|
Advanced Medical Assistant of America Web Forum
If Medical Assistants post it - Medical Assistants will reply!
|
|
| Return to Website | ||
 First |
 Prev |
 Reply |
 Home |
Next  |
Last  |
| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 13) |
| Author | Comment |
heartsopenwide
 Apr 26, 08 - 1:26 PM |
Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
I go to allnurses.com as well as this site. Every few weeks some one post a thread ranting that they know of a medical assistant, or they heard a medical assistant say......yada yada....that a medical assistant called themself a nurse, or a medical assistant said thaty tye are just like a nurse but just get paid less....I am yet to meet a medical assistant that does this. Infact, when I was working and patients called me a nurse I would correct them, that I was a medical assistant. Do you do any of the above things or know of any fellow medical assistnace that does? I am so tired of reading posts that bash medical assistants... |
RNtoB
Apr 26th, 2008 - 4:56 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
Totally off the subject but I work with a CNA who was recently hired at a clinic affiliated with Childrens Hospital. She has no formal MA training yet she fills the position of, and is referred to, as a medical assistant. The doctor told her that since she has 9 years of experience as a CNA she is more than qualified to be called a MA since the jobs are interchangeable and she can be taught by the staff what she needs to know.. Is there a law against this? I know you cant call yourself a nurse if you aren't one (considered practicing without a license). |
|
Jefff
Apr 26th, 2008 - 7:02 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
I have corrected folks. I am not a nurse & don't want to be. The wife is an RN, I am an MA. After I get the results back from my test I will be a CMA. There are always going to be detractors, nurses are want to be doctors that didn't go to medical school, bla, bla bla it is never enough. IMO some folks just NEED to grouse or they are not happy. Knocking others is one way of showing how small you really are. |
|
Clancy
Apr 26th, 2008 - 8:24 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
No, it's not against the law...(as far as I know), to call oneself an MA, regardless of the truth. There is little to no "rule of law" for medical assistants. A person could probablly even say they're a registered or certified MA w/o any reprocutions. Although thankfully they wouldn't be able to back it up w/o the documentation to prove it & at least you have to have attended an accredited program to test for the privaledge of wearing those titles. Bottom line...THERE ARE MA posers who call themselves nurses. THERE ARE MA's who work hard at constantly correcting & educating people who should know better. THERE ARE MA's who know there are times when it's better to just smile and go on...because to the patient calling them a nurse it's simply synonamous with "one who cares". I've worked w/amazing nurses who aren't threatened by Ma's and NOBs (nurse snobs) who think they're better than everyone. You can only take responsibility for yourself...& leave the rest to God. |
|
Sybil
Apr 27th, 2008 - 11:16 AM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
I think this has to do with the way society views women in the medical field. If you're a woman and you're wearing scrubs, "you are a nurse"....and let's face it most nurses are female and most MAs are female. Anyway, no I've never heard/see a MA refer to himself/herself as a nurse. I've heard my doctor refer to her MA as "the nurse", which I found odd, considering I was there for my physical for the Medical Assistant program. |
|
RN2PA
Apr 30th, 2008 - 4:05 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
I apologize for the people on Allnurses. I am a mod over there and I do see these threads pop up a lot. I used to teach MAs and I would be very adamant in class about MAs not referring to themselves as nurses. It's not a power trip on my part; put simply, it's against the law to represent yourself as a nurse if you do not hold a valid nursing license. A person whom has had their license revoked would be wrong to represent themselves as a nurse as well. A nursing license must be valid for a nurse to be a nurse. That said, I do believe MAs are grossly underpaid and under-appreciated. I feel, and this is JMHO, that many nurses are just ignorant of the MA job description and they automatically assume the MA is a nurse-wannabe. If the entire medical field came together to better understand the different roles we each play then I think we would all benefit. As an aside, I see a lot of RNs putting down LPNs and challenging their ability to call themselves nurses. I see MAs challenging LPNs and downplaying their scopes of practice. I see BSNs up in arms over RNs with two year degrees who make the same or more than those with four year degrees. There will always be wannabes. CNAs who want to be LPNs, LPNs who long to be RNs, ADNs who ache to hold the BSNs, etc. Be proud of who you are the valuable job you do. However, please do not represent yourself as a nurse, for your sake. 
|
|
Sybil
May 7th, 2008 - 7:33 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
Well...after starting my externship, I've been called a nurse or "the nurse" more times than I can count! Most of the patients I've had so far seen my "STUDENT" ID, and asked me "Oh, are you in school to be an RN?" I politely tell them that I am actually a medical assisting student. I even had a nice conversation with one patient after he told me that his niece just graduated from Nursing school (she went to the same school I did), after he called me a nurse. One of my patients was a retired Nurse, and referred to me as "the nurse". When I corrected her, she told me that she used to be a Nurse and that I should go into Nursing school because I'd make a good one. That made me feel good about myself. I went one some house calls with a PA today; all of the patients had some form of dementia, and he referred to himself as "The doctor" and referred to me as "his new nurse". I asked him later why he did (very polite, of course), and he told me that these patients are confused enough, and that they don't need more confusion in their lives and that they can't always compute new terminology/or they forget who he is/what he's doing there. In the office, though, he refers to himself as the PA and calls me his "student assistant/intern". I don't like being called a Nurse, and I enjoy explaining to patients what I am. They have all been really interested in it (it's a good way to break the ice, too). |
|
Curious
May 7th, 2008 - 8:34 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
Just out of curiosity,when you tell them you are a medical assistant,how many actually know what one is? I think that is a problem with this field,that so many don't even know what the term means. Frankly,I didn't before 5 years ago. |
|
Sybil
May 7th, 2008 - 10:35 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
You know, I really have no idea. Most of them just say "Oh, okay." I didn't know what a MA was until about 3 years ago. |
|
Jennifer S
May 14th, 2008 - 6:38 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
I think I agree with the others. As long as you are not trying to "pose" as a nurse, its ok when people call you as such. Ive been called a nurse as an LNA, and sometimes, even when I correct them, they just dont understand the difference anyway.....I think as long as you are not trying to "pose" as a Nurse, its ok....... |
|
RMA
May 14th, 2008 - 6:56 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
But respect only comes with recognition and as long as most people are in the dark as to what are medical assistants,then MAs will go on being confused with nurses,and will not be getting respect. Why hasn't the AAMA done an ad campaign to get the public educated as to what medical assistants are,and can do? I have never seen any kind of PSA about medical assistants,unless you want to count those dumb commercials in the afternoon,touting those tech schools. |
|
Shelley
May 14th, 2008 - 8:03 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
Always correct anyone who assumes you are a nurse. RMA is right-this is one way to help the MA profession become recognized in the public eye, by education! 
|
|
Lexi
Jul 17th, 2008 - 7:09 PM |
Re: Do you call yourself a nurse? say you are just like a nurse? or not correct people?
Great thread. Very interesting reading. |
| First |
Prev |
Reply |
Home |
Next |
Last |
powered by
bravenet.com