LPN vs RMA

[BCCnurse]

Hi

I need some help members. I am an instructor for an RMA program. I constantly have the challenging task of getting my students to understand the difference between an LPN and an RMA.The word on the street is that they are basically the same, so students really believe this. When I try to explain this to them they think because I am an LPN that I am just trying to make myself and LPN's look better.I have tried several ways to get them to understand that just because the program is approximately the same length that the instruction is different. I would appreciate any ideas that will help me get this through to them without making them feel like they are not important as RMA's.I have really ran out of ideas. It's like saying I can do the job of an RN just because I am a nurse. It's really frustrating.They can potentially harm a patient with this attitude, just as I could if I tried to function outside my scope of practice or the proper knowledge base.Thanks for listening.

[egglady, LPN]

Tell them that a LPN is a nurse, and that a RMA is not.

[txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN]

you can tell them all day long but until they become a rma then a lvn they will never know the difference...the differences between the two are unmeasurable....

[jerseygirl17]

I am a LPN at my clinic-the only nurse. The rest are CMA's, who call them selves nurses b/c they think they are. What I tell them is that I have a state license and asume legal responsability is anything goes wrong. As a CMA they don't have a state license but work under the MD.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I completed a CMA (certified medical assistant) program in 2000, an LVN program in 2005, and now I'm enrolled in an RN program. The RMA students will never fully be able to comprehend and appreciate the differences between the LPN and the MA unless they complete an LPN program in the future.

[caliotter3]

When they complete their education and start looking for work they will understand the difference between job openings for LPN versus job openings for RMA. If I were you I would not spend a lot of time on this because you are there for the RMA program not to point out to the students that they may have made a poor choice. They will see for themselves soon enough one way or the other.

[systoly]

I think most people get it when it comes to green. In my experience RMA wages are a far cry from LPN wages.

[sunray12]

Go to your state code online, pull the legal definitions for both occupations and go over them in class. Bring a few supporting reference materials as well. If you can get this info across to the class that should clear up the distinction that is if the two professions are distinct in your state code.

[tfleuter, BSN, RN]

Since you are teaching the class, I think it would be undesirable to really get into this issue as it could come off as making the wrong choice in becoming a RMA instead of LPN. The school might take issue if they think students were "talked out" of the program to purse LPN instead. I do think it is important that students fully understand what being a RMA entails as far as job requirements, wages, employment opportunities, ect. I just wouldn't compare it to LPNs unless a student asks for you to specifically do so. In that case, you are just being honest and not trying to make one seem better than the other :)

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I agree...it would not be too beneficial to do this too often because the institution that hired you would feel you are working against their better interests, and that is to keep recruiting students.

Hate to word it this way, but people need to take the responsibility to look into the careers that they aspire. You can bring up the scope of practice between the two (maybe documents of each), inform them that they are not nurses of any kind until they have graduated from an accredited nursing program and have successfully passed NCLEX-LPN or RN. Other than that, I feel you have no further responsibility or obligation. Believe me, they will see for themselves sooner than later that they are not nurses.

[BCCnurse]

Thanks for helping. It always comes up in one particular class each quarter when they have to take the test on all the different medical titles that are in the Introduction in to Medical Assisting subject. This is where I have to correct all of them who get the answer wrong because they all write down " they are the same thing".And I have to give the reason why.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Thanks for helping. It always comes up in one particular class each quarter when they have to take the test on all the different medical titles that are in the Introduction in to Medical Assisting subject. This is where I have to correct all of them who get the answer wrong because they all write down " they are the same thing".And I have to give the reason why.

I think that you are going about it correctly and marking them wrong gives you the opportunity to enlighten them. No matter how you slice it, when they get in the real world, they will remember that they got that answer wrong. Now, they may not follow that knowledge and deny it to themselves, but believe me, they will know deep in their hearts that they are not.

This does not make becoming a RMA a bad thing. It just means that we all need to know where we fit in the food chain. And, it is up to each individual to either make good of their personal accomplishment or make themselves miserable. You can also share a bit with them how important their role is. An example of that is that just this week, as an LPN, I was assigned to be a team leader in one corridor in my GYN clinic. I have three PCAs that I am responsible for. They are nothing short than AWESOME! I have never been in a charge role before, and I went in and asked them what their routine was. They basically had everything covered. And, they taught me a great deal. What I said to them is that we are a team, and there will be things that I don't know and I will consult with them. I also said that the only difference between us is that I am held more liable and responsible, but we are all of equal value.