Who knew that a med tech = MD

smk1, LPN · May 29, 2006

i just don't understand why med techs are needed when nurses are there. The nurse doesn't need to be "freed up" to help with ADlL's. That makes no sense. Hire a CNA to help the others so the nurse isn't constantly interrupted during the med pass, and then you have the person with the most amount of knowledge performing the skills that require a nurse assessment. Then the nurse can be free to catch lights and help out as needed after the skilled nursing functions are taken care of.

nursesaideBen · May 29, 2006

i just don't understand why med techs are needed when nurses are there. The nurse doesn't need to be "freed up" to help with ADlL's. That makes no sense. Hire a CNA to help the others so the nurse isn't constantly interrupted during the med pass, and then you have the person with the most amount of knowledge performing the skills that require a nurse assessment. Then the nurse can be free to catch lights and help out as needed after the skilled nursing functions are taken care of.

I completely agree. Thanks to all who responded! I'm just ignoring her and focusing on my patients.

kllyhlls · Jun 3, 2006

:yeahthat:

Good attitude. Keep up the great work and ignore the med tech. I'm sure he/she is just very proud of passing the course. It is a bad situation though when someone thinks they are above learning something everyday.

K

burn out · Jun 3, 2006

I have found that the most irritating people are the ones with an ounce of knowledge and think they know it all. I work with a pct like that but she is excellent at her job (she thinks she knows my job too but I know that she dosn't). If it makes her feel better when doctors mistake her for a nurse what does it hurt to make her feel good as along as she corrects them. Maybe your med tech just needs to be praised and appreciated a little. We all need a pat on the back every once in awhile.

PeachPie · Jun 3, 2006

I've run into some high-and-mighty people who had no right to be claiming what they did and think that they have authority over you. I simply look them in the eye and say, "I take orders from the nurses." If they persist, I remind them that they are not nurses and therefore cannot delegate or order me.

buildingmyfaith57 · Jun 3, 2006

my turn : question is she a closed friend of the d.o.n or the administer if so you might want to be very careful. because if you're talking about any of their close friends or family member they might come up with a plan to send you to the unemployment office.because that happen to me.

Darth Nightingale · Jun 3, 2006

Hi all. I recently got a new job at an assisted living facility in which they use med techs. I myself am just a CNA (just 9 more months of LPN school ) but a couple of these med techs think they know EVERYTHING. There is one in paticular who is extremely bad, she thinks that since she is a med tech that she is above basic nursing duties like wiping up a bm. Since she is a med tech she is not to be considered a CNA. Whenever you say something about an illness or a medication she'll say "No, that's wrong." and try to correct you. It's just really irritating, just because she finished a 6 week med tech class doesn't mean she's ready to become a nursing supervisor :zzzzz What is the best way to deal with someone who thinks everything she does is perfect and everything you do is wrong? She gets so high and mighty with the nurses that that one of them really needs to just say "Look at what's behind your name on your name badge and look at what's behind my name on my name badge." I'm not trying to be mean but it's ridiculous. How can I deal with her without losing my sanity? Thanks!

I just went to a conference on Medically Important Fungi. (Currently I'm just a Scientist) I would think based on my exposure to the Med Techs in this seminar, that many of them do know much more than most MD's when it comes to their sphere of knowledge. What separates the MD from the Med tech of course is that MD's have to have a much more broad range of knowledge. The Med Techs that I met didn't display a broad range of knowledge... but within the field of mycology their knowledge was very very deep.

P.S. The Med Techs I met say they have very limited pt. interaction. Why would they be wiping butts? be nice.. i'm new and very ignorant of hospital politics/ scopes of practice/ job descriptions.

smk1, LPN · Jun 4, 2006

I just went to a conference on Medically Important Fungi. (Currently I'm just a Scientist) I would think based on my exposure to the Med Techs in this seminar, that many of them do know much more than most MD's when it comes to their sphere of knowledge. What separates the MD from the Med tech of course is that MD's have to have a much more broad range of knowledge. The Med Techs that I met didn't display a broad range of knowledge... but within the field of mycology their knowledge was very very deep.
P.S. The Med Techs I met say they have very limited pt. interaction. Why would they be wiping butts? be nice.. i'm new and very ignorant of hospital politics/ scopes of practice/ job descriptions.

Perhaps you are thinking of medical technologists? I know that is a B.S. degree. Med techs that are being referred to here, are educated on the job or AT BEST in a 6 week to 3 month class on medication administration. They have no college education pertaining to the medical/nursing field, they have no formal knowledge of anatomy or physiology or pharmacology or microbiology. It is literally like finding a random person on the street and sitting them down briefly to tell them how to hand out pills. No real, formal knowledge behind the task.

Darth Nightingale · Jun 4, 2006

Perhaps you are thinking of medical technologists? I know that is a B.S. degree. Med techs that are being referred to here, are educated on the job or AT BEST in a 6 week to 3 month class on medication administration. They have no college education pertaining to the medical/nursing field, they have no formal knowledge of anatomy or physiology or pharmacology or microbiology. It is literally like finding a random person on the street and sitting them down briefly to tell them how to hand out pills. No real, formal knowledge behind the task.

So a med tech isn't a medical technologist?

Maybe that is why they are trying to change their name to clinical scientist

lifeLONGstudent · Jun 4, 2006

so a med tech isn't a medical technologist?

maybe that is why they are trying to change their name to clinical scientist

--- that would help get rid of some of the confusion and it more accurately reflects what we are and what we do!

we, medical technologists, work in the lab running tests and have been called "med techs" for 40+ years. a mt has a bs(mt), which is equivalent to a biology major and chemistry minor (took me 5 years of going full-time to the university). plus they take a national registry and are certified after that. they are mt(ascp) for their title (some can be registered through other agencies - gets more confusing)

"med tech" - short for medical lab technition. they too work in the lab running tests and are certified through a national registry, but they are only a 2 year associate degree. personally, i don't like calling mlts the same thing as mts - everyone in the hospital calls us all "med techs" ... or they don't know that phlebotomists are not the same thing as a med tech and they call everyone from lab a "tech". in nursing lingo, techs are assistive personnel, but that is not so in our department. our assistants are called phlebotomists.

new term: "med tech" - short for medication tech ... see previous post for explanation of limited training and my comment about unlicensed assistive personnel.

lifelongstudent

--- former bs(mt), mt(ascp)

--- future bsn (8/11/06)

firstaiddave907 · Jun 4, 2006

It sounds like she will have a lot of enemy's at work and pulse this med aid will mess up sonner or later . but the main thing is just ignore the person

Darth Nightingale · Jun 4, 2006

--- that would help get rid of some of the confusion and it more accurately reflects what we are and what we do!
we, medical technologists, work in the lab running tests and have been called "med techs" for 40+ years. a mt has a bs(mt), which is equivalent to a biology major and chemistry minor (took me 5 years of going full-time to the university). plus they take a national registry and are certified after that. they are mt(ascp) for their title (some can be registered through other agencies - gets more confusing)
"med tech" - short for medical lab technition. they too work in the lab running tests and are certified through a national registry, but they are only a 2 year associate degree. personally, i don't like calling mlts the same thing as mts - everyone in the hospital calls us all "med techs" ... or they don't know that phlebotomists are not the same thing as a med tech and they call everyone from lab a "tech". in nursing lingo, techs are assistive personnel, but that is not so in our department. our assistants are called phlebotomists.
new term: "med tech" - short for medication tech ... see previous post for explanation of limited training and my comment about unlicensed assistive personnel.
lifelongstudent
--- former bs(mt), mt(ascp)
--- future bsn (8/11/06)

thanks for the clarification. my seminar was at ku med. i was looking at the graduation pictures dating back to class of 1940's. at some point in the 90's the program stopped being called medical technology and became called clinical laboratory scientist...