quizzical

I am not being a troll. If the question seems to be that of a troll, that is coincidental. Sometimes there are difficult albeit strange questions that need to be addressed at least for certain people. I disagree with your "What does it matter" stance, "GrnTea." If more of us knew who established certain guidelines that are largely followed, then we would have a better chance at directing our questions, and suggestions for changes to the right party. I actually think that a much of things that medical personnel do is a violation of patient rights or there is great potential for it . In the MA class I am in I had learned that doctors prefer to tell the patient as little as possible so that the patient cannot know about alternatives to certain procedures, and about his or her rights. I could tell quite a few stories about how I found out who was in charge and who was responsible for running things and I complained to the right person and got my concerns addressed and got the right person to do his or her job right, and got things done . I had learned long ago that you just have to know who made the decisions and who has the authority to make them. I guess that a lot of you can guess that I don't completely agree with those of you who are saying that my medical assisting training is useless and everything negative. I have read lots of stuff on the internet about how medical assisting is very low-level and disrespected and insignificant type of work for people who have no other choices , or have little ambition, or who are too stupid etc etc.. Of course it can be true . A lot of people who become janitors, or doormen, or taxi drivers, or cashiers, or elevator operators, or who do any low-skill type of work could be just trying to avoid doing anything more daring such as going to school for at least 7 years to become a doctor, or trying to become a lawyer or rocket scientist etc etc. This is actually a whole other discussion, but the harsh reality is that there are a lot of people for whom it is just not practical or realistic to try and do what only the brightest people will ever successfully do. There is a lot said about "going for it" and "never giving up" etc etc, but though some people succeeded by trying hard there are others who only came to realize that they are beating a dead rickshaw driver. Some people cannot hope to go into the best schools to pass all tough courses and be several degrees above the average person. A lot of people would like to go to medical school to become a doctor. I never got a chance to be one when I was of a younger age. I probably won't have a chance in my 50s even though I had heard a very unusual story of one woman who went to medical school in her 60s. I actually never wanted to be a nurse. It is something that a lot of women become because it is easier than becoming a doctor or physician assistant. However I doubt I can spend 7 years and thousands of dollars to become a doctor now or anytime in the future, and a RN is above a medical assistant. A friend of mine who encouraged me to go back to school even if to first become an MA before becoming an RN, told me that there are thousands of jobs for RNs that don't involve dealing with patients and being by sick people's bedsides. She has known other people who had become RNs and got jobs that did not involve being among or dealing with patients at all. I disagree that studying to be an Medical Assistant is completely useless if one decides to then go on to become an RN or perhaps other medical profession. I think that it helps. It does not hurt. It has a lot to do with public image and prejudiced ideas of other people. I don't see how it is useless for nurses to know anatomy and physiology and using an EKG machine and medical ethics and some medical billing and coding. I guess I won't change anyone's mind whose mind does not want to be changed, but though it is not the best occupation, it is decent . Some people just expect too much out of life. I read one post on an internet site saying that Medical Assistants "only" make some $30,000 measly dollars a year. I think that the average person who gets up in the morning to live hand-to-mouth cannot ever hope to make that much in his/her life. Of course I have seen a different side of life than other people have, too.

I am almost done with dealing with the instructor who told me about the "rule." I may not get a chance to ask him. However I can also try to put two and two together. So, let me ask you "klone" how long ago were you in nursing school? Maybe it is some relatively new rule or standard that came about since the 1970s when society began to realize that sexual harassment happens regularly in common situations, such as in the workplace; and even when doctors deal with patients. Perhaps the "rule" did not exist anytime before the 1960s.

Hi all. I am the one who created this post. I have yet to fully learn how to utilize this forum. I appreciate the replies but none really answers the question, who made the "back of the hand" rule? It seems to be taught to every medical worker who will have to deal with the matter. Therefore, some "medical authority" must have thought it up and made it a standard to teach to all students of EKG or Medical Assisting ( etc). Was it the American Medical Association? ( It seems that they are very politically powerful and can make rules for a lot of medical personnel to follow). Thanks to anyone who can provide info. Maybe some of you can ask a teacher or professor whom had taught it to you.

I am completely new to this forum. Maybe a lot of you would think I don't belong here. I actually am currently studying to be a Medical Assistant but might eventually go on to become an RN. However in the Medical Assisting program I am in, there were several nurses who needed to learn phlebotamy , and there was even one doctor from Russia who's Russian MD was somehow insufficient for the US and was studying to be an MA or phlebotamist. I would have some stories to tell about my Medical Assistant training but I just want to begin by saying that I was taught quite a bit about medical ethics and it left me with a lot more questions than I ever had. Of course my experience as a patient (whenever I had to go to a doctor or the hospital) already had left me with a lot of questions that my enrolling in Medical Assisting training hardly answered. There is a "closed" forum on this site about how nurses ought to deal with female patients when applying EKG leads on them. At MA training I was taught that it is appropriate to touch the female's breast using the back of the hand because this is considered less intrusive and if you use your palm it can be considered "groping" thus sexual harassment or assault. (By the way, I was also told that the same technique would apply when you are dealing with a man who has gynecomastia ; and this is not mentioned much). What I wonder about is who established such a rule and had it become a "universal" technique to be taught to all nurses, or medical assistants or EKG technicians, ( etc)? Anyone know? This will be my first question on this forum. I will probably have more of different kinds.