"I'm an uncertified medical assistant"

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

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?)

I am a certified medical assistant. I had to do a three month phlebotomy rotation at the local hospital in the lab. It was required as part of the two year MA program I attended. I was allow to draw blood on adults, get urine specimens and EKG's that was it. I did get a phlebotomy certificate that stated my hour accumulated. However, I had a friend that went to a 10 month medical assisting program, she was not certified. She got a job at a doctor's office and was not only drawing blood but starting I.V's. I was very uncomfortable with this...as was she. She was too new, and worried about her job with two young children to support to speak up. I most certainly would have left, especially after the 'little white lie' of are you a nurse to which she replied yes. Any certified medical assistant worth their salt would never lie and say she is a Nurse.

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ow ow ow

ANYONE involved in healthcare SHOULD wear an ID badge. AND introduce themselves.

I agree!

After I passed my national boards, I received a pin to wear stating I was a nationally certified medical assistant. I wore mine on my badge in the corner on my name tag. Of course it goes without saying that you walk in an introduce yourself "Hello, I'm Anne, a medical assistant for Dr. Smith. I will be taking your vitals today"

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Specializes in Lie detection.
The hopsital I am referring to had a nurse patient ratio of 4 to 1 and they were RN's, so I don't think they were cheap.

As far as the foley's, I was taught proper technique and in reality as an agency CNA, I had the RN stading there the whole time.

I don't know, I just don't think some skills are that involved and CNA's are trained to administer enema's and that can end up pretty bad too.

So, is there also an issue with CNA's doing blood glucose checks?

BTW, I do think there are certainly practices best left to thoroughly trained nurses such as med administration.

I think BG checks are fine as they are much less invasive than a foley insertion. I think I'll start a new thread on this very subject!

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

After 5 semesters in my BSN program I left to get married. My husband was drafted and we spent the next years while he was in the Army. When he was discharged we came back home and were poor as church mice. 1 child later I was offered a position with the local doctor. He knew up front I was not a Nurse. He just called me Mrs. X when he referred to me. I did everything the above MAs have said except xray because he had no machine. Another baby later my boss said why don't you return to school and finish your RN? So I did. Stayed dean's list and president's list and had a 4.0 average.

No MA shouldn't be calling themselves Nurses. Yes their tasks are covered under the doc's license. I know my doc taught me a LOT!

Now, was I a MA or a student on hiatus or a nothing?

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This happens in my field even more. It's threads like these that cause my frustration with the title of "pet nurse". BTW a pet nurse is not required to have any certification when you read the job requirements on the Banfield website (http://www.banfield.net). Yet this person is inducing anesthesia, taking radiograghs, performing labwork (not just phlebotomy), and performing other tasks on animals without the owner knowing their education. Pet owners see the title Pet Nurse they instantly assume that the person has gone to some kind of nursing school.

As far as someone taking my blood, I don't have a problem with an assistant taking my blood as long as they can get the sample humanely. I'm usually an easy stick. However, I would have a problem with the misrepresentation that OP experienced.

Call yourself what you are and be proud of that title. Unless you have gone to nursing school and passed the exam, you are most likely NOT a nurse.

Fuzzy

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My visit would have ended right there et I would have spoken to the office manager right away. Don't want to be taken care of by someone who was misrepresenting themselves.

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i wouldn't have much of a reaction because this would rate really low on my list of things to worry about.

:yeahthat:

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Specializes in PACU, ER, ICU, CCU, OR, etc. etc. etc..

LOL... this post is great... the reason this MA probably said yes when you asked if she was a nurse was because she assumed you were a regular person that wouldn't know the difference between a tech, MA, CNA, LVN, RN (ASN), RN (BSN), NP, PA, etc. The way most people that aren't familiar with healthcare see it is you are a nurse or a doctor, plain and simple. I'm sure no ill intent was ment. Also, many Doctor's offices and hospitals don't require certifications, but do on the job training for phlebotomy and MAs. If you say that you would have asked to speak to the office manager because of a little thing like that, you need to step back, take a deep breath, and realize that you've been a nurse for WAY too long and have become a "healthcare snob". I agree, I do it too sometimes, but, seriously, it doesn't take four years of college to draw blood.

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i wouldn't have much of a reaction because this would rate really low on my list of things to worry about.

i see these types of posts on here all the time, so i guess i shouldn't be surprised. :uhoh3:

at one time i would have agreed with you, but i'll tell you why it makes a difference to me now. one of my physicians has a very large practice. a matter of fact he is considered one of the best in the city. they have a about 7 or 8 mds on staff, 1 nurse practitioner and alot of medical assistants. first of all the dr. had one of his mas call me for a prescription i had to get filled. i picked up the prescription and took it as prescribed. i went back for a check up a year later and the same ma called me and told me i had to take the same medication. this time i went on line and looked up the medication and realized that it didn't work the first time because it interacted with another medication i was taking that the same dr. prescribed!!!! also, i was supposed to come back for a follow up visit. she never told me this!! if the dr. or the nurse would have called me

about these medications, i would like to think this wouldn't have happened.

through all of this, the ma acted like she knew what she was talking about.:nono:

i don't blame the ma because if her boss, the dr. told her to do something, she thought it was ok. heck, anyone can be a mini nurse right?(please don't throw lightning bolts at me, i am being very sarcastic.)

now let's fast forward a few years, i am a nursing student myself, i don't know much, but i know a little more than i did back then. i am conversing with this same dr. and he knows i am going to nursing school. he goes on to say that he knows how tough nursing school is. five minutes later he says that one of his nurses will be in to take my bp. he wasn't talking about his nurse he was talking about one of his medical assistants. i was amazed. obviously the practice holds nurses in some regard, because they do have an np on staff for exams, but its amazing how nurses and med. assistants are spoken as if they are one and the same.

basically, this is a problem because when people misrepresent their knowledge the public believes them and medical errors do happen, as happened to me. back then i believed what my drs staff member told me because i didn't know any better.

as people try to hire cheaper and cheaper labor the public gets hurt.

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"If you say that you would have asked to speak to the office manager because of a little thing like that, you need to step back, take a deep breath, and realize that you've been a nurse for WAY too long and have become a "healthcare snob". I agree, I do it too sometimes, but, seriously, it doesn't take four years of college to draw blood."

Doesn't really have anything to do with being a "snob." Yes I know that doctor's offices do not require certifications but the fact is she right out lied about what she was not once, but how many times??? I have friends who are MA's, STNA's, ect. I do not think I am better than they are just because I am a RN. But they do not lie about who they are. Why do you need to misrepresent your self like that?

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Specializes in Clinic, formerly ED, ICU, PACU, ortho.

This is fraud.

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If you say that you would have asked to speak to the office manager because of a little thing like that, you need to step back, take a deep breath, and realize that you've been a nurse for WAY too long and have become a "healthcare snob". I agree, I do it too sometimes, but, seriously, it doesn't take four years of college to draw blood.

I'm the one who first said something about talking to the office manager. Not because it wasn't a nurse drawing my blood, not at all. I've met some wonderful MAs and and CNAs. The biggest reason I would have balked at this person is that she couldn't seem to figure out which lie to use in describing herself, so how do I know that she really does know how to perform venipunctures?

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