LPN vs. Medical Assistant

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Any information would be greatly appreciated! I am waiting to see if I am accepted into nursing school but I am also looking at a few programs for medical assisting. Can anyone give me any information about the differences? Pay rate? Etc....

Thanks!

I can tell you that my mother went to MA school a long time ago, and still to this days regrets going for LPN instead.

She says she was too young & misinformed at the time.

I can also tell you that the LPN program I'm in the process of trying to get into provides an MA program as well.

The MA program takes 30 weeks to complete & the LPN program takes 45 weeks to complete.

The lectures for the LPN program are 5 hours during the evening Mon-Wed w/ clinicals during the last days of the week.

The MA program schedule is Mon-Fri 9am-2pm, so it's nearly the same hours every day & every week, and if you're going to dedicate your time to 30 weeks of a program, what's 15 weeks more if you think you'd be happier going for LPN? ;) How I look at it.

Supposedly that hasn't changed since my mother's day in MA school as well.

One of the biggest reasons she regrets her decision. She would have LOVED to have been a nurse.

Good luck to you in whichever one you decide to go for. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Moutaindewqueen I was in the same place as you but I have to agree with the others, I was taking MA classes and the tuition was ridiculous over $15,000 so I got out as soon as I could! When I really researched, and asked around everyone said I was better off attending Nursing school, but the only problem was the wait to actually get in, so for now I'm going to a Practical Nursing school in Oct. I think MA is such a scam I know a couple of people who can't even find a permanant job besides temp agencies that are helping them for limited amounts of time..

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sorry, I meant to say she regrets NOT going for LPN instead. Too late for me to edit.

That's another thing, though - The cost of tuition, to graduate & make around half as much as an LPN too.

At least that would be the case somewhere such as around here in Mass. Not sure if it's nearly the same for MA's in many places. We know nursing wages fluctuate greatly depending on location.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Get your LPN or RN.

Don't waste your time enrolling to any MA programs because most of them cost the same as a LPN program. MA's are having a harder time getting a job than nurses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you to everyone who posted. This gives me a much better idea:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thats one thing I noticed about my school. The associates in Medical Assisting has almost all the same pre-reqs as the nursing program, so why would anyone choose that route? If Im gonna bust my butt in A&P 1 and 2 + Microbiology there is no way I would settle for that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

moutaindew- i have been looking at the same things u have mentioned i went to Ross and it was the same price for MAs and i went to a local community college and found lpns where bout 4000.. so i was wondering what you ended up doing and how it turned out for you?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment