This is more of a vent, but I need a way to figure out how to handle this situation. I've been an LPN for 14 years. I worked in MedSurg & LTC until 2 years ago when I found a great office job. Its close to home I have holidays and weekends off. I'm able to drive my kids to school in the mornings, and I'm able to be at all their activities. I make less money, but it was worth the trade off. It's a small Family Practice office, and my docs are fantasic, as are all the girls I work with, personality wise. Great, right?
My job there is to call the abnormal test results, among about a million other things. This can get complicated if other people that don't have the experience to explain whats going on with the labs get a hold of them. Or the experience to know what can wait and what can't. For example, last Friday the lab called with a critical K+ level of 2.9 on a pt. while I was at lunch. The doc took the call, but since I wasn't around he asked the MA to find out what the BUN/CRT was. She tried to look it up in the computer, and when she couldn't find it, she let it sit. All weekend. I got the final lab report on Tuesday and nearly fell over. Luckily this particular pt. had home health that had been notified of the result, and they called her to see what we had told her, and when she said nothing, they encouraged her to go to the ED, and she refused and went to the local pharm and bought some OTC K+. Not the greatest solution, but better than doing nothing. I called her as soon as I saw what happened and got her a stat BMP, but sheesh, it was Tuesday! This is not the only example, but probably the most extreme. Both MAs in our office have graduated in the last year.
The other problem is that every staff member in the office is referred to as a nurse. I feel thats misleading to pts. They think the women answering the phone is a nurse, they think the MAs are nurses, and I'm really trying hard to not let it bother me, but the more these MAs are trying to assert that they can do my job the more annoyed I'm getting. I really feel these MAs are trying to assert themselves, and I understand they make less money, and they're on their feet all day, but they aren't nurses. They've never been on a floor. There's a difference between asking to learn how to do something and just taking it over and doing it wrong out of pride. Any ideas?
I honestly feel if they're going to be allowed to do injections at a clinic or medical office, THAT THEY BE LICENSED OR CERTIFIED. Something that means that they have some sort of governing body regulating them. Injections are invasive, anything injected into the human body is invasive. But then most doctors wont want this because then that means that they have to be licensed or certified and they will be required to pay them more.
I am a AAMA (American Association of Medical Assistants) Certified Medical Assistant. In this state (Nevada) I can actually do IVs if my physician sends me for IV certification class. This is the same class required for LPNs in Nevada to do IVs. I went through considerably more hours of training on all skills than they listed in the previous post.
I quit my full time job to be in nursing school full time. I have given injections, including flu shots and monitored for side effects. Yes, we were required to check on allergies, and on the history of Guillain Barre. I was taught in school how to insert a urinary catheter, so I assume that this is acceptable in Nevada - but since I was never asked to do caths in any position my first experience in real human cath insertion (as opposed to sim) was in my nursing clinicals.
Yes, there are some dumass MAs out there. I took my job very seriously, and I corrected patients MANY times that I was a medical assistant. I am proud of the work that I have done and I assisted my physicians well. Most nurses do not want to work for the amounts that medical assistants make as the OP stated she took a pay cut when she went to the office setting. I learned a LOT as an MA, I knew more about meds than most of the upperclassmen at school, and even some of my instructors looked up med info that I told them about. I also had the advantage of having more info on labs for clinicals because I was the person to call about labs. But I also experienced a less knowledgeable (and less experienced) MA sit on a potassium (high) - and SEND A LETTER BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T REACH THE PATIENT! Thankfully they called back and I got them. But she was also 18 years old.
Not every MA cares that much about their job or their craft, but then neither does every nurse. Please do not tar and feather an entire profession. These are good people who do work very hard, correct, and definitely admonish for misidentifying themselves, but please do not villify.
Specializes in Ambulatory (Urgent care) & Home Health.
Not every MA is incompetent:wink2:, I feel like i was very good at it. I still prefer a nurse over an MA for me and my family.There are too many MA's doing on the job training:zzzzz , i had one doc train her neice to do injections and blood draws:down: ( i had to tell her to put on gloves , i guess doc forgot infection control:confused:) . This is a much bigger issue than people realize:coollook: ( in Ca i cant speak for any other state, the laws for medical assistants are different). I'm not trying to hate on anyone , I'm just stating what I've seen in my past 10 yrs as a MA . After all is said and done and i have my license I plan on going deeper into this:typing, starting with something simple like if your an MA call yourself an MA don't sign your signature "RN" or refer to yourself as a nurse, that's illegal in Ca, you don't hear nurses:nurse: calling themselves doctors:banghead:.
LOL, actually yes there are some nurses that call themselves Dr. It's because they have a doctorate in nursing. Can you believe that? A Dr. who's a RN LOL, I love it, because they've earned their stripes.
But I know what you mean when you say that you don't hear nurses call themselves doctors. I was in the room once with the lab technician and since he wore a lab coat the patient automatically assumed he was a doctor, and he told her "Wel Ms. Yadda Yadda thanks for the complement, but I'm the lab tech here to draw your blood". It was cute because she told him he looked like a doctor.
Of course if you have a doctorate, you've earned the title :D"Doctorate". I'm talking about a much deeper issue.
Blowingbubbles, I knew what you meant....and I totally agree, it is a much deeper issue....I was just being funny...haha :chuckle You never know we might be calling you Dr. Bubbles someday LOL
Specializes in Home Health Care, Aids, Geriatrics,rehab.
Hello all. I Have had some friends complete the MA course and they are capable of withdrawing blood and doing ekg's and from what I understand administer some meds but all under a MD. They were told in there classroom that they are taking over the LPN position! Are you kidding me? I am LICENSED TO PRACTICE. I am also required to wear a name tag with my name and job title at all times as so ever proffesional at their workplace should. You should be permitted to ask some one who is about to administer meds or an injection as to what job title they hold with out any comments. A nurse goes through intense schooling and clinical experience not to mention the state boards exam . The two proffessions should not be confused with one another.
Specializes in Ambulatory (Urgent care) & Home Health.
Hello all. I Have had some friends complete the MA course and they are capable of withdrawing blood and doing ekg's and from what I understand administer some meds but all under a MD. They were told in there classroom that they are taking over the LPN position! Are you kidding me?
I don't know if you know about something called an umbrella. The way I understand it, any given facility, if they train their MAs to give injections, then, they can do exactly that but only in that facility, the same thing applies to LVNs. I work with a LVN who worked in a hospital and she hung blood products. As far as I know that is not in our scope of practice even if you are IVTherapy/Bloodwithdrawal Certified which I am.
Specializes in Ambulatory (Urgent care) & Home Health.
LVN's can hand blood products in CA, they can't push meds through an I.V. What LVN's can and cannot do depends on the state they live in, the same for MA's it depends on the state.
NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN
2,487 Posts
I honestly feel if they're going to be allowed to do injections at a clinic or medical office, THAT THEY BE LICENSED OR CERTIFIED. Something that means that they have some sort of governing body regulating them. Injections are invasive, anything injected into the human body is invasive. But then most doctors wont want this because then that means that they have to be licensed or certified and they will be required to pay them more.