"I'm an uncertified medical assistant"

[Freedom42]

I had a curious encounter at the doctor's office today. When I went in for my physical, a woman in scrubs came in ahead of the doc. She was wearing scrubs but no name tag. We hadn't met before, so I asked if she was a nurse. Yes, she replied.

I then presented her with paperwork outlining the shots I needed for school. As she looked over the paperwork, she volunteered that she was not a nurse but, in fact, a medical assistant. Oh, really? I replied. Where do you go to school for that? (I was genuinely curious.)

Well, she replied, she didn't go to school. She wasn't a "certified medical assistant," in her words, but "had a lot of experience." In fact, she'd been a CNA for 16 years, but this particular medical practice, as she explained it, "isn't like a hospital and doesn't care if you're ceritified." Hmm. Later on, the doctor sent her back to draw blood.

What would your reaction be? Obviously, she called herself a nurse, and she isn't one. (I wonder if she would have volunteered that info had she not seen my paperwork.) She called herself a medical assistant, then volunteered that she wasn't credentialed. I know nothing about MAs. Is that kosher? And what level of license does someone have to hold to be allowed to draw blood? (For what it's worth, this is the only person I've dealt with in many years at this doctor's office who wasn't wearing a name tag with credentials. Is there any kind of identification requirement?)

[10ACGIRL]

I AM GOING FOR MEDICAL RECEPTIONIST at Central EORGIA tECH THIS WINTER SEMESTER.

[BossMcgee]

a credential is an attestation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or de facto authority or assumed competence to do so.

examples of credentials include academic diplomas, academic degrees, certifications, security clearances, identification documents, badges, passwords, user names, keys, powers of attorney, and so on. sometimes publications, such as scientific papers or books, may be viewed as similar to credentials by some people, especially if the publication was peer reviewed or made in a well-known journal or reputable publisher.

that being said there are credentials for medical assistant who go through the appropriate training and testing. it's usually the attitude of disgust that many nurses (not all!) treat medical assistants with that causes an insecurity. i just happen to have been trained to do many things nurses can't do and i've been a certified and registered medical assistant for 22 years. i get tired of being treated like a medical subspecies until nurses find out about my background. i shouldn't have to display my resume to gain respect for the job i do.

my grandmother is an md, my uncle is an rt, my sister is an ot, my mother-in-law teaches bsn and i am happily and proudly a medical assistant. i have turned down invitations to tack those two little letters behind my name and for those who don't know, ma's practice under their physician's licence and that alone is a pretty big responsibility. know the facts before you speak.

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

(Actually I was looking for beating a dead horse smiley).

This topic is over almost 3 years old.

[archangel31]

When I worked in a health care facility and when I went through MA school, we were told to make sure our nametag was always visible. I knew it was illegal to pass oneself off as a nurse no matter where you work. I am saving the funds to apply for the CMA exam. I hope to apply in December. In hindsight, I should have joined the AAMA as a student so that the exam would be more affordable. Oh well, I will continue on, this will be my Christmas present to myself.

[kalevra, BSN, RN]

WOW this thread is old, it started like 4 years ago.

[Cul2]

"I worked as a CNA at a major hospital as a agency CNA and they taught me to insert foley's.

Some skills are just...

...not that involved to be worried about them."

Depends upon which end of the foley you're at.

[JennyMac]

"My grandmother is an MD, my uncle is an RT, my sister is an OT, my mother-in-law teaches BSN and I am happily and proudly a Medical Assistant. I have turned down invitations to tack those two little letters behind my name and for those who don't know, MA's practice under their physician's licence and that alone is a pretty big responsibility. Know the facts before you speak."

Out of curiosity, what two letters were you "invited" to tack behind your name-MD, RT, OT, RN?

[OCNRN63, RN]

Why are MAs posting here?

[CMAtblanken]

Although it looks like several others responded admirably, this is to inform an obviously uninformed "NPinWCH" of the Credentialing that Medical Assistants from an accredited school strive to achieve;

The CMA (AAMA) is considered the gold standard of medical assisting professionalism. The credential represents a medical assistant who has been certified by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). The CMA (AAMA) means a professional edge, increased prestige among colleagues, and greater job security.

The National Board of Medical Examiners--responsible for many national examinations for physicians--serves as test consultant for the exam. As a result, the reliability, validity, and security of the exam are of the highest order.

A greater number of employers are preferring (or even insisting) that their medical assistants be CMAs (AAMA). The AAMA staff receives 100 or more requests per day to verify that current or potential medical assistant employees are CMAs (AAMA).

This was copied from the AAMA site.

[CMAtblanken]

Since MAs are discussed on this site (and spitefully so at times!), naturally we need to be represented. Many of us have achieved the grades to enter the highest caliber nursing program and plan to go on to become a nurse in the near future. In the meantime, you should realize that MAs normally assist nurses and doctors. This places us into the realm of "professional colleagues."

[nursel56]

A forum for MAs, and those who want to go into nursing has been added since this thread was first posted.

CNA/MA - Nursing / Medical Assistant for Nurses | Nursing Students

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Didn't realize this discussion was several years old! Nevermind.