Medical Assistants???

TazziRN, RN · Mar 20, 2007

There are lots of threads here about MAs vs nurses of different levels.

lovejana22 · Mar 20, 2007

ok thanks i guess i did scroll long enough.

TazziRN, RN · Mar 20, 2007

Use the search engine, you'll find all kinds of threads that way.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Mar 20, 2007

This has been an on-going thread with different titles, and a war, so to speak. I was both, a medical assistant and now, an LPN. I do think that there are more places to go with the LPN, however, there are some cities where the medical assistant has been hired over a nurse because the physician can get them to do some of our skills for a bit cheaper. In my opinion, there is respect for what both titles do, there is honor in honest, hard work, however, they are not nurses.

GAPEACH07 · Mar 20, 2007

I've been a Medical Assistant for 10 years and only make $12-$13 an hour. I live in a city with 6 large hospitals and 100's of doctors offices. I quit so I can now pursue a degree as an RN. I am a hard worker and well worth the money. The problem is MA's usually don't get hired in a hospital setting. Benefits, if there are any, are usually pitiful in a doctor's office and the chances of any promotions are slim. They hire MA's because they are cheaper than a nurse and can usually do what is required in an office setting, (venipuncture, IV's, x-rays, ekg, whatever...) She will most likely top out very soon. She should consider continuing her education if she is young. If she is comfortable with knowing that she will probably be stuck in the position she is in for many, many years then perhaps she made a good choice.

lovejana22 · Mar 21, 2007

first let me say, i in no way want anyone to think that i am dis-respecting mas. my cousin is one, i was just wondering of the pay difference. i was thinking that it was a larger difference since an rn goes to school longer and more clinical. that is it....

prowlingMA · Mar 21, 2007

I myself am an MA, and $15 is pretty good to start out, depending on where you live. I live in suburbs of Portland,OR and beginner pay is $12-$13 usually. Typically raises are few and far between. Promotions are very hard to come by, usually to office manager or something similar, with a ton of experience.

I really do enjoy my job and am happy with the office hours( no week ends YEAH) and stable environment. I did per diem before and that was awful, but pay is better if you are willing to do per diem or offices that have weird, late night or week end hours.

Good luck to you and your cousin.

foxyhill21 · Mar 21, 2007

My friend only makes 9 bucks a hour and she has a 9,000+ loan to pay back. She is having a hard time with such low pay and plus a loan to pay back. Also she told me that some of the MA students did not even have a high school diploma... is that true??

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 21, 2007

first let me say, i in no way want anyone to think that i am dis-respecting mas. my cousin is one, i was just wondering of the pay difference. i was thinking that it was a larger difference since an rn goes to school longer and more clinical. that is it....

well, i don't have alot of examples to pull from, but from what i've learned a ma with alot of office experience is worth $10-$12 per hour below a new rn with no experience. the rn has the opportunity for shift differentials, extra shift premiums, and a market that will bear increases once experience is gained. not the same for the ma. benefits for the ma is what any office clerk would get, no comparison to competitive rn benefits. advancement? none. areas of employment? limited.

in my mind, that equals a huge, glaring disparity between the two financial compensations, as there should be.

candygirlshar · Apr 9, 2007

My friend only makes 9 bucks a hour and she has a 9,000+ loan to pay back. She is having a hard time with such low pay and plus a loan to pay back. Also she told me that some of the MA students did not even have a high school diploma... is that true??

You do not have to have a high school diploma to be a medical assistant, you have to take an aptitude test the catch is they tell you that you don't need a diploma but once you finish school that's when it really matters because the doctor's office or hospital may ask for you diploma i did not have one when i started the medical assistant program but the school that i went to gave me brochure's on getting my high school diploma so i was going to school and studying for my diploma so now i have one which is the best thing that could have ever happened.

mamason · Apr 10, 2007

In the long run you will surpass what your cousin makes and also, having a degree in nursing offers more options with your career choices vs. medical assisting.