Wow, with all the negativity it is understandable why so many are finding it hard to become employed. I got a job w/3 months left to graduate because I sold myself on professionalism and a good ethic. I am dependable and on time to work. I have already received 2 raises in less than 4 months. There are no handouts out there. You have to commit yourself and be grateful with the things you have. I live in a state with a 9.3 % unemployment rate and found a job before I graduated. Practices want to know what you are bringing to the table, not what you expect and how you expect it. Its time for a reality check! Maybe this field is not the right one for some who lack committment and really dont mind "Earning" the respect of co-workers and peers. I have also been offered aposition teachoing MA's where I went to school as soon as I have worked in the field long enough. Where there is a will there is a way.

really? a will there isa way?

well my will quit after 9 years of looking for work and going to florida for 6 dollars an hr only to get fired 2 days later and to be told i cant have a job cause they need a female

RainMan,
You said that practices are looking for what you can bring to the table, not what you want to get out of it. Well No S&#$ brainboy. That is not the problem. The problem is the misconception (around here at least)that a male in the medical field who is not a Dr, must be a pervert and could not possibly be interested in actual patient care.
What I bring to the table is 21 years of patient care total. I have a degree as a Surgical tech, A limited license Rad Tech, A CMA (AAMA), Pharm tech and a business degree. I am also almost done with my Masters in Computer Science. So I have more than enough to "Bring to the table" son.
You also said be happy with what you can get. Perhaps you can make it on $6 bucks an hour but when you have 3 children and are making student loan payments for you and your wifes Masters Degrees, then $6 bucks does not cut it.
In short, know your place in line before making uninformed statements.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA (AAMA)

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? Yes

I'm in PA and there are few male MA's here. Personally, I don't know that it's a male/female thing here. I tend to see it more as a pay issue here. MA's don't make anywhere near enough to support a family here. It's fine for me as a second income. I know a few single moms who are MA's but they also get financial support from other sources...whether it be the government, child support, etc.

Starting MA wage here is probably around $9 an hour right now. How is a guy supposed to suuport a family on that? I also think that most guys don't see it as a "masculine" profession due to the heavy "secretarial" aspect of the job.

I don't think you can expect more men in the field without a higher return financially.

Just my 2 cents.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

Hey Dk Jr. you sound really bitter, Dont hate the game. I know my place in line you might want to look at yours. I am not the one compaining, you have tons of experience, so whats the problem. If I were offered a job for $6 bucks an hr. I would probably would not take it. If you do then you are telling them what your worth. I am just trying to say that a lot of people are living in the problem and not the solution. Everyone has to do what works for them. Times are hard everywhere, you still have to have a positive attitude. Employers really want to have positive people around to create a positive experience for their pt's and staff.

I never have understood the connection between "negativity" and finding a job. Lots of negative thinking people do and they keep those jobs. What about all the MA students who talk excitedly about what they plan to do when they graduate and will say repeatedly " I KNOW I am going to find a job"- and then they don't? And they try hard too but are left feeling pretty bad since they are given the impression "Well, you must not have tried hard enough".

Rainman, you totally hit on the nail with your comments. I agree with all you said. Its all on how you present yourself. DK jr, you need to get a reality check. Based on your comments, you come across as one of those individuals that think their experience alone will pave the way. That your position should be in the middle of the chain instead of the bottom. But, I myself, are not impressed with your experience if you portray the type of attidude based on your posts. All the experience in the world is useless if you don't have the professionlism or attidude to utilize it in the correct manner. I'am a male who is about 7 months or so away from graduating from a junior college as a medical assistant. I know I have a great attidude towards my future and it has already started to pay dividends. Different things have started to take place to set me up upon my graduation. Thats with no experience in this field. I feel its my attidude alone that has started to pave the way for me.

RainMan and Russ,
While there is some truth to your statements about me being the one complaining and my bitterness, I will will have to correct you both on the reality check and my lack of professionalism. I do not need a reality check, I am living in the reality, Around here, MA's are are a half step above house keepers and mostly relageted to the front office, I did not spend 2 additional years in school to push papers.
As far as positive and professional is concerned, I am very positive, given a level playing field and for professionalism, beleive it or not, I give the lecture on being and acting professional at our hospital when new employees and students come on board. I did not apply for my current station at the hospital working with the Providers, I was contacted by the Hospital board of directors and asked to take this job based on my reputation and professionalism.
So again, I will agree with you both that on a few of your points, you got me and I do hold a ton of negitivity given the situation around here, But on the other points, please stand corrected.
Good Day Gentelmen.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA(AAMA)

No disrespect intended to anyone reading these post. I get really concerned reading all the negative comments about my profession and a lot of people saying they can't find work. The whole country is in an economic tailspin and competition is fierce. There are a lot of better qualified people out there than someone who just graduated, so if you were a hiring manager who would you hire? I am willing to bet that they are going with the experience. Maybe the person who interviews the best for their position, regardless of experience I don't know! All that I am trying to say is that one must have a positive attitude and show enthusiasm, and be patient. I have turned down jobs that were not a good fit for both parties. Sometimes it isn't the right place for me. The MA's I know carry the work load and yes they are often under appreciated. I also know some that are the right hand of the Dr. they work with and are compensated very well. I suggest thinking long and hard about the commitment it takes to work in this field and ask yourselves, do I really want to do that kind of work? The school I attended was very active in career placement. They also need to put the best students in the practice for the schools reputation and credibility. Most of the students I went to school with will never work in this field. They did not come to class, failed test, showed up late for interviews and still complained that they were not successful, I wonder why.

Okay. Maybe I was off base with the professionlism statement. It just jaws at me when all I hear is negative comments most of the time in regards to men in this field. I was always taught that "attidude" will win most of your battles. It's true in most cases. I can understand your bitterness DK jr. Let me ask you a question. What were your expectations in regards to becoming an MA?? Rainman has the absolute best attidude. Its just a breath of fresh air to read some truely good comments about men in this field. To me, its all up to you and how you approach it. All the excuses that I read here about men not getting a fair shake in this field is just that, EXCUSES!!
You approach it with a great attidude, people are going to want to talk to you and get to know you better. Try it sometime. You will be amazed with the results.

my expetations were to find a job and i was not able to after 9 years of looking going to florida being offered below minimum wage and getting fired and... well i wont get into the and. but this field sucks

Nate
You are someone I have a hard time believing. I'm sorry to say that. But I shoot straight from the hip.
9 years and you haven't been able to hold onto a position. You might want to sit down and re-evaulate yourself. You get fired after two days on a job here in Florida. Your EXCUSE was "it has come to my attention that you don't have the experience". Something like that would of came up during the interview process. I'm sorry. Absolutely unbelievable.
I don't even believe you made the trip down here. You seem to be really good at making EXCUSES for yourself which in turn expect everyone around you to feel sorry for you. I don't believe you have the desire or the commitment. I'm just sick and tired of your negativity on this forum. Your attidude sucks, not this field.

I hear ya i DO NOT like being this negative it dose sucks, I'am greatful for the job i do have shipping medical records at the DMC (its pretty much shipping and reciving). I feel the "crutch" you say im useing was not made up by me, its what i have heard many an interview "oh our patients may not feel comfortable with a man" "i have to ask the doctor if he feels comfortable with a man in this position" if i'am to question the legality of those statments its a pointless trip because at the end of the day it dose not translate into a job at these places (some doctors have a god complex yet cant tell if an elevator is going up or down true story lol)

the goals i set in 99-2000 while at Ross and finishing up and starting to look for work is this,

1, network find out what dr offices or clinics are hireing or maybe know of who is hireing.

2, accept ANYTHING and do ANYTHING to get in the door 5 bucks an hr and cleaning the waiting room? sounds great if it gets my foot in the office.

3, go WHEREVER the job is be it Florida or Michigan jobes dont come to you/me

Understand that my experience in florida was not that great i ant force you to belive me but trust me i was there i cant make something up that upsets me

Okay, let's analyze this a bit.

Nate, you say that no one will hire you because you are male. In some practices (OBGYN comes to mind), I can see why that may be. Doctors always have to think of patient comfort first.

But I think a primary reason why you have not been hired is something you mentioned that I don't think I have read before--being fired from your externship. You haven't said what the circumstances were, but for some employers, it wouldn't matter. If this is on your resume, it's a problem. Hiring managers base the first step to employing someone on the applicant's resume. I would be less inclined to hire someone who was fired from their externship.

I also believe that, based on your resume, potential employers may think your skills are out of date, since you graduated nine years ago and have not worked in the field for that amount of time.

Nate, there are lots of us on here that are rooting for you and want you to be successful. I wish I had some advice that you would listen to.

Jenny

Are You Still In School? yes

I found the men! I agree that many men seek the positions that are more adrenaline pumping than an office or clinic; such as OR Tech, ER Tech, EMT Paramedic, etc.

In my area, I have yet to come across a male CMA. BUT, here the men that interested in the medical field that aren't in the above professions are in nursing.

Over the past 8 months to a year, I have seen a BIG influx of male nurses in my area; like they all graduated at once, lol! I have been in the hospitals many times over that period of time with family members and EACH time, they were cared for by male nurses. Different hospitals, different shifts, different nurses.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: BS, AD, CPNCC

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? Yes

I went to a 2 year college we had 24 women and 3 males. One quit but the other two men both found jobs one before graduation and one shortly after. This a steel mill - coal mining town both of these men had been laid off from these types of jobs. Also our local urgent care has a male MA.

Nate have you thought of taking a phlebotomy course? It is inexpensive, most classes are in the evening, you get lots of experience with needles. You might gain back some of your confidence. Maybe you could get a job and the pay is about the same or better than MA.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA (AAMA)

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

I am a 36 year old male, who is considering starting Ross medical in June to become a medical assistant. I have worked in sales for the last 15 years so I have no medical experience. After reading on this forum I have become a little concerned. What do all you think about me making this career change? Do I even have a legimate opportunity to obtain employment?

Are You Working? no

DMG,

You have to forgive Nate on this forum. He is totally negative on every aspect of this profession. I myself am a male that is about 5 months away from finishing school. Opportunties are there. Someone hit it on the button in a recent post a few days ago. You just need to be totally professional and willing to learn.
Good Luck and don't take to heart all of the negativtity that is on this forum. Some is, I'm sure, true. You just have to filter out what is actually true and what is just pure frustration.

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? yes

Hey guys, got to tell you working with cancer patients is tough. I do all their blood work and vitals each visit which for some is daily or at least 2 to 3 times per week. I have to find invisible veins to get what the Dr. needs to assess their progress and adjust their chemo. I see around 70 to 80 pt's per day and my skills have to be sharp. They expect to get what they need with only one "stick" no room for amatuers! I love what I do and feel valuble to the treatment team I work with to help our pt's remain positive and hopefull. To answer the above question, I would say you have to have a passion for what you do in any job especially this one. If you don't, don't waist your time. I am glad I did the MA program, I will probably go for my RN after getting a little more experience. But MA is a great place to start to see if you have a desire to go futher. That's my 2 cents.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: MA working @ oncology practice

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

hahahahah!!! That is odd indeed. You're asked to chaperon, but not look, so what they are saying is use your ears, not your eyes. What sounds were you supposed to listen for in order to turn around and say "hey!".

Okay, let's keep it real.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Forum Admin

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? Yes

Jefff, I apologize, but I couldn't help but to grin... I know, it's not funny, but on the other hand, it was one of the things where I had to say "who would have thought????".

Thank you for sharing this "momento" of hidden pitfalls that might shoot you into the foot.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Forum Admin

Yes, be careful what you say in an interview. If your school offers mock interviews and interview coaching, i'd do that.
Also the Resume Maker program I keep recomemending has two PDF Files on it's disk that give interviewing tips.
Unfortunately, it's not a cure all. You still need to keep practicing and just have to risk rejection.

A lot of my fellow former classmates who couldn't find MA related employment, my family members and friends and even my CNA instructor all told me I wasted 17,000 Dollars on my MA School because I went through all that trouble and when I left school, there was no MA job for me to have.

Although I am unhappy because I have not successfully found MA related employment and had to shell out another 900 Dollars to go to a CNA School to imporve my chances of finding employment. I am still getting my moneys worth out of MA School.

I still use my MA Schools Career Placement Services for resume Critiques and even set up mock interviews! I actually got job offers and landed some job interviews after not having a steady job in over a year. I even landed a one day job working at a company health fair checking peoples Glucose levels and cholesterol. Unfortunately, none of my other job offers are MA or healthcare related.

which comes to more stuff I got to say that I will discuss in the future when I get more time.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? No

I just got out of the Navy after 11 years as an Hospital Corpsman. The American Registry of Medical Assistants will honor your training and experience and will register you if you meet certain criteria. You can go the the website at http://arma-cert.org/ to request an application. Maybe this knowledge will help increase the number of males in the field.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: NREMT-B/ RMA

Are You Still In School? NO

Are You Working? NO

Hey.Hope since the last entry was 5 years ago Danni or Lorranne ( hope I got her name right) will get this.
I've been a cable tech for 17 years.I was laid off for a year and in that time I went and got a CNA license.In a class of 20 I was one of 3 guys.My buddy was already working in a nursing home so after graduating he was all set with a job.
Me? Back in 2008 with only years of telecom experience behind me I couldn't even get a part time gig 3rd shift. Even though the school said men are in need, I was told at every interview most patients ,especially with at home patients wanted women only that men posed a threat to steal form them and women wanted only women in their rooms.
All that money,time, gas in my car- what a waste.
I was considering an MA or NA class but as you've seen all the negitive comments about men getting jobs- it's not worth more money out of my pocket.
It's true though.Patients prefer women unless the man is already a doctor.
I'd love to work in the medical field but what do?

Your Professional Title/Credentials: T-2 cable Technician

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Temping

I am sorry to hear all those who think men can not find jobs. The fact is that many practices would love to find a man. I have been working since completing my MA program and getting certified through AMT. I work in Oncology as an Infusion Tech and do every thing the nurses do except hang Chemo. I am told by the nurses that I am a huge asset to them and they like having me there, so hang in there guys. The right job is out there if you are the right person. I graduated 2.5 yrs ago and have been working from day one so keep the faith.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

Keep your heads up guys! I am a licensed EMT in CA and going to MA school during the day!

Volunteer if you can! I have every confidence after I finish MA school in October that I will find a position.

You must become nationally Certified no question about that! You need to use the MA certification as a stepping stone! Don't stop just with MA go on and get a EMT License! or EKG tech.

Look up CALJOBS if you are in CA! I am going through MA school for 1k ! instead of going to a trade school at spending $14k! Really ? No MA school is worth spending $14k on seriously!

It helped me to get my EMT license first then I started MA school! Most places wont hire a MA unless they are nationally certified and state certified.

So get your EMT first then a Urgent care or a Hospital will hire you or you can volunteer and get that valuable time on the job!

You have to think it out first! YOU CAN DO IT!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: EMT

Are You Still In School? Yes

Are You Working? No

Excellent advice. We cannot repeat it often enough. Don't just stop at the medical assistant diploma, but continue your education. Get your certification and strive for special licenses that allow you to perform EKG, radiological imaging (simple x-ray license), phlebotomy certification, Holter monitor, and any other special courses that will bolster your resume, including branching off into nursing and EMT.

Today's job market is more competitive than ever and doctor's expectations are high. They set their own standards when they hire. So, be awesome.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Forum Admin