MA v.s LPN on job availability alone

Nurses LPN/LVN

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  1. Which career path offers a better outlook on job availability MA's or LPN's?

    • 18
      MA
    • 41
      LPN

59 members have participated

i have the opportunity to attend a great lpn school, but i am currently two semesters into an equally great ma school (associates degree). however, i will be starting rn school in the fall of 2013. ma school will finish in the spring of 2013, and lpn school will finish in the fall of 2013. perhaps the biggest benefit of me going to lpn school will be how it affects my experience in rn school (at least the first part of it,) while ma school won't prepare me quite as well as the training is based on a different work environment. however, let's say something happens and i can't start rn school. i would need to get a job in my chosen field which brings me to my question. strictly from a job availability point of view, which do you guys think is better?

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

I can only answer that question in my local area-MA's are hired more in physician's offices around here and the turn over seems low.Full time job with bennies are still hard to find but an LPN can work pool in several local facilities and do very well.I will say start looking at your local want ads regularly and see what kind of job openings you see.

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Specializes in nursing education.

Agreed- totally a regional thing. Our big clinic has mostly MA with some RN, and no LPN. In Milwaukee, very few places hire LPNs- mostly LTC.

However, our sister clinic in the next county has mostly LPN's and a small contingent of RN's. They do not hire MA's at all.

MA is a specific training to work in MD offices. They learn administrative support, and the comprehensive skills needed to work in an office environment. LPN's can work in a wider variety of settings (assuming job availability). So long story short, as KTWLPN stated above, check your local want ads.

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I completely agree with previous comments to check job availability in your specific area. The MAs in the office where I work are wonderful at their jobs, but they feel they don't have a lot of job opportunites outside of doctor's office. I went to a wonderful LPN school and felt I received a comprehensive education. I did online LPN to RN while working as LPN. I think there are benefits to all paths...it just depends on what career you want now and also in the future. If you want RN, it is probably best to go the LPN path, even if you can't start RN school right away. In my opinion there is value to all positions. Best of luck with everything!!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I completed a medical assistant program at a trade school nearly 12 years ago and was never able to find a job as a MA with my training or certificate.

I completed a LPN/LVN program nearly 7 years ago and have found employment as an LPN in multiple settings. In addition, I was able to work the weekend double shift at a nursing home as an LVN charge nurse while attending an LPN-to-RN completion program. Although I am now an RN, most of what I've learned about nursing came from my four years as an LVN.

In my opinion, the LPN license will enable more flexibility in scheduling and usually more money than the MA certificate.

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I have been a Registered Medical Asst. for 10 years in Texas . I by GOD's grace am very good at my job, get paid exactly what the LPN in my clinic makes if not more . I went to school for a year took a test before a state proctor to become a Registered Medical Assistant. I was the second MA in my town to work in a physicans office about six years ago. The doctor I worked for had never heard of an MA. She was amazed by what I was able to do in a clinicial setting. Now the majority of clinics hire MA's with the exception of Cardiologist. Their clinic usually wants one RN the rest are MA's. I have learned alot from the LPN about OB/Newborns and I passed on what I know about Primary Care, Pulmonolgy, General Surgery, and Endocronolgy. I can't claim that I'm a nurse because I am not. I always am excited when I can learn something new in the medical field. I know every state has different scopes of practice for MA's. I am fortunate to live in a state that allows me to do what i can with my RMA. I do agree that a formal training should be required for MA's. Not just anyone should be allowed to without proper training and back ground check.

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Specializes in LTC, Rehab, CCU, Alzheimers, Med-Surg.

From what I see, working as an MA has quite a few limitations. The jobs are usually 9-5 office types, with pay being much below what an LPN would make in LTC. If you were going to nursing school I doubt that you could find an MA job flexible enough to make both work. Two of the regions that I have lived in the past two years have been flooded with MA schools, but no MA jobs. A lot of private schools offer MA programs for low income students to pull in financial aid money.

Just my two cents.

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Specializes in Ambulatory (Urgent care) & Home Health.

LVN ..... I'm a former MA, I was gainfully employed for 12 yrs. I still say go straight to nursing medical assisting has NOTHING to do with nursing it's apples and oranges.

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Specializes in ICU.

We have several MA's working as nursing assistants at my hospital, simply because there aren't many jobs here for MA's.

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I never knew you can have an associates degree in medical assisting. Here in NJ associates are for LPNs that are going thru a community college instead of a private or votech school and RNs at community college or a hospital based nursing program.

If you want to further your career Id go for LPN because it will be easier to move into an LPN to RN program and make WAYYYY more money

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I completed a medical assistant program at a trade school nearly 12 years ago and was never able to find a job as a MA with my training or certificate.

I completed a LPN/LVN program nearly 7 years ago and have found employment as an LPN in multiple settings. In addition, I was able to work the weekend double shift at a nursing home as an LVN charge nurse while attending an LPN-to-RN completion program. Although I am now an RN, most of what I've learned about nursing came from my four years as an LVN.

In my opinion, the LPN license will enable more flexibility in scheduling and usually more money than the MA certificate.

I also graduated from a Medical Assisting program back in 2008 and still til this day I am not able to find employment due to "No Experience" which seems like a crock to me because you have to work in order to gain experience. I wish I had gone for the LPN/LVN program instead of wasting my time. Kudos to those who have succeeded within the Medical Assisting program but for me it was a waste of time. At the time I was living in another state which required two years of school in order to become an LPN/LVN so I chose what I thought would be a quicker way into the health field but ended up cheating myself. I am now getting ready to enroll into school for the LPN/LVN program so I can actually get a job finally.

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I am agog that there is an associate degree in MA. I hold an associate degree in science that prepared me for the RN exam. An associate degree requires a LOT of work/ credits.

Why cant you apply to the nursing program with the credits you already have earned?

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