LPN versus CMA

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

Nurses Month 2024 | Discounts & Freebies AORN Celebrates Nurses Month

I was thinking at first of going for my Medical Assistant degree, since I want to work in a clinic so badly. I heard so much about how LPN's are getting phased out and only CMA's are getting jobs at clinics, and CMA's are higher up than LPN's. This of course coming from recruters from CMA programs. It would seem that the only difference between CMA's and LPN's are the fact that Med Asst's. get training in lab and x-ray. Well, I already am a certified Phlebotomist, and so I have that going. Any of you guys and gals work alongside Med Assts? Anyone work in clinics? :balloons:

Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.

cma's degrees are not better, i did not mean to give u that feeling. but the cma program has more courses. however, i would like to add that there are some lpn's at my office that make more than me but i make more than a few of the lpn's there.

it is okay. we should just all get along. we all have a vital role in the health care industry.

we may all have different education and/or titles but we are here for one reason, patient care.

cheers,

angel

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in IM/Critical Care/Cardiology.
I guess they did not make you take a spelling class... sorry I couldn't resist...if you are going to sell yourself; sale yourself, but don't shoot yourself in the foot in the process.

1. We all make mistakes, yes even in spelling.

2. CMA's are medical assistants who could be one of the best co-worker's you've had the privelege to work along with.

3. Healthcare at any level requires work. I beleive it is in the eye of the beholder if the work they are doing is considered "easy", or getting the task at hand done.

4. Attitude is everything, representing yourself as a company asset during an interview to how you respond to "having to do the hard work". We all made a choice as to what role we entered the healthcare profession at. From Medical Receptionist to Medical Records employee to licensed professionals or management.

5. I beleive that those who have chosen to further their career and moved up the ladder so to speak actualy speaks volumes and I think it is a great decision if that is where one is at. To continually attack from either side, CMA's or LPN's to RN's to BSN's to a Master's degree is a personal choice and IMO find it a mute point. We need to stay within our scope of practice, do the best job we can and correctly. Our choices do not make us any lesser or better as a person. It is the atitude and self-awareness of what our own job is to help our patients is by far is a greater feeling of gratitude we can give ourselves. And to offer help to our co-workers within our scope of practice is much better at the end of the day than trying to figure out who is worth more as a human being. There's alot to be said fo humility.

6. When a CMA or MA or CNA is "attacked or put in a position of defensivness of course the justifications and button pushing to respond begin.

I would love a CMA, CNA, MA to help hold an extremity as I am applying a wound dressing instead of slamming the person because of their credentials.:twocents:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

While coming late to this conversation my point of view to those who slam others because one has more education that the other ( or a different route to education ) is that the other person can always go get more. They can always be more than what they are. The education process is never ending and you never know how far someone will go.

If you need to degrade someone's achievements in order to make yourself feel secure then you need to step back and be introspective and ask yourself what is causing this.

This is not aimed at anyone in specific so please do regard it as such. Its just a snippet of my view of life and is just that my view and other may freely differ =D

Up Vote Up Vote ×

To get back on topic to the original question... LPN's are not being phased out by CMA's. In doctor's offices and clinics, sure because CMA's can be paid cheaper. But in hospitals, let's be for real, no one wants a CMA. They want someone with a little more education and adequate training, and us CMA's (yes, "us" - check the name, lol) just don't have it. Admissions reps from CMA schools will tell you just about anything to get you to enroll (can you say "commission"?) So if there's anyone out there stuck in between the decision of becoming a CMA or an LPN - go LPN! The program is maybe 2 months longer, the pay is better (at least here in Philly it is. CMA's start around 12.00, while an LPN can start around 17.00, trust me I've done my homework), and if you want to become an RN in the longrun, you're practically halfway there. I wish someone had told me this before I spent 13 grand to attend a crappy CMA school. :crying2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

One of the issues is that LPN programs are quite competitive, so, these schools sell themselves to potential students. I see why physicians would hire a CMA, but, I wouldn't pay all of that money to become one. There is a CMA program at the community college in my neighborhood, which the tuition is about $2500 for a 4-5 month course. That makes better sense to me than the $10,000+ they are charging. I don't think that this community college has a accredited CMA course, though (which makes even less sense), but I would have more confidence learning from them than I would at a vocational tech school charging an arm and a leg.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in A little of this & a little of that.

Research your state laws to find out the difference in scope of practice. In some states CMA's can do everything in a clinic and others very little. CMA's in hospitals are usually used in clerical postions, a big part of CMA training is in clerical (front office) skills. Here in CT, there is no legal recognition of CMA's at all. Therefore the only guideline is that the MA must not perform duties that are regulated by the Nursing Board. This includes giving of meds, vaccines, oxygen, etc. It is also illegal to call in prescriptions and do patient teaching.... That said, the rules are widely disobeyed in offices and clinics, so MA's may be asked to perform duties that are not legal and be "practicing nursing without a license".... Being a nurse dfinitely gives more career options. MA program recruiters always seem to tout the highest possible level that MA's may practice which usually doesn't conform to the region ywhere you will practice.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

ma's typically do not have a scope of practice. the board of nursing has no jurisdiction over medical assistants they are governed by their employer which is usually physicians.

research your state laws to find out the difference in scope of practice. in some states cma's can do everything in a clinic and others very little. cma's in hospitals are usually used in clerical postions, a big part of cma training is in clerical (front office) skills. here in ct, there is no legal recognition of cma's at all. therefore the only guideline is that the ma must not perform duties that are regulated by the nursing board. this includes giving of meds, vaccines, oxygen, etc. it is also illegal to call in prescriptions and do patient teaching.... that said, the rules are widely disobeyed in offices and clinics, so ma's may be asked to perform duties that are not legal and be "practicing nursing without a license".... being a nurse dfinitely gives more career options. ma program recruiters always seem to tout the highest possible level that ma's may practice which usually doesn't conform to the region ywhere you will practice.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in medical assistant.
To get back on topic to the original question... LPN's are not being phased out by CMA's. In doctor's offices and clinics, sure because CMA's can be paid cheaper. But in hospitals, let's be for real, no one wants a CMA. They want someone with a little more education and adequate training, and us CMA's (yes, "us" - check the name, lol) just don't have it. Admissions reps from CMA schools will tell you just about anything to get you to enroll (can you say "commission"?) So if there's anyone out there stuck in between the decision of becoming a CMA or an LPN - go LPN! The program is maybe 2 months longer, the pay is better (at least here in Philly it is. CMA's start around 12.00, while an LPN can start around 17.00, trust me I've done my homework), and if you want to become an RN in the longrun, you're practically halfway there. I wish someone had told me this before I spent 13 grand to attend a crappy CMA school. :crying2:

As as lifelong Philly resident, I also went to school for medical assisting in Philly too; which one did you attend? The one I went to has under gone a few name changes and also moved their location down a few blocks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in A little of this & a little of that.

ALL healthcare practitioners have a scope of practice. In states where Medical Assistants are legally recognized they are regulated in some way by law by one of the state boards. What I said was that here, In Connecticut, the Medical Assistant is NOT legally recognized, has no governing body or scope of practice. The Board of Nursing maintains a listing of CMA's in the state as information only. What the MA must beware of is practicing in the realm that IS CONSIDERED to be nursing because they may be charged with "practicing nursing without a license". These activities include many that the MA is trained to perform. In CT it has been decided by the Department of Public Health that physicians DO NOT have the authority under their licensure to supervise MA's in the performance of HEALTHCARE ACTIVITIES. I was simply warning that the potential Medical Assistant check her state regulations before making a choice. The CT regulations are particularly unfair, but they are also unfair to LPN's. In this state an LPN cannot work in a clinic or doctor's office whenever an RN is not also present in the same office to provide supervision. I have worked in a clinic because Nurse Practitioners were present to "supervise". The MA's that I worked with, like nurses I have worked with, varied considerably in their professional abilities. However as a whole, they were well-educated, valuable team members. The starting wage for those MA's was about $2 less than for the LPN of comparable years of experience. CT Hospitals employ MA's as Unit Clerks and also as PCT's. Those same hospitals only hire LPN's as PCT's not nurses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in IM/Critical Care/Cardiology.
ma's typically do not have a scope of practice. the board of nursing has no jurisdiction over medical assistants they are governed by their employer which is usually physicians.

i think typically is the word that stuck out in your post txqueen. their "scope" involves venipnctures, simple labs, for example can and i feel all ma's should take the certification test. whick i did and i was notified by the medical assistant board of some kind...omg such a long time ago. i agree it ( the scope) is very limited and i understand the frustration from even within after i became licensed. but i also have to say their are so many cma's that i have worked are charms. just my little ole opinion.

how did your survey or paper turn out ? remember you had pm'd me quite awhile ago and we talked about consent? hope everything went well.

sharona:nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am currently in a CMA program(Medical ASSISTANT) and the classes I take include, Medical Office Management, Coding, Law and Ethics, 6 months of clinicals(including injections, removing sutures, blood draws, vital signs, etc...), pharmacology, human diseases, 6 months of anatomy, as well as basic classes. I do not want to work in LTC that's why I chose the program. I get to work 8-5 and have my weekends off. I have 2 young children, and one on the way so I don't need to work the crazy hours. This program, compared to LPN is much more extensive in the school I attend and when finished I will have a wider range of things I can do in the office compared to and LPN. As well, someone mentioned CMAs don't work in the hospital...but you can, not as likely, but it is possible. In Nebraska currently CMAs are hired before LPNs in some cases because a)they are cheaper and b) can do more.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
I am currently in a CMA program(Medical ASSISTANT) and the classes I take include, Medical Office Management, Coding, Law and Ethics, 6 months of clinicals(including injections, removing sutures, blood draws, vital signs, etc...), pharmacology, human diseases, 6 months of anatomy, as well as basic classes. I do not want to work in LTC that's why I chose the program. I get to work 8-5 and have my weekends off. I have 2 young children, and one on the way so I don't need to work the crazy hours. This program, compared to LPN is much more extensive in the school I attend and when finished I will have a wider range of things I can do in the office compared to and LPN. As well, someone mentioned CMAs don't work in the hospital...but you can, not as likely, but it is possible. In Nebraska currently CMAs are hired before LPNs in some cases because a)they are cheaper and b) can do more.

Not to be mean but I thing you are misguided in your thinking that your medical assisting gives you a wider range of kills and a broader education. Many students in my class went thought medical assisting course offered by my school and thought it would give them an edge but they are now struggling in LVN class.

CMA's are more in demand because they cost less....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment