CMA/CPT

Thank you for your replies.

carolmaccas66...i understand what you are saying and i'm sure it is very true in many places. but there is training needed for the young who are fresh out of college, just like there would be for the older generation. the law says there should be no age discrimination, but we know the reality of it all...there is! it's sad because many women & men our age don't have a significant other to pull them through the hard financial times. we are the sole provider. we're out there educating ourselves because we're single, divorced, unemployed, widowed and trying to make our way just like any young person. my venture through medical training and then proceeding to search for employment in this field has been one of the most discouraging times of my life!

In both Medical Assisting and the STNA course I was told by students in their late teens and early twenties that "I took the college course way too serious" and "she's a serious student". Isn't that what college is all about, being serious about the profession you are striving for? I really don't think I entered college to just fool around. THIS is why employers should take "baby boomers" serious when considering a candidate for employment. We are serious about our work, learning and performing to the best there is and being a top professional in our field. It's sad to hear those kind of statements coming from our younger generation. College is not a free-for-all, it's a 'job' in becoming a 'qualified professional'.

I'm a 51 yo woman who started medical school in 2007. (making me 48 at that time) I completed Medical Assisting and passed my board exam and am titled a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA). I went on to get the title of Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) passing my national exam on that as well. I've recently gone through the STNA "course" but haven't taken the state exam and not sure I even want to go that route. My point is: I have sent out tons of resumes both online and snail mail. Nothing. I'm unemployed and can't get my feet in the medical door. So you tell me...is it my age, lack of experience, what? Good luck to the OP with your employment search! :)

Ok, so right now I'm a Nursing Assistant (NA). Will this continue, keeping up with my CEUs? Or after a period of time will I have no title and have to take the STNA course again? Basically stating that if I don't take the State Exam and become an STNA my college is down the drain? Can I continue to work as an NA?

This may sound stupid: What is the title of a student that has completed the STNA course and the clinical time required but has not yet taken the State Exam? I've called my college on this and they didn't know so I left a message with another person but no one has gotten back with me, and my instructor wouldn't give us her phone number so there's no way to talk with her but through the college and sometimes she doesn't get back with her students for weeks. Are we Nursing Aides, Nursing Assistants, what? And if we choose not to take the State Exam, do we have NO title after 4 months? I need some insight on this because I need to update my resume and continue to look for employment. HELP!