I am new to allnurses.com and I was wondering how come you don't include Medical Assistants in any of your groupings?? I went to school for 18 months to get my honors degree and I have wanted to be a nurse all my life (eventually I will work my way up to RN). Your website was discovered by while trying to find a college in my area (Indianapolis) that has a LPN course that will accept my transferring credits (still haven't found one).
But if you could answer that question as to why MA's are not included it would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone knows of a college in the Indianapolis area that accepts credit transfers from Indiana Business College--Medical that would also be appreciated.
I NEVER SAID I WAS A NURSE. I never said I was even qualified as a nurse. I would see the patients get the c/c and make the suggestions b/c I researched and learned at the Rep lunches not just taking the free food. I read the PDR. I never signed scripts. I wrote them out, told the Dr. what I did and he would decide if I was right or not. Making a suggestion to a Dr. is not a crime. One said I was only 21 and not old enough to have enough experience to know what to do. I'm 32 a mother and have been learning long before I ever got in school and learning ever since I got out. I never represented to anyone that I was a nurse. I always introduced myself as a Medical Assistant. I would do the physiical part that I was capable of but the pts still saw the dr. I would take the patients to the room and work to anticipate what the Dr. would need.
I no longer work in this office b/c the Dr.s wife wanted me to do things outside my scope and I refused and said I had to and I wouldn't so I quit.
Thank you to the people with the suggestions about furthering my education. I appreciate that but it saddens me that SO many of you think MA's are not qualified or smart enough to do things after what they learn in school.
It saddens me that so many people here are so harsh, this is not the welcoming, kind place I thought it was. I will think twice before I return.
DiAnne
Sounds like you were doing things outside of the scope again.
It's strange how were perceived as unfriendly when the OP doesn't get the response they expected. And i don't know many peopel that agree with what's lawfully wrong.
MAs aren't nurses, MAs are not the same as nurses. But no one said that MAs weren't smart enough to do what they learned in school. And reading the description of what you do, some of that is not learned in school, because it's not part of the MA scope.
I agree the MA is not merely a medical office assistant. I have been a Registered Medical Assistant for 8 years, and like yourself am proud of that fact. I also worked very hard for my certification & feel that I am good at what I do. When you refer to MA's on the level of nurses, please don't include all of us in on that assumption. However, I feel I have grounds to post a valid response to your referance concerning MA's and nurses. I am going into my last semester of RN training. There is a MAJOR difference between nurses and MA's. You have no clue what you DON'T know about patient care until you go to nursing school. My suggestion is to look up what the scope of MA practice is and follow it. I agree the MA has their place in health care and good ones are a wonderful help, but it is not on the level of nursing. If nursing is truely what you want to do, then go back to school. Most MA courses don't transfer to the college level because it is a technical certificate. Pre-req courses for nursing are much more in depth than what is taught on the technical level. My MA pharm was nothing like my nursing pharm. Any MA who thinks their training has prepared them for nursing training is in for a wake up call. I am not trying to imply that because I'm a nursing student that I know everything...I will be the frist to admit that I don't and far from it. I truely do apologize if I have come off as being harsh. I don't mean to be, but I have seen both sides. My advice is to know your boundaries and be very careful to protect what you have worked so hard for. :wink2:
Well said. I am also an RN student who was a medical assistant for years. I did not realize how different nursing was until I got into nursing school! Unfortunately, I believe there are alot of MAs who believe what they are doing is equal to nursing.:uhoh21:
I myself was also a MA for quite a few years before I became an RN. I now like to refer to my MA days as, "When I was young and didn't know any better." Not because I was stupid, but because I truly didn't know any better. I did an awesome job as an MA and loved what I did but boy is it different from nursing.
I can vividly remember starting IV infusions in one of the physicians offices where I worked at as a MA and the doctor telling me to make sure I checked vitals every 15 minutes while the patient was being infused. I just went about my business and did what the doctor told me to do. Now that I am an RN I realize why I had to check those vitals q 15 minutes, it was because There was a high risk of anaphylaxis (SP?) with the medication that I was infusing. Believe me now that I know better I don't just do what the doctor tells me to do.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
You are very mistaken if you think that MA's are in no way shape or form a nurse.
I'd hate to sound cruel, but legally you are not a nurse. No one can legally use the title of 'nurse' if they do not possess an RN or LPN/LVN license. I am tired of medical assistants, vet techs, and other allied healthcare personell who refer to themselves as nurses.
I feel that I am an incredible Medical Assistant and love what I do.
I'm completely assured that you are an incredible medical assistant. I completed a medical assisting program 6 years ago, and I can tell you that the nursing scope of practice is much broader than the medical assistant scope of practice. Medical assisting programs train their graduates to perform certain essential medical duties, whereas nursing programs educate their graduates on why certain signs/symptoms occur and how to use your judgment in order to promote the best outcome for the patient.
When I was working in a doctors office I was seeing my own patients and writing Rx's and then having the Dr. sign off on them. I check in patients into the exam rooms and depending on their ailments am able to suggest medications to the Dr. which I have also spent an entire quarter in school learing the differences of. I have also removed stitches, lanced abcesses, given complete physicals in addition to the paperwork of prior authorizations and worked with insurance companies.
YIKES!
Sounds like you are practicing as a Physician's Assistant (who are Master's Prepared BTW), not a Medical Assistant. Sounds like your Doctor was cheap and practiced in insurance fraud and cheating his patients. BTW, a quarter of pharmacology is absolutely nothing. I've been on orientation for almost 3 months and not a day goes by that I am not looking up a drug for interactions, etc. before administering it.
I used to be a Vet. Assisstant and I also practiced outside of my scope of practice. I was young and naive and didn't see that I was taking the position of someone who had spent, time, money and effort to get certified. But, the vets knew there is very little chance of being caught. By doing a PA's work, you are taking a job from a PA who went to 6 years of school and are getting probably a quarter to half of their salary. You can see why Docs will try to get away with this practice. It's amazing what you can get away with in private practice without JCAHO around and other certifying agencies.
Please do what's right and re-read your practice act so you know what you can and are not allowed to do. And if you do decide to pursue nursing, I advise you to stay in your scope of practice or you WILL eventually be SUED and you'll most likely lose.
Oh, and to answer your question we don't have an MA forum because this is a nursing website. We don't have a CNA or Patient Care Tech website either. Nursing is separate from these other fields. Doing "nursing" skills and practicing nursing are two very different things. I was a Nurse Assistant until I graduated and did many of the skills you stated such as, EKG's, phlebotomy, tube feedings, d/c'd foleys, Vital Signs, ADL's, Some dressing changes, CPR, and more. I also stayed on the same unit where I am now a nurse. NOTHING could have prepared me for the giant leap from performing skills to practicing nursing. It is very different when you are responsible and ACCOUNTABLE for that patient's care.
I think MAs are taught some of the procedures that we as LPNs are taught, but nurses get THEORY along with clinical skills. Nursing is A LOT more than giving injections, taking blood etc. You need to learn about diseases, why they happen, how they effect the body systems etc. Sounds to me like you are working as a PA, and sometimes even THEY aren't allowed to write Rx's. Sounds like a bunch of bull to me. Can MAs qualify for professional Liability Insurance?? I know CNAs can, not sure about MAs, anyways if you do you might want to consider it. If I was a pt that didn't know you were a MA and you were acting as a nurse and doing the duties of a nurse and you caused some type of damage to me or a loved one you better believe i would sue the pants off you!! BE CAREFUL!!!
You write prescriptions?????? I am a medical assistant as well, and we don't fall under the category of nurses. we may be able to do many of the skills that nurses do, but we are not nurses.
Well said. I am also an RN student who was a medical assistant for years. I did not realize how different nursing was until I got into nursing school! Unfortunately, I believe there are alot of MAs who believe what they are doing is equal to nursing.:uhoh21:
This is exactly correct. DiAnne, I'm sorry you became offended when others and myself told you why MA's are not included as a category on allnurses. This does not mean we are belittling what you do. But it's what you are not aware of that can make you very dangerous when you are caring for patients.
When I was in school to be a practical nurse, there was a class next door of MA students. It was almost funny. The MA's felt like they were being educated/trained to do as much LPN's and the LPN students felt they were being educated/trained to do as much as RN's, even though our instructor's *told* us there was a difference, we couldn't see any. We LPN students were convinced that the only difference between an LPN and an RN were a few months of "filler" courses.
I'm a newly graduated RN and now I see how foolish my thinking was back then. Those "filler" courses served a much greater purpose in helping to see the bigger picture. Not to mention, the level of the courses was much harder for an RN than an LPN.
If an MA was the same as an LPN and an LPN was the same as an RN.....why is there any distinction??? Because there IS a difference!
You see "your own" patients? I'm a MA myself. That's way out of the scope of practice of a MA. I also at times write scripts as specifically instructed by the doc which are then attached to the pts. chart for the doc to review and sign but I'm not writing scripts in the manner you describe. If I'm understanding your post, you're seeing pts., deciding what meds they need and writing scripts for them for the doc to sign off? So essentially, you're also diagnosing??? Sounds like practicing medicine without a license to me. Even doing a physical involves assessing which is out of our scope of practice...If I take a BP, it's not my job to decide whether it's too high or not, it's not my job to assess, just to take it, write it down and give it to the doc, it's his call (whether I know it's high or not). I could have a pt. with a huge cancerous growth on their face and I'd say "We'll have the doc check it when he comes in." hehe...you get the point.
And BTW, I agree with you about the misconception that MA's only do office work. I do injections, blood draws, some lab tests, EKG's and more PLUS office work! (and for WalMart pay at that!)
I get offended when I go to a doctors office and they say "the nurse will be in to see you" then I ask them are you a RN and they say no.. a MA. It is so many commercials on TV that state i wanted to be a nurse but i did not have time for four years of college, then be a MA... So therefore some people in society that is not familiar with the health care field think that an MA is a nurse. Makes me upset.. I am a nursing student and I get mad when people compare me to a MA. (blah blah) my friend went to MA school and paid a couple of 1000 and is only making 8-10 bucks.. she does not even make enough to support her family and plus she has to pay back the loan.. what a waste of time....
Hmmm...and I find it offensive that you would consider my title as a "waste of time". The pay does stink though, considering the fact that we DO perform invasive procedures....injections, blood draws.
And if I may ask, what difference does it make if the person that comes in is a RN? Does she have to be a RN to take your BP or hx? Or did you just ask that because you were told a nurse was coming in? Are you just trying to "catch" someone "impersonating" a nurse? After all, someone else called her a nurse, when you asked, she said she was a MA. That's akin to me going to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and asking the girl who hands me the script "Are you a pharmacist?" Unless that person is clearly out of their scope, I have no reason to ask that question.
I do agree with you on the advertising though. The commercials show these "MA's" rushing someone down the hall on a gurney....Hello? MA's don't even WORK in hospitals unless it's in a tech position and not as a MA. We get people who come to the MA forum with things like "I want to work in PICU." Get real....
about patient care until you go to nursing school. My suggestion is to look up what the scope of MA practice is and follow it. I agree the MA has their place in health care and good ones are a wonderful help, but it is not on the level of nursing. If nursing is truely what you want to do, then go back to school. Most MA courses don't transfer to the college level because it is a technical certificate. Pre-req courses for nursing are much more in depth than what is taught on the technical level. My MA pharm was nothing like my nursing pharm. Any MA who thinks their training has prepared them for nursing training is in for a wake up call. I am not trying to imply that because I'm a nursing student that I know everything...I will be the frist to admit that I don't and far from it. I truely do apologize if I have come off as being harsh. I don't mean to be, but I have seen both sides. My advice is to know your boundaries and be very careful to protect what you have worked so hard for. :wink2:
Even doing a physical involves assessing which is out of our scope of practice...If I take a BP, it's not my job to decide whether it's too high or not, it's not my job to assess, just to take it, write it down and give it to the doc, it's his call (whether I know it's high or not). I could have a pt. with a huge cancerous growth on their face and I'd say "We'll have the doc check it when he comes in." hehe...you get the point.
Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN
12,126 Posts
Sounds like you were doing things outside of the scope again.
It's strange how were perceived as unfriendly when the OP doesn't get the response they expected. And i don't know many peopel that agree with what's lawfully wrong.
MAs aren't nurses, MAs are not the same as nurses. But no one said that MAs weren't smart enough to do what they learned in school. And reading the description of what you do, some of that is not learned in school, because it's not part of the MA scope.