Lvn vs Medical assisting

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

Hi i am currently in a ma program .. well barely it just started. Well yesterday i found out i was accepted into the Lvn program at the college i just left. I am really confused on which i should do. I would really appreciate all the advice or suggestions you all could give me i am kinda on a time crunch to let the schools know so any help please! any lvn nurses or previous ma's i would especially appreciate your advice on the professions.

Specializes in GYN, IM, Cardiac.

yea, anything that involves time or money is always a hard decision to make. whatever you choose to do, good luck!

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

If you are choosing the MA route because it is easier because of mom's BF and are planning on working as an MA while in RN school you would be better of just suffering with the BF for the 3 semester to get your LVN. MA work is very 9-5 M-F type of job and does not work well with nursing school. Some semesters I was in class 4-5 days a week some being 12 hours of clinical which made it impossible to continue working as an MA. Those that worked as CNAs nights and weekends had the most ideal working while in nursing school situation.

I was making just over 9/hr when I left for nursing school and I was there a few years.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I agree with HeartsOpenWide; you might as well just continue with the LPN program. No matter how you slice it, education is a sacrifice and your casual time with your boyfriend will be limited even while living with him; especially if you attend the LPN program. However, when you finish, you will have more to bargain with as an LPN.

I have no issues with the medical assisting, but keep in mind, many of the programs are really overcharging people for their education and there may be few jobs afterwards. Do your research. Start looking in the papers to see how many MA positions there are, or even MA agencies (there used to be a few in my area years ago).

Again, Hearts is correct, most MA positions do NOT coincide well with nursing programs, since both are basically 9-5 situations.

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yea i have noticed a lot of ma jobs also say lvn's can do, i think it wierd the lvn's do not get phlebotomy training or IV training.. i think it should be something they also have to take

I also find it wierd that we dont get phlebotomy certified! But i guess you can take an IV course or whatnot once you get a job. How much of your tuition would you lose if you dropped the MA? I personally am going for my LPN because I can, like others have said, advance onto my RN. There are a couple of MA's in my classes that actually are switching over to LPN. Nursing school is very intense, atleast the one I am in is, while my friend who is going to school for MA part time, says her classes are a breeze- they get take home, open book tests and everything::LUCKY:: (could just be her school, and every school is different) Either way both fields are good- alot of jobs use MA's and LPN's interchangeably(like at this DR office where somepeers are MA's(Which has like 50 DR.'s in it). They hire both, but LPN's get paid more- on the down side, they are starting to hire more MA's because of it. THink of what exactly you want to do long term, and make decision from there on! Goodluck!

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Specializes in Mother-Baby, Rehab, Hospice, Memory Care.
yea i have noticed a lot of ma jobs also say lvn's can do, i think it wierd the lvn's do not get phlebotomy training or IV training.. i think it should be something they also have to take

I took 2 courses of IV training in LVN school - IV Therapy I and II. We learned how to start IVs and were checked off in class. We did not however learn phlebotomy in school. If you can start an IV, then drawing blood is fairly easy. At many jobs though, phlebotomy is never done by the nurse.

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Just wanted to let everyone that i have officially been accepted and sent in my letter of intent to the nursing program... i have stopped going to the ma school.. and will have my nursing orientation on june 18th and 19th.. so thanks for all the support i will keep you all updated..

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Good luck on your new path! Think you made a wise decision.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Progressive Tele.

As an LPN, I would say get your LVN, but since you have living arrangement issues, get whatever you can ASAP that can help you make some money. IF you can make $10/hr, that is better then fastfood place. Also working as a MA can give you a boost when you go back for your LVN or RN. THe more exposure yuo have in the medical field the better off you are...

Good Luck

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I would def do the LPN program down the road your job options will be greater. Not to mention the obvious, you will make more money as an LPN!

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As an LPN, I would say get your LVN, but since you have living arrangement issues, get whatever you can ASAP that can help you make some money. IF you can make $10/hr, that is better then fastfood place. Also working as a MA can give you a boost when you go back for your LVN or RN. THe more exposure yuo have in the medical field the better off you are...

Good Luck

I see from your profile u were a tech in ICU is that the same as a surgical tech what kind of skooling did u need in NY I founda comm coll that does it for 9 mos full time surg techs are also called scrub techs right? Do tell?

:yeah:

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