becoming a nurse. Medical assisting is different than nursing. I started off as a medical assistant. It worked out for me but most MA jobs are the normal 8-5 business hours which would conflict with nursing school. That's also a lot of money that could be used towards your nursing education.

After a clinical rotation of nursing school some places allow you to work as a nursing assistant so you can do that while in the nursing program. If you're looking to start out slow, just take preqs. and maybe volunteer/shadow a nurse. Good luck in whatever you decide!

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jun 29, 2013

Certified Medical Assistant program doesn't need to cost $20,000.... must be private school. That's an awful lot of money for $10.00-$14.00/hr job. Many community colleges have program for less $8,000.

Medical Assistants - Bureau of Labor Statistics

How to Become a Medical Assistant
In most states, there are no formal educational requirements for becoming a medical assistant. Most have at least a high school diploma. Many assistants learn through on-the-job training.
Pay
The median annual wage of medical assistants was $28,860 in May 2010.

Medical Assistant, A.A.S. | Delaware County Community College

Better choice would be LPN if you are looking at 1 year for same amount of money. Some schools have advanced status into RN program and accept some credits

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses : Occupational ...

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Pay
The median annual wage of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses was $40,380 in May 201

CaringGerinurse525 · Jun 29, 2013

If your end goal is to be a nurse I would not waste the money becoming a medical assistant. I think you should consider looking into LPN programs in your area. My program was 11 months and $13,000. They have LPN to RN bridge programs. And some of the credits transfer. Now I work in a Ltc facility doing weekend option and have the flexibility to attend classes during the week to pursue my RN. Ideally I would have been able to finish a 4 year nursing program but with the bills my husband and I have it just wasn't feasible. In 2 days I make what I used to make working a full-time job. Medical assistants in my area make just above minimum wage and their schooling is usually more expensive. I also like that I am gaining real world experience that will help me with my continued education.

Please forgive any grammar mistakes/typos as I am posting from my mobile phone!

Stella_Blue · Jun 29, 2013

I agree with everyone else here. Either go for the long haul or do the LPN route. After you get your LPN which took me a year, I am now in a bridge program to get my RN, which is taking me another year. I do plan on getting my BSN when I am done with this, but that I can do entirely online and at my own pace. Working as a MA would be harder to work a schedule around going back to school than working as a LPN would be too. Also you would learn more to benefit you in LPN school than MA school if you ever did wish to further your education. At least as a LPN you are a nurse, a MA is not a nurse.

trew1020 · Jun 29, 2013

Thank you very much for everyone response. LPN program is a smarter route my husband agreed. I dnt know why I did not think of this in the first place. Thank very much you all helped me out with my decision.

Meeh619 · Jun 29, 2013

DO NOT DO MA!! If you need something now do LVN/LPN.

First off even though an MA & an LVN do almost the same stuff with the exception of a couple things the LVN transfers to RN. All the classes you do for MA are not the same & most likely will not transfer. Especially if you do one of those technical schools. & LVN pay is way better.

The basic experience is okay, but BASIC since its usually in clinics. I got lucky & got an LVN spot on base as an MA, but I have many years experience & got lucky. This usually doesn't happen but it was government and they go by experience as well as education.

I regret not doing my LVN instead. I would have had a better opportunity of becoming an RN sooner. Plus it takes about the same amount of time to get your MA or LVN couple months difference.

Another thing is you will get stuck!!! I had the same mentality, I'll help with finances, I'll have a job in a couple months but as an MA most jobs are 8-5 like another poster posted. When will you have time for school? That's where I was stuck for a long time, I had to work & all jobs were in the day. If I was an LVN I would have had many more options. But you don't think about all your options at the time!! Darn commercials they drill in your head "become a medical assistant in less than a year" & it sounds great but you don't think hey LVN is a year ill just do that!!

So either go all the way, & do your BSN or if you need a job now do your LVN so you can bridge to an RN program. BSN preferably, don't know where you live but here in Texas the RN market is getting harder most hospitals are asking for BSN. Skip MA altogether, I wish I would have, 10years later (6 years of pre reqs had to do part time night classes while I worked) I'm starting my BSN program out of scratch when I could have bridged, its okay because it's finally getting done!!

Ahhhhh!! (Relief)

Good Luck!!!!

trew1020 · Jun 29, 2013

Lol, wow your post is inspiration to my ears. I thank you for your advice.

Madras · Jun 29, 2013

This sounds like me about 5 years ago! I decided to go to MA school as a "baby step", figured I'd work for a few months to help with bills and such and go to nursing school...... Well it never really worked out like that. BTWi did what your thinking big commercial on TV school that cost me a heck of a lot more than I should've spent. I landed a full time gig right out of MA school which is great and I had great experiences and worked with a DO and a PA both of which are amazing physicians! But then I was stuck! Tied to this practice because we all worked together so well and actually became such great friends, our kids became friends the whole nine! These docs were so good to me, got gifts all the time, bonuses, the patients were awesome and i functioned very autonomously.a great MA career office....

But problem was I really wanted to be a nurse not an MA. So I did pre reqs for a year straight part time at night... Running from work to school and being out of the house from 7a to 10p..... Ahh how exhausting I don't even know how I did it! Then... I got accepted to nursing school.. All the acceptances came from schools that only had full time day programs! They loved my MA experience and saw it as a huge plus.So now I had to leave my job..after all this was my dream and its knocking'! These docs were always supportive of me being a nurse but I don't think we all ever felt like it was really happening, and now it was. They were so disappointed and they still haven't found another MA that has fit the practice like I did.

My first year of NS all I felt was guilt for leaving my docs and leaving my patients behind, some of whom had passed away and I never even got to see them before it happened. But anyways that's my experience. I have one year left of NS and I do fill in every so often at my office and stop by and hang with my docs on the weekends but in retrospect I do wish that I had done the LPN track instead of MA. It would've provided more job flexibility(hours) for me to have worked and still provided through NS, and the strictly nursing experience always helps. It would've cost less and I would've completed it in the same time as my MA.

So all though I had many positives in my MA experiences most people DON'T! My story might actually be rare. Because of these for profit healthcare mills, MA's aren't really getting respect. Anyone can be an MA, it's not exclusive!

I precept very often for MA students now and the attitudes they come in with are disgusting... Instructors are basically telling them MA and LPN are the same thing just that the LPN can do this______. Ahhh! I set the record straight very quickly! Almost makes me think i should take that adjunct instructor position but id hate to be a part of the slave trade. But that's a whole mother of a thread right?!?

Go for LPN then RN or just get your pre reqs and do you RN. It will be worth it and much more cost effective. And you won't log onto Sallie Mae and be horrified at your loan balances like I do!!

DON'T DO MA.... And that's coming from an MA!!

Sorry for the rant lol