want to help an MA friend

Dolce, RN · Nov 13, 2007

I worked with an MA at a nursing home. She was working as a nurse's aide there and she did a great job. I always loved to have her assist me when I was doing complex dressing changes because she got right in there and helped. I also know a couple of MAs who work for the same staffing agency as myself. Maybe she would like agency work when she gets a year of experience under her belt.

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2007

She has worked for this dude for nearly 8 months, he can't see fit to give her a dollar /hr raise.

I'm 52 and have been working full time since I was 15 years old. I've never gotten a 2,000$ raise (1$/hr) after 8 months of work. Unless that was promised, it is an unrealistic expectation.

Your friend may need to retrain. MA jobs in my area are very limited in scope and won't be any better than what your friend is doing now. I'm sorry she got caught in the MA vortex which seems to disappoint so many people. Maybe she should think about an LPN program. Best wishes to you both.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Nov 13, 2007

I just want to add how nice and thoughtful you are looking after your friend. I hope something comes up soon

Diahni · Nov 13, 2007

My friend is an MA, she works in a dr's office now. Of course doesn't get payed much, the job sucks. The Dr acts like she's his little servant. She has worked for this dude for nearly 8 months, he can't see fit to give her a dollar /hr raise.She's saved his butt many a time,has covered his sorry butt when he can't see fit to show up to the office on time , etc... She want's a new job, are there any area's that any MA's have gone to besides Dr's offices. Seems most of those jobs suck. Low pay, long hours and little respect. She really isn't that interested in the pay, she just wants a job she likes. I've tried to get her into the ER that I work in as a PCA, but no luck there so far, seems an MA isn't what they want to hire. Seems she's over qualified for PCA and underqualified for anything else. But that's a different thread. I would just like to see her happy.

Greetings:

Depends on where she lives - pm with details.

Diahni

Smackdown · Nov 13, 2007

As an RN, we won't even get $1 an hour raise each year. We are lucky to get a 50 cents an hour raise in my area. Asking for 1/hr raise after 8 months as MA........

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2007

If your friend wants a wide range of job opportunities and flexible hours, she will have to earn her CNA certification. Once she possesses the CNA certificate, she'll be able to work in acute care hospitals, extended care facilities, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and a whole host of other types of workplaces. She definitely will not experience a raise in pay, but she'll have more options. In addition, the CNA work will be harder than the tasks that she has become acclimated to as a medical assistant.

Your friend needs to keep in mind that a doctor's office is a small business. The owner of any small business must keep costs at a minimum in order to maximize profits. A doctor who gives his/her employee a $1 raise per hour knows that he/she is reducing the amount of profit that will be garnered at the end of the year.

time4meRN · Nov 13, 2007

As an RN, we won't even get $1 an hour raise each year. We are lucky to get a 50 cents an hour raise in my area. Asking for 1/hr raise after 8 months as MA........

Well she makes about the same as a CNA , has more training than a CNA and was promised the buck raise after her 90 day probation prd. So yeh,,, I'd say she should have gotten the raise. She bends over backwards to do a good job and make the Dr look good.

rn-jane · Nov 13, 2007

Maybe she could get a job in the hospital as a unit clerk. We have one the also is trained as an ekg tech and nursing assistant she gets paid slightly more than most secretaries.

prowlingMA · Nov 14, 2007

Quickbeam said it all. After a year as a CMA you are luck to get 10cent an hour raise. If she is so unhappy there she should look for a new job, be it in an office, or somewhere else. Generally ER's won't hire CMA with less than 5 years experience and then maybe not even. was she fully aware of the job when she trained to be an MA?

time4meRN · Nov 14, 2007

Quickbeam said it all. After a year as a CMA you are luck to get 10cent an hour raise. If she is so unhappy there she should look for a new job, be it in an office, or somewhere else. Generally ER's won't hire CMA with less than 5 years experience and then maybe not even. was she fully aware of the job when she trained to be an MA?

No, I know it was her fault that she wasn't aware of what the job really was. But, like most of those places, they seem to be good at sales. She signed on the dotted line and had a loan, processed by them the same day. for 10,000 $ before she knew it,she was on her way to 10 months of schooling and the low paying job . She loves the role as ma, she became cirtified, (for what good that is), she not so much complaining about the low pay, she just wants what they told her she would get. Besides, even though she could have made perhaps , better decisions about the new career path choice. (after being layed off from the computer industry after 17 years),I still want to help her find some peace in what she is doing.

nurse2b2010 · Nov 16, 2007

well, I would say if she was "promised" that amount after her 90 day probation, the doctor should come through, but sometimes people just don't keep their promises for one reason or another. Perhaps, she should consider returning to school to become an RN. Just a thought . .