Hello everybody,

I'm just wondering if anybody else on here attending school for medical assisting is ALMOST DONE with MA and getting ready to do LVN or considered it?? I'm only a few days away from finishing my MA program, then I have externship. I plan on trying to get a job as an MA and still go to school for LVN (LVN school starts for me in July). Is anyone else trying to get into an LVN program or starting one soon?

Your Professional Title/Credentials: SMA

Are You Still In School? Yes

Are You Working? Yes

I'm baffled.

Why didn't you just do an LVN program in the first place?

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA (AAMA)

I am doing RN after this. Start prereq classes in August actually and finish MA school in November... so im going to need some luck lol.

And to answer the question before its asked. I couldnt afford RN school MA school was the way to get foot in door with a hospital system and use them to pay for my rn schooling :) MISSION ACCOMPLISHED hehe

Are You Still In School? Yes

Are You Working? Yes, but not in medical field

Luis, I understand why you would choose to go that way.
I was kind of under the impression that MA and LVN school would be about the same amount of classes, that is why I asked the question originally.

BTW, at my externship site one of the MAs was really an LVN. At that time I was thinking she was working below her scope of practice, but a job is a job sometimes.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA (AAMA)

I have two more classes before I finish MA school and head out to my externship for 300 hours. I have been looking into RN school either an associates or Bachelors. The school I'm in right now is rolling out an RN bachelors school in August.
In case anyone ask as well, I needed to see if the medical field is what I wanted before jumping in with both feet. MA school is providing me the start on this journey. I know this is what I want to do now and I know that I will want to do more then just what MA's are allowed to do. So, saying that, still in the school mode, I figure I might as well continue on with my RN nursing degree. The great thing about the classes I have taken up to this point will be, they are transferable towards my degree at the same school I'm attending. So a few more years of schooling for me. I hope to start once I finish my extership and with any luck land a position as an MA while attending RN school.

Are You Still In School? yes

No, but I just graduated with my BSN...I didn't go straight through as Jeff asked why to some one else, because I wanted to know if I would like the medical field first and the medical assisting was only 1 year verses five for a BSN....I also had to wait until I could afford to go to school for that long.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: BSN, CCMA-C, CLD

Are You Still In School? NO

Are You Working? Self employed certified birth doula

I'm kind of thinking along the same lines if I go for my CMA after we move next year. Its fast - the program I am looking at is open entry, so there are no prerequisites (my science/allied health classes are almost all more than 7 yrs old now), its two semesters plus a summer long, and its something I can do almost anywhere my husband's job takes us. I dropped out of nursing school (was preBSN before changing majors, plus went to LPN school for a little over a term after college) and I am pretty sure I don't want to be a nurse ever, but I think I may want to pursue something like MT/MLT (lab work), RRT (respiratory therapy), or X-Ray technician/ Nuclear Medicine. I don't know which would suit me best, and I'd rather get my feet wet and see how it goes than go through another "oh no this is not what I wanted" experience like I did in LPN school (it was humiliating to have to go into the teacher's office, in full view of the class, and withdraw from the program one morning).

I figure MAs are kind of "jacks of all trades" doing a little bit of lots of different things. I then will know what it is I like and what I don't like, and when the time comes, if I want to go further, I will have a better idea.

I think for some people doing MA school first is a good idea because it provides an exit point if they really like what MAs do; by the end of the MA program they will also know if they want to do more or really want a hospital setting. Often the entire MA program is shorter than a wait list time for a nursing program. I kind of wish I had learned about the other programs at the school where I attempted the LPN before I jumped in. I had no clue there were so many options in health care.

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? no

I also am a bit confused as why not go straight into nursing? I had to go to school full time for 2 years to get my Accoiate Degree in Science to become an M.A If you are not sure M.A or even nursing is right for you I would shadow someone.Or at least interview some M.A's and Nurses to see what they they see, have to do , and what they experience day to day. JMHO
edit to add as far as $$ you can go to a commuinty college and check the diff in price.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: M.A

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? Yes

Lily,
In a perfect world people could go directly to the community colleges and enroll for anything. Sadly this world isnt anything like that, at least not here in california.

The LVN program i was speaking of in my post above was at a private college, the cost was 43k (EXPENSIVE!!!!) the cost of community college maybe 10k max thats if you change majors 10 times. So why did i consider the private school?

Lets do some math here to explain.
LVN/LPN in California makes lets say 30k(might be more just an example) student makes 15k(if they work at burger king etc kmart blah blah blah) while in school. In california there is a thing called a lotto system (i know this is used in alot of other places but it is used in ALL public community colleges in california) This system puts your name in a hat(if you meet the qualifiacations 2.5 gpa pre reqs etc etc) This lotto system works like this 1st year you apply you get 1 "lotto ball" 2nd year you apply you get 2 "lotto balls" etc etc. There is typically 900 applicants to each program in california maybe less for some but you get the point. And they have lets say 40 slots(this is probably on the high side more like 25 30 each school). We will say 64 students are new students applying first time. half the rest are applying 3 times and the others are applying 2nd time. So lets do the math now.

900 - 64 = 836
836 / 2 = 418
418 * 3 = 1254
418 * 2 = 836
1254 + 836 + 64 = 2154

So that means if you are applying first time you have 1/2154 chance to get in, 2nd time is 2/2154 and third time is 3/2154 chance.

This is why community college is not a viable option sometimes. This doesnt just apply to LVN but also to other programs.

Now lets say you get in to the community college. Before you can get in you have to do the pre reqs. I just applied for 4 classes for fall semester. out of those 4 1 was a pre req because the rest are all full. So instead of taking 4 prereqs i get to take 1 this semester, which is another reason why community college isnt an option for some.

And now some more math for private college.

Private College Cost k
LVN Annual wages k
Time to Complete 12-18 months.
Burger King = k
Community college cost = k
Community college pre reqs min of 2 years(from my example above this isnt far fetched.)
Nursing class time 2 years

Community college wages calculation
4 yrs * 15k = 60k
60k - 10k = 50k
After 1 year 50k + 30k = 80k

Private college wages calculation
1 - 1 1/2 yrs * 15k = 15k/22.5k
15k - 43k = -28k 22.5k - 43k = -20.5k
Add in 3 1/2 to 4 years wages now to make up time for community college
4 * 30k = 120k 3 1/2 * 30k = 105k
-28k + 120k = 92k -20.5k + 105k = 80k

Now mind you this takes in account for no raises which a 4 year experiences LVN will make signifigantly more. And in this time an lvn could have advanced their career to BSN and gotten a huge raise. Another reason why the private college would win in my book over community college. The math adds up to me, again the debt isnt everything sometimes its about what you can get out of your education that alot of people dont look at.

I am in no way saying go out and find a private college and try to fund 43k, because not even i could do that. Alot of debt with no plan is a HUGE mistake and makes even george bush look bad(even if he is half retarded lol).

So when questioning someones decision you cant base it on YOUR shoes sometimes because maybe they went to MA school to be able to accomplish a dream of working in healthcare after they raised their kids, maybe they wanted a change and MA can give them that.

Ill end on this note.
Your opinion is just that an opinion, but everyone has an opinion. Everyone has something else, a rectum/anus they both stink :P

Are You Still In School? Yes

Are You Working? Yes, but not in healthcare.

Hey Luis, thanks for explaining that school system. Here it isn't like that, getting into the programs is based on number of credits.

That loto system may be "fair" to everyone, but with such long odds you would think they would increase class size. This is really evident when you consider the number of RN positions open, even for new grads.

20something years ago I went to school for Diesel Heavy Equipment, at the local community college. I am unable to do that kind of work anymore. When I decided to go back to school those credits counted towards getting into a program. The more credits you have the earlier you can sign up for classes. LPN or MA would have taken me just about the same amount of time at the community college.

When my wife did the RN program it was first come first served. She got up at 2:00 am and stood in line, like folks camped out for concert tickets. Even getting there at 2 she was way back in the line, many folks had stayed the night there.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA (AAMA)

Your very welcome jeff. It seems to be fair, but honestly who wants a 2.5gpa nurse working on them? I surely would want top of the class 4.0 nurses. I truely believe that the standards for healthcare workers need to be highered a bit.

In my school there are students who i honestly believe have trouble tying their shoes let alone taking a bp and other vitals correctly. It is people like this who pull wages down.

A new standard should be set, No im not going into a licensing argument, to ensure that the healthcare workers are competant and able to perform the position exactly as stated in scope of practice. I know not all 4.0 gpa students are the greatest MAs nor are 2.5gpa students the worst. There has to be some common sense also.

Are You Still In School? Yes

Are You Working? Yes, but not in healthcare

Your Professional Title/Credentials: M.A

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? Yes

Lily,
I agree with you community college SHOULD be the first choice over anything else. I too am going to a private school (mine cost $13k) but in doing so i did alot of research on jobs how to move on etc. If you find the post where i explain that 3 months into my 7months program i got a job offer already in a hospital system where they will help pay for my RN etc schooling. This is why some people choose to go this route. And in other situations some dont want to go to school for x amount of time, and others just want to see if healthcare would be a good fit. This is what makes MA so great. You can almost say that MA is a stepping stone, it opens doors etc but it can also be an end all for some. Why some dont just go for the gusto and get the nursing done can vary from person to person, i didnt have a cosigner or id be 8 months into a 16 month lvn program.

While you have great points the way you worded them was more in a negative way(for a lack of words to explain how i felt when reading your post, i do not mean this to be derogatory) then a positive encouraging way. I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post.

Are You Still In School? Yes

Are You Working? Yes, but not in medical field

Jeff,

I did not go straight into nursing because I had this idea in my head that MA was required before going into LVN. I was WRONG! I also figured out that MA isn't for me because I don't want to work in a doctors office, I want to work in a hospital and once I'm an LVN, become an RN. My long term goal has always been to become an RN. :)

Your Professional Title/Credentials: SMA

Are You Still In School? No (I go back in July for LVN)

Are You Working? Yes