My teacher wants me to call up my externship site up soon(havent started yet) and make an appointment for I guess an interview type thing. Im so scared! What if they want me to start really soon, Im not prepared at all!? I havent learned alot that I probably should know by now (due to instructor), they will think I am dumb if I do not know how to do blood pressure, pulse respiration etc. This is an OBGYN clinic if anyone has an idea of what to expect or prepare for the interview.I believe they have students from another local college and I am afraid they will come off more professional than me and I really was hoping to get a job offer out of this. Now my instructor says let me know if you want to come to one of my other classes to practice (what I should have been taught,shown, practiced alot by now...but I didnt because I was all alone when i was in that class! Im afraid they will want me to start before im ready or get any more practice in somehow. My school schedule is horrible which stinks, and I am just aggravated that I have to worry about this on top of a million other things when I should be able to feel confident going in not unprepared. How should I prepare for the "interview",any advice because I really need it! Thanks ALOT

Hi there, First of all it's not that bad. Stop take a deep breath. Your Teacher is offering you the help you need to feel more confident about your skills, take her up on her offer. Second act and be professional, and stop wining. You have wasted a lot of energy typing asking people for help. There are people at your school that would be more than happy to help you and ask some of your classmates for help. You stated that your Teacher wants to you to call this OB/GYN clinic about setting up an interview this is to help you build up your confidence because when you are out there working in a clinic you will have to be speaking to people on the phone and in person you are a professional. I don't mean to sound so rude...but if going around wining about everything that's wrong with whatever you will not be successful in what you do, and you will just go from one job to the next and never be happy. That's why this is the time to be professional and be confident in yourself and in all your skills that you have in school. People do notice these things and they will notice this in you as well. Best way to put all this, you learn as you go. Don't give up. Be one with the force...

Your Professional Title/Credentials: NCMA, (NCCT), CNA

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? Yes

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA (AAMA)

Are You Still In School? Nope!!

Are You Working? YEP!!

I know what you guys mean but you have no idea how horrible my school is. I have had nothing but problems with them and most faculty there are unprofessional. My program director didnt teach me or give me any oppurtunities to practice hands on skills in my clinic based class which was 2 semesters ago. Now im ready to graduate and now she expects me to find time to come to that same clinic class when I have about 7 other classes and a externship to worry about and I was supposed to have been taught this by her 2 semesters ago. She is the one who didnt give me a chance so thats why im saying its hard to put my skills to the test when I barely feel like I know what im doing. I got a 4.0 last semester, but am worried more than anything about the clinical side. Also now I cant go to this obgyn place even after my teacher said it was all set because its full? My teacher was in charge of setting up a contract with this place, and she didnt contact them until 2 weeks before school started because I tried getting a hold of her for 2 months to see what was going on with the externshipthen she finally called them, which is way last minute so thats probably why I cant go there now. She also lied and told me she talked to the supervisor there and said I was going but I called up the supervisor to set up an interview and she said she didnt speak with my teacher so yeah I feel like I got cheated big time. I really no better than to go back to this school ever. Thanks for the advice but what if you arent given any lemons how do you make lemonade? I guess I just have to hope it works out somehow. I have no classmates really to practice with because I started alone when I first started so where in different levels/ classes.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Do you think an externship site will understand if I come up with a way to explain that I didnt have sufficient amount of opportunity to practice these basic skills and some I was never even taught? I was only shown how to do bp,pulse respiration once and I need to be shown things a few times especially hands on type of things. I was never shown how to draw blood, assist someone or teach someone how to use a walker,crutches etc and many more things. I have an interview Tuesday do I speak up then and how do I approach this matter? Do I say something like: "When I entered the medical assistant program there were only 2 of us and, the one girl dropped out and I was then left alone for most of the semester so I didnt have the opportunity to practice some skills more than once or at all, HOWEVER I am a good student and am willing to learn"? What questions might they ask? Im not sure if they do this interview type thing for all schools before your allowed to start your externship? This place also makes you do an orientation at an affiliated hospital (not sure when or how long it will be yet..hopefully not during my school hours)so I probably wont start my externship for a least a few weeks! I do not know how I am going to be able to fit in 160hrs in the amount of time I have because my schedule is pretty busy and I have alot of homework.

Hi there, If you need help with doing blood draws go to you tube they have all kinds of videos on proper techniques on how take blood the different vein sites. I would recommend watching these over and over till you feel confident enough to do them yourself. Also with doing vital signs, don't you friends around that you practice on? If you still need an externship site to go to...check with a local free clinic in your area. These clinics are for people who can not pay for their care or are low income. The way these clinics work is they operate on donations from the community and funds from the Government and all the people that work there volunteer their time. This would be a perfect place for you. Talk to your career development person at school and get your externship setup and when you start it be sure to take notes and be sure to ask lots of questions this is one of the ways you learn as you go. In the meantime review all of the skills you learned in school, and don't say you don't have time to do it because you do. If you want to be a Medical Assistant bad enough, then you will find the time. When you believe in yourself and in all that you learned...you will be able to do a lot. With all the energy you waste typing on here and asking everyone for help you can be reviewing all your notes and all your textbooks...you are the only one that can do this, no one can do your work for you. Good luck.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: NCMA, (NCCT), CNA

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? Yes

Im sure going to try...I just wish my college didnt do this to students, they are deff. overrated! I can try to practice as much as I can but some things I wasnt taught which is scary!

Hi there, Don't try, take that word out of your vocabulary. You need to replace it with words that are positive, Okay!!! Here is a saying for you, it really works when your mind is set in this way. "A Samurai falls down seven times, he get's up eight." What this means is you become the Samurai. You will make mistakes, you learn from these mistakes and you will grow from these lessons and you will grow from it and you will be the best Medical Assistant you can be. Take your skills and become one with it, in return it will become one with you. You can do it, now get out there and do it. Good luck and God bless and always keep the sun to your back, that way you will always be able to see things clearly and nothing blind you from seeing the way things are and will be.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: NCMA, (NCCT), CNA

Are You Still In School? No

Are You Working? Yes