Would nurses support MA licensure?

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Just wondering about this. Required licensure would raise the status of the medical assistants in my opinion and also include a specific scope of practice. It would also probably raise our pay level which might actually get more nurses (LPNs primarily) back into office nursing since the docs would have to pay the MAs more. We all know the primary reason docs hire MAs is because they can get away with paying us so little.

Lorraine

CMA, CNA

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Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.

I would not. I want the MA to be under the doc's license. If an MA becomes licensed, then the responsibility of supervising them will get turfed to nurses.

We do not need yet another level of providers taking on nursing tasks. It would only be a matter of time before skilled nursing functions would get delegated in one way or another to an MA. And it would also only be a matter of time before MAs would want a role in the hospital setting.

It would confuse matters even more than they already are. And it wouldn't bring nurses back to office nursing; if anything, it would decrease licensed nursing positions because the MA now has a "license."

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.

I personally wouldn't support it. I don't feel like the average MA does anything that would require being licensed. IMO, it would make medical assisting a harder job to obtain and maintain (I was an MA for 3 years or so before I got my LPN before I got my RN, and one thing I liked about it was it was an easy job to get. Go to a vo/tech--or not....some of my coworkers were just hired off the street--pass the class, and get a job doing pretty simple tasks (BP, phlebotomy, vitals, eye charts, cultures, etc).

MAs have the option of becoming certified, and I think that's enough. Lets not make it more than it is.

kelly

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Specializes in Hospice, Med/Surg, ICU, ER.

Personally, I don't think so....

I just finished a clinical rotation in an MDs office - he had two very excellent MAs working there for him.

They never did a thing that should require licensure, and I like the notion that all of their duties fall under his supervision and liability.

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>...some of my coworkers were just hired off the street

That's part of the reason that I think licensure or at least mandated certification should be put in place. Where I work, we also do 90% of the injections (AI's, immunizations, etc.). I don't think it's a good idea for someone "hired off the street" to be giving injections or even drawing blood.

Lorraine

CMA, CNA

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Personally, I don't think so....

I just finished a clinical rotation in an MDs office - he had two very excellent MAs working there for him.

They never did a thing that should require licensure, and I like the notion that all of their duties fall under his supervision and liability.

Actually, I like that aspect of it myself. I guess the aspect I DON'T like about it is the fact that I can make the same pay at Walmart (well...almost). It just seems to me that MAs are kind of a non-entity in the medical community. No one seems to know exactly who we are or what we do. Mandated educational standards and licensure/certification might get us a bit more respect...and hopefully better wages.

Lorraine

CMA, CNA

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Specializes in Hospice, Med/Surg, ICU, ER.
>...some of my coworkers were just hired off the street

That's part of the reason that I think licensure or at least mandated certification should be put in place. Where I work, we also do 90% of the injections (AI's, immunizations, etc.). I don't think it's a good idea for someone "hired off the street" to be giving injections or even drawing blood.

Lorraine

CMA, CNA

You DO have some valid points, but consider this: the military trains people "right off the street" to draw blood, start IVs, give injections, etc. w/o licensure.

Do you realize that "certified" NAs, MAs, phlebotomists, etc. are a relatively "new" thing?

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Specializes in Hospice, Med/Surg, ICU, ER.
Actually, I like that aspect of it myself. I guess the aspect I DON'T like about it is the fact that I can make the same pay at Walmart (well...almost). It just seems to me that MAs are kind of a non-entity in the medical community. No one seems to know exactly who we are or what we do. Mandated educational standards and licensure/certification might get us a bit more respect...and hopefully better wages.

Lorraine

CMA, CNA

I can buy that as well..... However, like a low-end job at Wally World, I view MAs as "entry-level" types in the medical community. Hopefully, most MAs will soon move one to higher level skills and responsibility - where licensure is a MUST.

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You DO have some valid points, but consider this: the military trains people "right off the street" to draw blood, start IVs, give injections, etc. w/o licensure.

Do you realize that "certified" NAs, MAs, phlebotomists, etc. are a relatively "new" thing?

OBRA went into effect in 1987 so CNA isn't that new. I wasn't aware of the the military aspect as I have no background in that area.

Lorraine

CMA, CNA

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I can buy that as well..... However, like a low-end job at Wally World, I view MAs as "entry-level" types in the medical community. Hopefully, most MAs will soon move one to higher level skills and responsibility - where licensure is a MUST.

I think that's rather presumptuous. I have no desire to become a nurse. I like performing the "technical" duties. I also like the diversity of the position. There's also a good bit of responsibility involved in the job. That's akin to saying that LPNs are "entry-level" nurses or CNAs are entry- level. I know CNAs and MAs who have been in their positions for years and consider it their career choice.

Lorraine

CMA, CNA

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Specializes in Hospice, Med/Surg, ICU, ER.
I think that's rather presumptuous. I have no desire to become a nurse. I like performing the "technical" duties. I also like the diversity of the position. There's also a good bit of responsibility involved in the job. That's akin to saying that LPNs are "entry-level" nurses or CNAs are entry- level. I know CNAs and MAs who have been in their positions for years and consider it their career choice.

Lorraine

CMA, CNA

It wasn't my intention to be demeaning, rude, etc. I certainly meant no offense.

There is a place for everyone in our society; at all levels, skills, pay rates, etc. Our nation would quickly fall apart if everyone was an attorney, MD, or trash collector.

LPNs ARE entry-level nurses; no matter how long you may be one - or if you ever "upgrade" or not. Some folks find satisfaction at a different level than others do.

HOWEVER, don't expect that society should ever view CNAs or CMAs as monitarily valuable as LPNs; or that LPNs should be as monitarily valuable as RNs; or RNs as NPs, etc, etc. ad nauseam.

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It wasn't my intention to be demeaning, rude, etc. I certainly meant no offense.

There is a place for everyone in our society; at all levels, skills, pay rates, etc. Our nation would quickly fall apart if everyone was an attorney, MD, or trash collector.

LPNs ARE entry-level nurses; no matter how long you may be one - or if you ever "upgrade" or not. Some folks find satisfaction at a different level than others do.

HOWEVER, don't expect that society should ever view CNAs or CMAs as monitarily valuable as LPNs; or that LPNs should be as monitarily valuable as RNs; or RNs as NPs, etc, etc. ad nauseam.

ITA. Excellent post.

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