Hello all! Is anyone else annoyed by MA programs and the attitudes of Medical Assistants themselves??? I had a friend of a friend of mine, who is a medical assistant basically act like a B***h today. We were introduced to each other and she stated she was a medical assistant. She went on and on about how she could do more than most nurses could, worked directly under the doctor, yada, yada. She asked me what i did. I said "I'm an LPN." She then mentioned how she was "an equivalent of an RN in a doctor's office and MA was the next closest thing to an RN as you could get." Then this idiot had the nerve to say,"but LPN's are good too.":madface: I said "Excuse me?" and started a huge arguement. IN WHAT WORLD DOES NURSING LEVEL OF TRAINING GO RA, CNA, LPN, MA, & RN????? The only equivalent to an RN IS AN RN. LPN's are one step lower, not MA's. On top of that, I had one year of intensive training to be an LPN. This is coming from an MA who had ON THE JOB TRAINING ONLY!!!!!!!!!!!! She had no formal education whatsoever, she doesn't even have a high school diploma or GED. As an instructor of allied health training courses(EKG, Phlebotomy, NA), I am appalled at what they teach in these MA classes. She said the MA she trained under was told this in class. MA courses cost more than my LPN and they are not even required to take a course in my state. ANYONE, including people with horrible criminal backgrouds, can work if the doctor says its ok. No education needed just need to be signed off on skills. Skills such as drawing blood, EKG, injections, etc. How is that I can take a year of med administration class, pharm, anatomy, etc but I am not qualified according to BON to do veinapunctures, but some yahoo without any GED, education, or formal training can do it after being watched as little as one time????? This should not be legal. I think all MA's should be regulated and required to have certain hours of training, or eliminate all MA positions. A CNA or an LPN can do the same things in my state with the PROPER, DOCUMENTED additional training. Long rant but set me on edge like nothing else. I just looked at her and walked away.
PS. Not looking down on CNA's, LPN's, RN's, people with backgrounds, people with no Diplomas or GEDS. You have what you have. I was the 1st person EVER in my family to graduate high school. Everyone's life situations are different . Just saying that certain positions with life or death consequences should have a certain level of education and training.
