I am a CMA

elijahvegas, ASN, RN, EMT-P · Apr 13, 2015

I'm one of apparently few that's made it through school with no debt through a series of scholarships and financial aid. Nothing scares me more than accruing student debt. I hear they can be brutal. I'm drowning just with my little creditndebt of a couple thousand haha.

If you're comfortable where you are, don't go. Plain and simple. If you feel like you wanna do more, then find a way to make it work. Do you have a significant other ? If so, maybe they can handle the load for a while, in the meantime you could finish school and maybe balance out expenses.

Or take out a giant loan that you can live off of for the duration of the program and live frugally for a few years afterward while you pay off the debt.

Have you started crunching numbers ? Do you have a school in mind? Find out how much tuition is and what kind of Financial assistance you can get. A couple scholarships can go a long way.

Its also not unheard of to work while in school. Fulltime is virtually impossible but part time could hold you over. People in my class most of them work as techs in a hospital, or are just plain servers and things of that nature. A lot are married so they have a spouse to help greatly.

You've got a few options available to you, the only real question is how bad do you want it

mvm2 · Apr 13, 2015

Would you consider going for your RN? I feel that would give you a better diferance in pay with going in debt over student loans. I don't know if I'd find going to school for two years and only a 2 dollar raise worth it.

Also think of the jobs themselves. Do you enjoy and like what you are doing right now? LPNs usually work in LTC and many times now do not work in hospitals. There are usually limitations to where LPNs work. If you want to be a nurse and have a better range of employment opportunities go for your RN

SarahStrings · Apr 13, 2015

It is a 13% raise (2 dollars on top of 15) - if you are able to work during your program and are able to pay as you go it would be worth it. Especially if you are closer to the beginning of your career and will have a lifetime of increased earnings.

celeste26 · Apr 15, 2015

Thank you so much for replies. Yes my goal is to be an RN but I want to do my LPN full time first and then find a full time job and work on my RN part time, that's my goal. I really want to be a nurse I found some patients telling me so u are not a nurse? Just a CMA ? If they only know CMA's do and know as much as a LPN. That just bother me :no:

mvm2 · Apr 16, 2015

Umm I don't know if an MA knows everything that an LPN knows. I believe there are major areas that LPNs have to take classes in that MAs do not. One area I think about is meds pharmaceutical. Please correct me if I am wrong in this but I don't believe that MAs are qualified in passing out meds.

celeste26 · Apr 16, 2015

Well. I went to school for one year actually I am a RMA and also phlebotomist too. I took pharmaceutical classes. I do injections and vaccinations for kids too. I don't know if that the case for all CMA's. I work with an LPN and we both do the same job but our paid is $2 difference. That's why I was confused if I should go to school or not . But I decided I will go because I love what I doing and I want to learn more to be able to help as much as I can. My goal is to be an RN. I know is not going to be easy but time does not stop and I'm going to be 34 soon, so I better hurry :x3:

mvm2 · Apr 16, 2015

Yes the LPN does the same job in the office that you work at, but that is because the job she is doing in the doctors office is only half of what she learned to do in nursing school. there are things she is able to do that you legally can not do. IVs handing out meds. Their scope of practice exceeds your own as an RMA. To say you know EVERYTHING that an LPN knows is.a stretch. There is a reason the LPNs can work in hospitals and LTCs and you as an MA can not.

I think you will be a good nurse and be able to branch out and learn and do new things as a nurse that would hold you back as an MA so I think you should go for your nursing and it would be well worth it. I think you will find there is a lot of new knowledge that you will come across while being in nursing school.

celeste26 · Apr 16, 2015

Ohh ok now I see thank you so much!! That really help me to understand better what's the difference and I really appreciated. I hopefully will be starting school in May and everyday I getting more and more excited and scare about it but I willing to study hard and I will update as it goes thank u again!!!

mvm2 · Apr 16, 2015

Good luck I'm sure you will do wonderfully

FutureRNGreen · Apr 19, 2015

Hey I'm an RMA to I just got accepted into an LPN program I start in June as well I work currently in urgent care I do IV's, draw blood from IV's I would taught how to do a foley on a female, I do a lot of things in urgent care and I love it I want to work in ER when I finish nursing school what about you

Anna S, RN · Apr 19, 2015

Thank you so much for replies. Yes my goal is to be an RN but I want to do my LPN full time first and then find a full time job and work on my RN part time, that's my goal. I really want to be a nurse I found some patients telling me so u are not a nurse? Just a CMA ? If they only know CMA's do and know as much as a LPN. That just bother me

This statement really bothers me. My LPN program was two years long, going full-time.

I was an LPN for a number of years and have now been an RN for over fifteen years.

A CMA's education cannot compare to that of an LPN.

CMAs generally work directly under a doctor.

As an LPN. I was the only licensed person on duty, and cared for 65 LTC pts on nocs, with only two CNAs to help.

No doctors or other nurses around.

CMAs don't do this type of thing.