Medical Assistants in the office

[SHELLYBELLYRN]

This is probably going to open a can of worms.............but how do you all feel about replacing nurses in the office setting with Medical Assistants? How (if at all) do you feel it affects patient care?

Do any of the MA's in your offices refer to themselves as "nurses"? Have you had any problems with the knowledge base of the MA's? How are they with patient education?

May be just my situation, but I have run across some significant problems in this area................and not sure how to address it...........or even if I can address it.

[hayest]

You didn't answer my question. WHY are you posting here? You are NOT a nurse. You are NOT a medical assistant. You are NOT a CNA. You are NOT a student of any medical career. Seriously, this website is NOT meant for you.

I apologize for not answering your question. I'm an HR Manager, who is a Medical Office Administrator over a large group of physicians and their staff. I believe I am qualified to voice my opinion.

[hayest]

There's an MA program in my area. It has no prerequisites, no high school grade requirements, all you need is a GED. It's simply a 6 month training program. I don't know about you.... But I would prefer a little more training from someone involved in my healthcare. I'm not saying MA's are bad, I just think their education varies drastically... And people view them as nurses (which is also dangerous)

I agree 100% with your comment.

[Red Kryptonite]

I apologize for not answering your question. I'm an HR Manager, who is a Medical Office Administrator over a large group of physicians and their staff. I believe I am qualified to voice my opinion.

You're a weirdo who refuses to let anyone tattooed or pierced touch you because you assume they have hepatitis, and who refuses male nurses caring for you but are fine with male doctors.

I think it's time to add to my ignore list.

[hayest]

Okay, so WHY do you pay $1600/year for this practice? He had his clerical staff reading your personal emails to him, he hires unprofessional clinical staff that give out wrong information and practice outside their scope, he doesn't pay attention or care about patient complaints, and he went against your wishes to use Lidocaine before an IV start. And that is just what you shared here.

QUOTE]

I have asked myself that question alot, but I go to him because he has done more for my health than the previous doctor I went to. When I realized his staff was reading emails. I stopped using what they called a "secured site" and now my emails go to his home computer. After the variety of mistakes, I refused to speak to his staff and he knows this. His staff is gone and a new group has started. I will just wait and watch on how they are. Although, I will probably, when needed, I will just call him directly and not go through office personnel. In regards to the Lidocaine, he knows I'm upset with him on that, but I also understand that he was uneasy to do my IV, even though he does do them. He always starts them without Lidocaine. The day of surgery, I was scared to death and I wasn't thinking about the Lidocaine until it was too late and I felt the stick. The $1600 is worth the care I receive from him, as well as my husband and children. It's hard to express in words how amazing he is unless you have gone to him. As I said before, he knows he is hiring the wrong people, but he doesn't want to take the time to find the right person, so he will continue to hire the wrong people until he decides to go a different route. I can only express to him my feelings, as a patient, what I see and hear, and some of the incidents he has agreed were very unprofessional. I can only hope more patients will speak up and let him know or the other MD know how their staff is. It's not all on him, the other MD and office manager has a voice too in who they hire. They also don't want to pay for the right person, they start off low in pay, so they are getting what they paid for. One day, the lightbulb will come on and the right person will be hired. The office used to run smooth and was great, but the last 5 years, the office went down hill with the additional staff hired.

[hayest]

Thank you! I guess I'm weird, but I'm without tattoos and piercings. We all have choices and patients have the right to request for certain care givers on their team and that's just what I did. In the area that I live in, tattoos and piercings are not "shown" in the health care field. They are covered, but they are shown if they do not wear the correct cover, or ones who have them around their ankle or top of their foot. If they pull their hair up and something is on the back of their neck. So I would say the majority of the offices around here have the same rule of no visible tattoos/piercings. No, I haven't gone to every medical office in this city, but I've had this discussion before with many others who go to other offices and know what their guidelines are. A lot of medical offices websites will have a list of their guidelines under employment for their facilities. I'm done! Obviously, I have struck a nerve with many out there, but I'm sure there are just as many who feel the same way as I do.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Can we not call each other names please?

Hayest, I'm certainly not going to tell you you shouldn't be here. I think non-nurses can provide valuable insight from an alternative perspective.

It doesn't sound like the office manager is pulling his/her weight as well.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

By your argument, Practically anyone should be invited to post here. In order not to violate tos, I'm holding back a litany if thoughts that are running through my head about you and what you believe should or should not happen behind the scenes at your personal physicians office. Suffice to say that i still maintain my position that this is not a site for you to be spouting your theories In. The ma's that you openly despise are are far bigger asset to the medical care team than you are as an hr manager over a group of physicians.

[hayest]

Can we not call each other names please?

Hayest, I'm certainly not going to tell you you shouldn't be here. I think non-nurses can provide valuable insight from an alternative perspective.

It doesn't sound like the office manager is pulling his/her weight as well.

I'm sorry, I didn't think I called anyone a name.

Thank you. I agree both medical personnel and non medical personnel can learn from this site. I have learned a lot by reading different posts. I've learned a lot by asking questions.

You are very accurate with your statement. The office manager isn't pulling her weight. She is only there a few days a week, so also doesn't see or hear what goes on.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I'm sorry, I didn't think I called anyone a name..

You didn't.

[Standardethics]

Final straw yesterday. (I did post some of this in another forum- sorry). The final straw came today when the office where I specifically asked to speak to the "triage nurse," lied when I verified that I was speaking to an RN. We're talking cardiac intervention office here. I've now contacted state legislators to institute laws regarding who can do what and with whom and how they are identified. I came here today, urge all RNs, AAS, CNAs, BSNs, MSNs, and PHDs to take a public stand, including contacting state legislators, against the practice of using medical assistants in the offices for clinical care without proper name tags and public education. As a result of the lie, I learned that the specialty cardiology practice has not one RN in the office. All the "triage nurses" are medical assistants and not certified. How can I not cancel my appointment under these circumstances.

[hayest]

Final straw yesterday. (I did post some of this in another forum- sorry). The final straw came today when the office where I specifically asked to speak to the "triage nurse," lied when I verified that I was speaking to an RN. We're talking cardiac intervention office here. I've now contacted state legislators to institute laws regarding who can do what and with whom and how they are identified. I came here today, urge all RNs, AAS, CNAs, BSNs, MSNs, and PHDs to take a public stand, including contacting state legislators, against the practice of using medical assistants in the offices for clinical care without proper name tags and public education. As a result of the lie, I learned that the specialty cardiology practice has not one RN in the office. All the "triage nurses" are medical assistants and not certified. How can I not cancel my appointment under these circumstances.

Thank you for taking a stand and contacting state legislators. As a patient, I personally want to thank you. I agree with your thoughts, especially when you were lied to. Medical assistants should not be doing triage. I have reached out to the AAMA asking them to send out a letter regarding the medical assistants scope of practice and other rules behind a medical assistant to every physician office in the US. The physicians are also forgetting that they are not nurses and what direct supervision means in the office. I even offered to send out the publication to the medical offices for them. You can also turn the office in for her lying to you. Depending what state, it could be considered a felony or a misdemeanor and the office could be fined and closed for a short period of time for medical assistants indicating they are nurses. I hope their information to you did not cause harm to you or a family member.

[Standardethics]

No...thank you for contacting the AAMA. I can file a complaint with the State Board of Licensure against a named physician. The Board attorney urged doing just that if I want to see a change in this practice. Here's the conundrum: I think I may be about to see one of the better interventional cardiologists around, but the support staff, "La Team" as always referenced, does not have the qualifications I, or any patient should expect when dealing with life/death. I've contacted a well-known hospital to ask them how many RNs work in their cardiology labs/departments. Awaiting return call.

As you say, the utter lack of supervision is more than distressing. it is not as though excellent care cannot be provided by a lay person for many issues. However, I want a crackerjack science-leanred RN clinician by my side, thank you very much. Right now, it looks like I'll opt to forego care rather than be confronted with yet another fouled procedure. Who knows? Maybe I'll be better off.