In Dr. office?

[TwoPrincesses]

Hello

I was wondering ... it seems CNAs tend to work mostly in hospitals or elder care facilities. Can a CNA find employment at a physician's office? Or do you need to be an Med. Asst. ?

Thanks!

[jb2u, ASN, RN]

Well, CNAs learn how to assist nurses in giving their care. MAs learn how to assist doctors in their office. Now, you can find doctors that are willing to train you to be their assistant. Some states require MAs to be certified which would also require you to go to MA school. The scope of practice for MAs is greater than for that of a CNA. MAs may give injections or respiratory treatments (jet nebs). Really it is all about what do you want to do? Do you want to work in a dr's office and work monday-friday or do you want to work in a hospital/nsg home with varied hours and 8 or 12 hour shifts? Do you want to focus on a medical model or a nursing model? What is your long term goal? If it is to be a nurse, then cna is better as far as being around nurses and hours that you can work around nursing school. The point is, in some states you can find doctors to train you, although MA schools pump out so many qualified certified medical assistants that are willing to work for as little as $7/hr that I don't see too many doctor's wanting to train someone when there are a fresh pool of already trained MAs around.

[TwoPrincesses]

Thanks so much ... that was a very good answer. I feel at this point I'd prefer to work in a clinical setting as I am changing careers so that I can work closer to home and hopefully go p/t at some point. While I do live near 2 very large hospitals, I do not want to do 12 hour shift work. The idea is to be at home more for my 2 little ones versues being away more. Which is why i dont think I'd move on to pursue an LPN or RN. Much to consider I guess ... I just blew the timeline for fall semster sign ups so this gives me a couple months to plan/think. I was hoping perhaps I could obtain a job in a med office donig clerical work and then go to school for a CNA or MA ...

Anyone who has done this or has thoughts/opinions, feel free to comment! Thanks

[DreamyEyes]

Unfortunately, I don't think CNA's work in doctor's offices. At least not around here. I also want to get into the clinical setting. I'm currently a nursing assistant and just recently got a job in LTC, but I eventually want to work in a doctor's offices when I go on for my LPN. Just to let you know, a lot of doctor's office look for LPN's to work in their offices, not just medical assistants. So if you do decide to go on, I think LPN would be a great option. Good luck with whatever you decide! :)

[casi, ASN, RN]

I've seen a couple of job ads for CNAs in medical offices. They seem very few and far between and it looks like the bulk of their tasks are rooming people and taking vital signs.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Maybe consider taking phlebotomy and EKG classes, which will also open the door for working in hospitals as a patient technician. It is true, that many medical assistants are trained on the job, without courses. But, I cannot phantom why a physician would turn away a person who does have some experience with patient care verses one that may not, unless that area prefers trained CMAs. Medical Assistants are trained differently and a bit more advanced than a nursing assistant, however, in most cases, the pay is basically the same.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I completed a medical assisting (MA) program a little over 7 years ago, and was unable to find a position with my certification. The job market tends to be flooded with medical assistants, as everyone and their momma wants to work those treasured daytime hours. A job market flooded with MAs basically translates into low pay and difficulty finding employment.