Medical Assistant Prog before nursing

lisabeth · Oct 18, 2006

I am sure it will help. Any experience will help when you start nursing school or when you become a nurse. Good luck.

HI all
I just started a 6 month med. assistant program in St Louis area (will finish May 2007). I feel this will give me valuable experience before I apply to nursing. I have all my prereq done except for chem and anatomy.
Does anyone out there start out as medical assistant first.?
Thanks

Irene joy · Oct 19, 2006

I'm seriously thinking of getting into the nursing assistant program after I'm done with pre-requs (only one left to take). The program is only 12 wks long and evan if I never work as an NA, I will aquire alot of clinical skills, and I'll have alittle more confidence when it comes to actual nursing school, as I have no previous medical experiance.

hlfpnt, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2006

I had about 8 years experience as a MA. It was helpful, but not as much as I would have liked. The experience in blood draws, injections, vital signs, wound care & patient interactions was helpful...at least I was comfortable & confident with these skills. The MA training is geared more toward ambulatory settings (ie physicians offices, clinics, etc.). This is a whole different ball game from the hospital setting. I think CNA would have been more beneficial to me because their training is more specific toward hospital type care & that's usually where they work so they get good exposure. I don't feel my training & experience were a waste of my time because I loved my job...I just wanted to be able to give more in depth patient care.

carlarenee02 · Oct 19, 2006

I reside in St. Louis MO area and many hospitals in this area will train someone without already being an CNA. That is one position I have applied for already. Different hospitals call CNA different titles such as Patient Care Associate, etc.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2006

I completed a medical assisting program in 2000 and an LVN program in 2005. The medical assistant program helped with the medical terminology aspects and injections, but that's about it. It did not help one bit with the most important skills of all: critical thinking, application, and analysis.

RN1263 · Oct 19, 2006

i'm a senior nursing student and becoming a nursing assistant is way cheaper & shorter schooling, than MA. also, it will help you in the nursing program, because you can get a job on a med/surg floor and get a feel for what bedside nursing is all about. just my 2 cents!

hlfpnt, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2006

The medical assistant program helped with the medical terminology aspects and injections, but that's about it. It did not help one bit with the most important skills of all: critical thinking, application, and analysis.

Ditto!

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Oct 19, 2006

I did. I wanted to find out if I like the medical field like I thought I did, and the MA program at the CC was only one year. I knew that many people spend years going to college to get a degree to only find out it is not really for them. It gave me a chance to get my feet wet and reassured me that the medical field was right for me. I worked for four years before going back to school but would have gone sooner if there was not financial problems.

carlarenee02 · Oct 19, 2006

I am planning to combine CNA training (thur hospital training) with my Medical Asst training when I work in the hospital prior to nursing program. What is others opinion on this? I like a little jof both worlds

Thanks.

smk1, LPN · Oct 19, 2006

If you are going to have a long wait before the nursing program and need to work I would suggest CNA or maybe getting in to the hospital as a tele tech etc... I think paying for MA school might be spendy if you already know you want to go straight to nursing, try to keep it cheap I always say!

carlarenee02 · Oct 19, 2006

In St Louis, MO at the hospitals, it is next to impossible to get on at hospital as CNA unless you are in nursing school or have medical background. I thought MA school is better than no med background.