I am proud to be a CMA!!! I read some of the comments made on this website forum about becoming a CMA, and to my disbelief, I found some negative comments towards CMA's and future CMA's. If there are people out there who want to become LPN's or RN's, that's fine!, but DON'T KNOCK CMA's!!! I work side by side with LPN's and RN's in Dept. of Public Health. We are all a part of the Nursing Staff at 10 Public Health Centers in the City of Philadelphia, PA. the MAs replaced the LPN's (whose job has been discontinued). Our Director of Nursing hire new CMA's at $32,000 a year, plus they also get 12 sick days, 2 weeks vacation, 4 personal days, 11 paid holidays, and all weekends off!!!. If, you work on a Saturday, that is time and 1/2, and Sundays is double-time pay!!! We also get a uniform allowance every October, and will be getting a 4% raise July 1, 2007. We do Immunizations, adult injections, venipunctures, assist with Pap smears, IUD Insertions and Removals, pt. education, input/retrieve labs in computer systems and on top of that, I cert/recert all medical staff of the Health Dept. for CPR, along with another RMA and 3 RN's. So as you can see, I'm a proud CMA and I love my city job!
P.S. I'm also in charge of a clinic called STAR 65. It is for seniors 65yrs. and older. It was ran by a LPN who passed away. I was selected to run the clinc afterwards.
Cynthia L. Dargan,CMA,EMT

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA, EMT, BLS Instructor, Former MA Instructor

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

Absolutely!! Congratulations on your acheivements! You are an inspiration to those just entering the field.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: LPN

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? yes

Sounds like a great job! I never thought of MAs getting certified to teach CPR/BLS/First Aid. But it makes sense. It can also be a good side job for extra money.

Don't you have to be an EMT to teach CPR? All the ones I have had as instructors were.

You know, I don't know....I figured the AHA had a class for CPR/BLS instructors and as long as you were a HC professional you could take the class. I'm trying to remember who taught the classes I have taken....I think it was mostly EMS personnel as a matter of fact. And the OP is an EMT so that could be where she is qualified to teach it.

I had my EMT-B a long time ago (took it as a professional course in college for my major) and I wish I had thought of getting certified as a CPR instructor. It (EMT-B license) has long since expired.....I never wanted to work on an ambulance so after refreshing the license once I decided it was not worth the money to keep refreshing just to have it...never thought about what else I could do with it.

You don't have to be an EMT here in Wiscosnin, but you do have to take an extra course to become certified to teach it.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: LPN

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? yes

I see there was some curiosity as to my being an EMT qualified me for being a BLS Instructor for AHA. Well, I'm here to tell you, that one field had nothing to do with the other. I am a new EMT!!! This time last year I was in school 4 nights a week, and worked in Public Health as a CMA in the daytime. I've been an BLS Instructor since Nov. 1997!!! It was one of the requirements to be an CMA Instructor, so as you can see, being a BLS Instructor followed me to the Dept. of Public Health. You can become a BLS Instructor for AHA or ARC as long as you pay for the course and certification. I was blessed, I didn't have to pay, both my former employer and present employer paid for me!!!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA, EMT, BLS Instructor, Former MA Instructor

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

But are there ANY requirements to being a CPR instructor when it comes to work experience? I ask because I know you had to have worked as a medical assistant for at least 3 years to be able to teach medical assisting,with no other certifications-like in teaching (at least in Ohio,which makes a lot of these programs so questionable). The negativity you were reading on this forum about being an MA stems from that fact that so many have a problem finding the right job,which is such a letdown (an understatement) after all that schooling. I am always trying to find other avenues for such people and wonder about the teaching of CPR. I would think EMTs would be the ideal choice for such trainers since they have undoubtedly performed it but if you are saying it's not a requirement,then I have to wonder if any trained medical professional (such as an out of work CMA) can take the course-or do they have to have a lot of work experience?

Which brings me to this question-why isn't CPR taught in high schools? Why does it seem like you have to be over 18,and in a medical program, to learn something as important as that?

Hi everyone,

I am so glad to see someone stand up for the medical assisting profession. I will start classes in the fall at our local community college, and I have to admit that some of the posting have been very discouraging. So cudos to everyone for their positive reenforcement and renewing my faith in my decision to be a medical assist.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CNA I & II

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Congrats that you have been able to be so lucky as to find an awesome job like you did, but I think many MA are PO'd that they were fed alo of baloney about how MA are in such demand and that they will find lots of jobs when they graduate only to be unemployed and feeling like they went to school for nothing. I think you are the exception and not the rule. I have been out of school for about 18 months, I have been on about 10 interviews(NO Lie) and Each job has called me and said.. We hired someone with alittle more experience. So if you were in my situation, or countless other MAs you may not be so happy. Not that I'm knocking you or anything, I'm just giving you a differnt perspective. I have tried every thing under the sun to drum up job leads, I have redone my resume zillions of time but to no avail.My lack of employment is not from lack of trying. I would love a job like yours, but I know that those are few and far between. However I will keep trying, If I don't find anything soon, It's back to school for me, and this time for R.N. I KNOW I wil be able to find a job!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? No, still looking

Miss 1985,

Yes will be a relief when I finish school and be able to look in the paper and see all of the RN jobs that are willing to hire new grads...I liked being an MA when I did it, but it is time to move on, I too was fed a bunch of crap. I knew I always wanted to be in the medical field; when I was deciding if I wanted to go for MA or further, I should have gone with my "gut" feeling and went on to nursing, I would have been half way done, but I can't worry about what might have been, it is just another lesson in life that I will get over and learn from, BUT if someone ever asks me my opinion for being an MA, I will tell them to go find another field that isn't flooded with MA's trying to get a job. I hope I don't sound mean, I feel so bad for you guys who were misled, I was too. I wish you all the luck in the world finding work as an MA or if you decide to just go further...btw, don't let any "salesmen" at these "fly by night" school's tell you the job statistics, go do the research yourself. These ppl are just salemen and you are their commission. They don't care about you once they have you signed up for a worthless class.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA/CPT

Are You Still In School? Yes

Are You Working? yes

Well at least I am hearing some positive things. KNOW this is what I wanna do and it is so frustrating hearing that I should have chosen something else, when I took two years off from college just to figure out what I wanted to do in the first place.