LPN versus CMA

sharona97, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2007

I started m career as a CMA-Clinically. I mand more per hour (basewise) after I completed my LPN course. I have worked in facilities that used a MA job description for those assigned to work with doctors. LPN's were paid more and recognized as licensed if they were in triage, (against MN rules) or if they the LPN's worked in the shot room. I protested this and eventually my experience (so they said) was the deciding factor togive me a raise. I eventually moved on to where my licensure was recognized and my skills.

mississippi_lpn · Sep 16, 2007

honey, let me tell you from experience how it is, i was a cma before becoming a nurse, i was fed the same bull you are being fed :angryfire, i was really *issed off my last semester of ma school when i found out the pay and started getting job offers here, my first offer was for 7.50 hr worked there to gain experience for about 6mos, then got a job for 9.oo hr working your tale off, worked there till i got pregnant with my son and doc took me off work, then when i went back to work got a job for 11.oo hr working my tale off right beside nurses who do the same exact thing that i did, made more money and had more authority, so i told my husband, i was going back to nursing school, i chose lpn b/c it only takes 12mos then you can get out get a good job, making good money, so i did, graduated with honors, top of my class, valdictorian, and love it, now make 19.oo hr and love my job, ma helped me get through nursing school and the experience i had did, but if i were you i would definitely choose LPN over CMA anyday. you have more opportunities, more place for advancement, more career choices, and make better money. i am glad i went back to nursing school and wished i never set foot wasting my time in ma school, 2 years wasted down the drain.

hope this helps,

Shirleyjt2003, LPN

nursingis4me · Sep 16, 2007

You stated that the LPNs/RNs you worked with had the same duties as you, yet they made more money and had more authority than you. I'm sure that happened because they were able to go to school and get more intense training than what's available to someone going to school for medical assisting. This is not to put down anyone who is currently a M. A. (I'm a medical assistant right now myself), but just a statement of fact. If I went back to school for my LPN or RN license (which I do plan on doing), I would want to be compensated for the time and engery I put into my chosen field of expertise. Working with someone does not mean that you are on the same level as they are; for if some type of medical emergency arose at your place of employment, people would look to the to the person with the highest amount of medical training for resolution of the situation, and that may be why there's an LPN or RN on staff (they may also be on staff to alleviate some of the pressure the docs feel in monitoring someone who is essentially unlicensed, and allow them to get back to what they really want to do-treat patients). That is not to say that you could not competently handle the crisis, but at some point, a person with a more detailed medical background would be needed. The biggest problem in healthcare seems to be one of resentment against those who may not have chosen the exact same field to work in. We all need to remember and understand that EVERY member of the healthcare profession is a vital part of what we have all chosen to do-CARE FOR OTHERS IN NEED!

mississippi_lpn · Sep 19, 2007

I agree with you, and i wasn't meaning to offend anyone, i was just telling my experience that i had, and I do accept everyone in the medical field working , everyone there is to do one thing, take care of their patient's, I know though with MA in my state you have to go to school for almost 3 years and get an associates degree and make way less money than nurses, and you learn alot of things, i just didn't think it was fair, the pay they paid you after all that training, I worked beside ma in a clinic after becoming a nurse and they made less money than the nurses, i didn't think it was fair, b/c they worked just as hard as the nurses did, and did the exact same work, but got paid a few dollars less an hour. But, do what is right for you and your situation, i enjoyed both fields, i just had to have more money to survive on and wanted to go further in my career. I treat ma, and cna's with alot of respect, b/c i have been in their shoes and held their titles before, a matter of fact i still keep my cma certification up. : ), i was just saying it wasn't fair for the recruiter to tell those lies, If i would have known the truth up front i would have went for LPN to begin with, and graduated alot sooner, making more money. : )

smk1, LPN · Sep 19, 2007

I dont think it fair to say one is better then another. Being in the Nursing profession, just means you have a compassion to help others. Doesn't it? Shouldn't that be all that matters?
I am a NRCMA, I graduated with a 3.67 GPA on the Deans list, and I know so much more about nursing then the charge nurse thats works with us. I do anything from vitals to venipuncture and if I wanted to I could work along with surgeons, However I have never called myself a Nurse (yet anyway) I started out doing the BSN program with a 3.6 GPA and just decided there were to many unnecessary courses to get me to where I want to be (CRNA) Being a CMA is a stepping stone for me. One that lets me work while Im in school. LPN is my next step, and then RN. Being a working CMA allows me to better my skills, keep my terminology fresh, and do what I love, Helping patients. In all aspects, I am a nurse/caregiver/phlebotomist/technician/ and anything else that fits here. Just because I have a different title beside my name does not mean I am not capable, or able to do what LPNs and Rn's do, it just means Im not licenced to do them yet. Every one has to learn, and Im sure some of you newer LPN's and RN's still struggle with certain aspects of your Job. Shouldn't you be willing to help teach us instead of bashing and downing us for essentially doing what you do "helping others"

Being in the nursing profession should not simply mean having compassion to help others. That is what a charity service is for or a self motivated volunteer. A Registered nurse is the person who understands the pathophysiology of a person't disease process and how it relates to their their body systems at the cellular level, their psychosocial issues, the community at large and the broader scope of public health issues. They are qualified to teach the patients about their disease process and how best to manage it. They are the people who are licensed by the state to improve the health and well-being of the community and to work to prevent disease and health breakdown. They are responsible for the totality of the patient's care and face repercussions from the decisions that they make and are held to specific standards of care as laid out by their state boards of nursing. A licensed practical nurse has the education to manage patients with chronic illnesses or acute illnesses under the clinical supervision of an RN or physician. They are qualified teachers, skilled planners and vital participants in the careplanning process and are able to use their judgement in making decisions regarding care of their patients. They are licensed and held to standards of care as set out by the state board. A medical assistant is in no way edcuated to the depth of an LPN let alone an RN. When you begin a nursing program (assuming acceptance), you will probably be suprised at what you don't know, that you thought you did. Even if you are that one person in a million who truly does "know everything" that a nurse knows already, you are not being held to the standards of a nurse. You cannot lose a license, probably won't be sued, won't be charged criminally as a result of your practice as an MA. Nurses not only have the education, but they hold the responsibility that goes with it.

mississippi_lpn · Sep 19, 2007

Being in the nursing profession should not simply mean having compassion to help others. That is what a charity service is for or a self motivated volunteer. A Registered nurse is the person who understands the pathophysiology of a person't disease process and how it relates to their their body systems at the cellular level, their psychosocial issues, the community at large and the broader scope of public health issues. They are qualified to teach the patients about their disease process and how best to manage it. They are the people who are licensed by the state to improve the health and well-being of the community and to work to prevent disease and health breakdown. They are responsible for the totality of the patient's care and face repercussions from the decisions that they make and are held to specific standards of care as laid out by their state boards of nursing. A licensed practical nurse has the education to manage patients with chronic illnesses or acute illnesses under the clinical supervision of an RN or physician. They are qualified teachers, skilled planners and vital participants in the careplanning process and are able to use their judgement in making decisions regarding care of their patients. They are licensed and held to standards of care as set out by the state board. A medical assistant is in no way edcuated to the depth of an LPN let alone an RN. When you begin a nursing program (assuming acceptance), you will probably be suprised at what you don't know, that you thought you did. Even if you are that one person in a million who truly does "know everything" that a nurse knows already, you are not being held to the standards of a nurse. You cannot lose a license, probably won't be sued, won't be charged criminally as a result of your practice as an MA. Nurses not only have the education, but they hold the responsibility that goes with it.

hey! in some ways i agree with what you are saying, i didn't get that deep into the body systems in ma school, like lpn school, i did learn a whole lot more stuff about nursing. ma's are geared to work in the clinics mainly, where nurses are geared for the hospital, etc. :)

smk1, LPN · Sep 19, 2007

Does it really matter? The fact is, I could pass the NCLEX with my eyes closed!
You continue to think the way you do, when Im finished with school Ill be able to run circles around you! RN or not!
Amen to that!

Aww, we've come to the often used "run circles around you" phrase. Better buy some good NIKES so you'll be prepared! The curriculum of a CMA vs a BSN is beyond far from comparable so you'd better start training for that marathon. lol

smk1, LPN · Sep 19, 2007

This is why I said what I did.
I dont have to explain myself, or my views, I chose to. I was in no way insulting anyone, I tried to explain why I feel the way I do & I was trying to have a grown up debate. Apparently you guys had it rough in school, I havent had that problem, and I dont anticipate having it in the near future. I can and will continue to think the way I do. I dont have a big ego, Im confidant in my abilities, there's a biiiggg difference.

Confidence is great. I am confident that I could be accepted into medical school. I am smart, I have the grades, I have taken a few of the prereqs and done well. But you know what, if I go over to Student doctor network and spout off that I know just as much as a physician because I took a few of the prereqs and will soon be an RN, they would laugh themselves silly and rightfully so. Now I KNOW, that I am smart enough to become a physician. Just like you know that you are smart enough to become a nurse. No one is debating that because we don't know you. However, since you are NOT a nurse, you also can't presume to tell nurses what they learned in school, because you didn't complete their course of study or take their licensing exam so speculating on how you would do is not worth much. I can say that I could pass the MCAT with a competitive score with my eyes closed because I have studied some of the coursework. Doesn't mean I have a clue.

smk1, LPN · Sep 19, 2007

So what would you do when A PATIENT who doesn't know (or care) about the differences in tile refers to you constantly as a "NURSE"? Do you risk offending the patient (to the point of that person not wanting to return to the practice, thereby losing income for the entire office staff) by correcting them...or gracefully smile, knowing that when referring to yourself or other staff members, you will use correct titles?

What's wrong with saying "this is my assistant ____ who will be assisting you today" ? My doctor's office introduces himself as a medical assistant all the time.

smk1, LPN · Sep 19, 2007

When you work in setting where a good portion of the patient population is older, you must remember that these are people who have different values than you do and may take offense at something which you may deem to be a "kindly correction". These patients are usually of the same age as your very own grandparents, and should be therefore given the respect that position so richly deserves; this may mean biting your tongue when trying to correct them-however "gently" you phrase it-sometimes an elderly patient views you as being disrepectful to your "elders" and won't want to come to a practice where the staff is considered to be disrepectful (even though you weren't). This may be a beloved patient by the doc, so to have that (patient gets "offended" and leaves the practice) happen would cause him or her to question your ability to provide the patients with the care the docs deemed necessary; remember, while we are there to assist the docs and provide patient care, it is also a service industry-one in which an unoffical mantra is "the patient/customer comes 1st (and is usually right-as ultimately patients generate income and jobs for us all)."

Nope, not buying it. It is against the law to impersonate a nurse or a physician. Introduce yourself from the beginning as the title that you are and you shouldn't have any problems. I worked as a nursing assistant in an ALF and never once offended anyone (elderly or not) by politely correcting them and attending to their needs.

smk1, LPN · Sep 19, 2007

Hopefully, you'll never have that experience, but I know that it can and does happen-based on personal work experience (18+ years work experience); people react differently to corrections-no matter how kind-so sometimes you have to keep your thoughts in check~just know that it doesn't help you in trying to educate the patients on proper titles/terminolgy when the physicians refer to the medical assistant staff as "nurses" (that same patient may say to themselves that the word "nurse" must be correct, if the doctor is using it).

But the doctors shouldn't be using the term nurse unless it actually is a nurse. Most doctors would throw a fit if an NP or PA was usurping the title doctor in a medical setting. They spent upwards of 8 years in school. If they can master organic chemistry and advanced physics, then they can remember to call a medical assistant a medical assistant and a nurse a nurse.

sharona97, BSN, RN · Sep 19, 2007

dear shirleyjt2003,

I think you explained your post very well for your situation. I wish you the best of luck with your career!

Sheri