So why even bother with getting an RN?

Published

[h=2]Saw an ad for urgent care wanting to hire MAs. They want you to be able to provide compassionate nursing care, assessing patients & taking effective action. They also want you to be able to triage critically ill patients and prioritize patient care appropriately as well as have skills in assessing, prioritizing many requests by patients, families, physicians, staff. You have to have skill in their EMR & infection control. You gotta coordinate care between clinic and other facilities such as hospitals or physician offices & do telephone triage and call backs ...among many & assorted other requirements.[/h]

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Sounds illegal to me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

Yeah something about that doesn't sound kosher with me either.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

In answer to the question posed in the title: because (legalities aside), an RN doing the same job is going to be paid 2-3x more.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

The MA will be inexpensive until the lawsuit from a poor "assessment" misses something major.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

MA's are not regulated and as such it is ok for them to do all the above. It means nurses are not even welcome in urgent care. I have one by my house and they have an opening but not for a RN or BSN it is for a MA to do all the RN jobs. The only RN they have is a NP who is the doctor on call. The MA that works there told me they laugh at RN's who spend so much time and money going to school and they can not find work when the MA has no debt and lots of work. I am about to graduate as a BSN and found a job online today that payed 12.00 / hour the MA is starting at 16 / hour. So we as nurses need to work on States regulating MA's.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would be interested to see their actual job description...and then run it past the Board of Registration in Nursing. It may be that they are acting as delegates to the NP, like LPNs/CNAs, in which case it's her butt if they screw up.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
MA's are not regulated and as such it is ok for them to do all the above.

Not true. While they aren't regulated, that doesn't mean that they're just able to do anything and everything.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Two things specifically mentioned in California that an MA can't do. Assessments and telephone triage.

If anybody is interested this is a pretty comprehensive site to get an idea of how they are regulated.

Welcome to the Medical Board of California -Medical Assistants - Frequently Asked Questions

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
I would be interested to see their actual job description...and then run it past the Board of Registration in Nursing. It may be that they are acting as delegates to the NP, like LPNs/CNAs, in which case it's her butt if they screw up.

I think MAs can only act as delegates to physicians, not APRNs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.

The wound clinic I just left only hires RNs and LPNs. They will not hire MAs. On the other hand, most urgent care clinics in my area only hire LPNs and MAs, with RNs acting as managers and triage nurses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

$12/hour for an RN? My CNAs make more than that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion