Medical assistants and LPNs

Nurses LPN/LVN

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HI all,

I have just finished a medical assisting program and im now looking for a job. I have noticed alot of job openings for lpn but nothing for medical assistants. I was wondering first of all what is the difference? I can pretty much do everything an lpn can do. I was wondering if I applied to lpn positions would I be a candidate for lpn positions or would I be wasting my time? Please somebody answer my question I would greatly appreciate the advice.

Specializes in Home health.

yes, please show me the employment ad where the ma supervises the lvn/lpn.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I was not trying to put yall down in anyway it was a question of why MA think they are the same as LPN's and i stated what I thought and was told, but also like i said at first I kno there are differences and things we can not do but there are also things we can do as well as LPN's...

There certainly are portions of skills that overlap between the LPNs and CMAs, however, that is the same for a CNA. What we were saying is that many times, a CMA hired at a hospital would function as a CNA or tech; maybe a unit manager at best, but nothing compared to a nurse, may it be LPN or RN. Also, if working as an aide or tech in a hospital, that person would fall under nursing, making it, under those circumstances that one would then work under the auspice of the Registered Nurse.

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Hell, so many things to say but I shan't. I'll just go back to my acute care hospital and do my job of nursing my patients who have just been discharged from the ICU.

I'll even pass some the link to this thread to the LPNs I know who work as dialysis nurses, OR techs, Ortho techs, and public health nurses.

Then we will all say a little prayer and be grateful that we don't work in certain parts of the US.

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Specializes in LTC.
Well, I may be a bit off course here, but you are not a nurse. You can not compare your education ( which by the way, congrats on that) to that of a nurse. Unless you have went to a school for nursing, and passed your boards to become a LPN or a RN, you are NOT in any way, shape, or form a nurse.

You go, girl! :yeah:

Regards,

Michael

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Specializes in LTC.
well this has got very interesting since i was last here....

:yeahthat: go off on vacation for a few days and look what happens!

regards,

michael

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Thread closed for staff review.

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

Thread has been reopened, so please play nicely.

Post on and be merry!

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Thanks Commuter!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
thanks commuter!
you are very welcome, tothepointe.

if anyone is thinking of posting noncontributory and insulting messages, please don't post at all. everyone's cooperation is greatly appreciated.

meanwhile, back at the ranch. . .

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Specializes in LTC.
you are very welcome, tothepointe.

if anyone is thinking of posting noncontributory and insulting messages, please don't post at all. everyone's cooperation is greatly appreciated.

meanwhile, back at the ranch. . .

i apologize for anything that i might have said in the heat of the moment.

regards,

michael

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Specializes in LTC.

By the way, what is an ASS degree?

Regards,

Michael

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC/Geriatric.

I'm going to throw in my :twocents: about this issue. I'm close to finishing LPN school (end of August). I was a medical office assistant for 12 years. This is a different position than an MA in the USA as my job was mainly administrative.

I did however have one job where I was a clinical assistant to a dermatology practice. I set up equip/instruments for biopsies, assisted during biopsies, processed all specimens to go to the lab, drew up cortisone injections (including diluting cortisone in saline before drawing it up), did patient teaching on the drug Accutane and the ABCD's of moles. I also removed simple sutures (I refused to touch post-MOH's surgery sutures on the face).

Should I have been doing patient teaching on Accutane and moles? Um NO!!!! I in fact felt so uncomfortable with that duty of the job, it's one of the reasons I left. Should I have been drawing up the cortisone injections? NOPE!!! I know all of this now, but did not realize at the time just how much I didn't know. Should I have been removing sutures? (and this was without the doctor in the room, or even seeing the wound first). Probably not. I didn't know a thing about assessing for REEDA. Although, if I was ever uncertain about whether the sutures should come out at that time, I always checked with the doctor first.

Anyways, my point is, if a job is advertising LPN/LVN/MA, I take that to mean that an LPN can do the same job as an MA, but if a job is advertised strictly for an LPN, an MA is NOT qualified to do that job.

As an LPN, could I go back and do that exact same job? Sure I could. But I wouldn't as I wouldn't be using even 5% of the clinical and assessment skills I now have. Could an MA walk into the acute care nursing job that I will be doing come August 22nd? No way.

Again, I have high respect for the MA's who know their limitations as well as strengths and do their job well. Same goes for CNA's and long term care aids. The health care system needs all members of a team to work together!!!

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