medical assisting.... a waste of time/money???

[ticklethesun]

So I'm in my third semester working towards my associates degree for medical assisting, and I feel like all i'm doing is wasting my money and time. The school I go to doesn't accept my lottery scholarship, and they won't let me take out my full stafford loan. which the loan thing wouldn't be that big a deal except now they're saying i owe them almost $700 that i have to pay out of my own pocket. that's because they set you up with a budget that's just what they think you'll need, then hand you your books with a receipt that pretty much says "here this is how much we put on your school account and if you don't have enough from your grants and loans, then too bad" and they make it to where i can't buy my books anywhere else cheaper because every single book is "custom edition". and now they're saying that if i don't pay them their money by my 4th term i'm getting dropped. which would really suck because i have the highest gpa in my class, mainly because the classes are a joke and i swear i haven't been "taught" anything i didn't learn in either high school or before. i'm seriously thinking of just dropping out and going to the university close to where i live in september but don't want to have the loan company on my back. what should i do?

[lillymom]

Wow sounds like your school is ripping you off. Is the program accredited at all? It sounds like it is one of the many bogus MA programs that I hear about constantly. I am a CMA,AAMA(I had a great program) and it is a great job if you like working in a doc's office but it restricts your ability to grow in the medical profession(except for office supervisor/or getting BA in bussiness) because it is in no way affiliated with nursing.

In other words, if you ever want to be an LPN or RN then you need to go to nursing school instead. I didn't realize this when I first started to do the MA program and my advisor was really pushy about going to nursing school and working full time so that was my other option. I love being a CMA but I want more in my life at the moment. Hope this helps.

[my2girlskk]

I'm also a CMA and want more in my life. I've worked in a doctors office for 5 years, and although I like my job, I'm getting bored. I had a great program as well, but honestly I tell anyone I can not to go to school for this. Some offices just hire ppl off the street and train them on the job! In my opinion, the two years and money spent seems wasted compared to the amount of money I make. I know its not all about the money but MAs are so limited in what they can do. I am starting nursing school in the fall and couldn't be happier! Good luck! I've found a lot of MAs are content for a while but eventually want more.

[ChinaMom]

I went to a 1 year medical assistant program back in the early 90's. I earned a medical assisting diploma. I worked in the ma field for over 13 years, mainly in doctors offices, but I also worked in the occ. health dept of a hospital. I also felt like I did not learn anything in ma school. Basically, it was all common sense to me! At my highest salary, I earned $12.50 per hour, with no chance of ever increasing responsibilities. I got burned out on being a ma over 13 years. The cost for the program I graduated from was $1200 and that included books, so I more than made my money back for school. If you ever want to make a decent living, I would say avoid being a medical assistant. I am now attempting to go back to school for something else (probably nursing).

[CHRISTINE HEARTS]

Well being a Medical Assistant for almost 8years I loved what I did but wanted more, more pay more responsibility. I am currently in my second semester in nursing school at its awesome. Medical Assistant is a bit of a stepping stone that's the way I see it. I learned alot of things but what I know now as a nursing student is much more beneficial for patients and myself=)

[queen2bee]

i graduated from medical assisting school from kaplan college in fresno ca, after graduating last yr alot of jobs wouldnt even consider me b/c they wanted people who were bilingual. unfortunately im not a spanish speaker so i got turned down alot. i new that i wanted more and that i didnt want to settle for just have a MA diploma. its a start but it wasnt going to be where i finished. from reading other people's post i see why they want more, just from my experience at planned parenthood i wouldnt dare staying just as a MA. ticklethesun i see why you think its a waste of money and time, i felt the same way but i did learn quite a bit about the medical field. maybe you should try doing lvn or rn if u have any nursing schools around or just sticking the MA school out. u can do it!!!!

[FutureNeoNursing]

It sounds like this program is a rip off! If it's not accredited then you will have a problem finding a job later on. It's best that you to start searching for a new program to get into,the loans will be okay as long as you are not in default and contact them to let them know that you are going to attend another institution. I'm currently at Herzing Univeristy online and it's accredited and I have no problem getting my loan money,actually I receive the full amount and still have excess funds left over that I can use for extra classes or put into my saving account. I'm looking to get into nursing now, after a few semesters of medical assisting online, I felt nursing is more my area.Your best bet is to take those classes to see if it can be transferred into a nursing program. There are not too many advancement opportunities for MA's and with nursing there are so many areas you can go into and make a nice living...