Medical Assistant Web Forum
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Hmm, funny. You say to spell correctly, even in a forum yet you spelled the word tattoo incorrectly. I would never want to work for someone who could not accept me for me. I would never change who I am for a "job".
Your Professional Title/Credentials: P.M.A.C.
Are You Still In School? No
Are You Working? Yes- 4 years
I will give my 2 cents on private schools-go to a community college or public school instead! Not only are they cheaper, but a better education! Things are not shoved down your throat too quickly at a community college and if you have a disibility like i do, a community college offers support as most private schools do not. School is for everybody! I almost gave up on the medical field due to a bad experience at a private school. I also discovered that back office is not for me and so did my dept of vocational rehab counselor. We had agreed on me doing medical billing and coding at a communit college, which has the best disability support servics. I had proved that i could do good academic work as my average in front office there was a b or c at best. I did ok in back office and passed the ca state board written phlebotomy exam but dropped out. Im glad as im in less debt now. I have depression and low back problems which are being treated, but i didnt like the whole class in my medical buisness especially the immature ones. I felt very uncomforable in the class as im the nice quiet intellectual type and was picked on by kids. that brings on my depression symptoms as I was abused as a child and harassed by peers. I have lots of friends so it wasnt me. There were other reasons too why i dropped and felt very uncomfortable. nobody should be harassed for making a mistake either or saying the wrong thing. I think the community college will work out better.
Are You Still In School? yes
For everyone, don't be so quick to judge private vs public. Public schools are cheaper, but not necessarily more supportive. I was also passing with A's in all the classes, but developed a temporary (2 day) physical handicap, the public school wanted to drop me completely as I couldn't get to class for 1 day & have no system in place for makeup classes. Nor do they care either.
What one has to do, is look at the specific program & how it is run - who are the direct administrators, how honest are they with you, ask them pointed questions on how they handle helping students pass, what is their graduation rate (with proof to you) & GET IT IN WRITING.
Remember, public school teachers get paid the same as private school instructors. The state subsidizes the public school instructor salaries - they get paid whether or not you finish.
I am wondering if some private schools at least, actually try to develop a good relationship with their students & work to help that student, instead of treating them like dirt.
My experience with private (not trade) schools in the past has been very good in general. I cannot speak about trade school as I've never gone to one.
The state community college public schools on the other hand, well, I've seen them treat MA students like trash & not even try to help a student develop.
They just throw students away, as they have so many applicants. They just pick another from their list. There is no accountability at a public school with those administrators to the government or the state boards.
The students can't even make suggestions, as they know the administration will single them out and make it even harder for them. (I saw this happen to several students. And, this is always very easy to do to a student when the tests are subjective and not multiple choice. Thats an old trick of instructors that has been used for years).
Something is wrong, when OVER HALF the MA class is gone by the time externships come around.
I saw many people there who were trying & for the most part doing well, but if something came up, they got no help or support from the administration. No tutoring available; no office hours or even an office (only email - this is a big red flag - as it should suggest to you "Fly By Night" instructors who are not truely dedicated to helping the student); the program director did not return phone calls when a voicemail was left, nothing.
If you missed 1 class (even for an emergency) you were out, even if you had a physician's letter.
To me, this is wrong, as now with the internet, a makeup test could easily be given under a secure connection to the school. As well as lecture handouts posted on the internet, if a class was missed.
For me, the classes were not hard, but there was no academic support system in place for students. There is no excuse for this type of shoddy system to be in place. It suggests laziness/ don't care attitude on the part of the administration to me.
And, to make matters worse, they make you wait a year, to make up one class, and, in addition, make you take over the prerequisite classes - (yes thats plural) - you already passed with an A.
Of course, you spend all the money over again with this system.
A graduation rate of less than 50% speaks volumes of the teachers and administration.
Caveat Emptor.
Do I want you doing my billing? In all honesty, no/zero. I do not want someone with only a high school education keeping track of my billing, reports & posting deposits, that had 2 months of training in it. on a scale of 1-10, I'd rate this a 2 (nearly non-important). MA schools don't know this.
Do I want you to be able to work computer appointments or know manual appointment methods? Yes, in a pinch, But that is the IMO, the job of the front office person.
Do I want you to know & understand medical terminology & abbreviations? Yes. absolutely.
Would I *love* to have you be knowledgeable enough, to know how to get Epocrates Online on your handheld computer/iPhone type thing (that you should be having)? Yes, absolutely. You should know how to use apps like this when looking up & giving meds. By the time a book is published, it is out of date. So forget those hardcopy nursing drug manuals - ancient history. (MA schools don't know this either).
Do I want you to room a pt? Yes, clean up the room from the last pt, get the chart, take VS, hgt, wgt.
Do you need to know what is sterile & what is not (& how to clean it up)? Yes absolutely, or we both get in trouble (financially or morally).
Give injections? Yes. Know sites for various injections/ age group; IM, SQ, needle sites, gauge, syringe size.
Know math? Absolutely. Don't kill my patients with a wrong dose EVER.
Draw blood? Not super important as most offices send patients out to a lab. (On a scale of 1-10 this is a 3. MA schools don't know this).
Phone triage? Yes. Know what is an emergency & what is not, & let me know right away.
Know in house small tests (ie: Accucheck, Urine dip, PT, do an ECG)? Absolutely, & know to alert me STAT if any of these tests are really, in dangerous levels.
Assist me with minor office surgeries/ procedures? Yes, if just to be there, be sterile, & hand me things, or put your finger over a bleeder.
'MA schools don't know this.' -> Most of all, I would LOVE to have someone who keeps track of labs (ie: whether the pt went & got them. If so, on my desk promptly. AND let me know if 3-7 days has passed & I don't have the labs/ xrays etc. Then we need to get after the patient/ lab company/ hospital & find out what is going on). To have someone who gets the discharge summary & orders from the hospital when a patient of mine comes back to the office (before they suddenly show up under my shingle).
This they don't teach you in MA school. This test followup is one of my biggest gripes about MA schools. And, they don't even mention it, but that is far more important to me than your even doing a blood pressure (which I can do myself, if push comes to shove).
In a non-student related vein, I have called these MA schools to find out what they are about education-wise (West Coast). Unfortunately, they do not even have 1 MD/DO on staff for clinical guidance. This is a BIG mistake because people with Masters in Education are the program directors, & really, they can only guess what clinical practice involves - they have never experienced it. "Formal" talking/ meetings to ascertain what is necessary, with several M.D.s etc isn't going to cut it with what I want. You need to have been there.
A nurse can't teach you really, what a physician needs either. So they do not make a good program directors. Lots of nurses *think* they know, but don't (unfortunately, some won't admit it to themselves, either).
Loyalty? Yes. Don't trick me, & I won't treat you badly either. We are a team.
What would I pay? $15 to $20/hr to start. A good MA is nearly priceless & guaranteed a job for life, IMHO.
Be my "right Hand Man". so to speak.
Thanks for reading.
Hello. I am looking into being either a Medical Assistant or a Nurse. I would like to know your opinion on Allied College and their program. I am at a loss right now on what to do. Either go to Allie for MA or the Comm College for Nursing. I know the Comm College is well known for their program. However, I am not sure about Allied. Also, do you know how 'in demand' MA's are?? Thank you!
Do I want you doing my billing? In all honesty, no/zero. I do not want someone with only a high school education keeping track of my billing, reports & posting deposits, that had 2 months of training in it. on a scale of 1-10, I'd rate this a 2 (nearly non-important). MA schools don't know this.
Do I want you to be able to work computer appointments or know manual appointment methods? Yes, in a pinch, But that is the IMO, the job of the front office person.
Do I want you to know & understand medical terminology & abbreviations? Yes. absolutely.
Would I *love* to have you be knowledgeable enough, to know how to get Epocrates Online on your handheld computer/iPhone type thing (that you should be having)? Yes, absolutely. You should know how to use apps like this when looking up & giving meds. By the time a book is published, it is out of date. So forget those hardcopy nursing drug manuals - ancient history. (MA schools don't know this either).
Do I want you to room a pt? Yes, clean up the room from the last pt, get the chart, take VS, hgt, wgt.
Do you need to know what is sterile & what is not (& how to clean it up)? Yes absolutely, or we both get in trouble (financially or morally).
Give injections? Yes. Know sites for various injections/ age group; IM, SQ, needle sites, gauge, syringe size.
Know math? Absolutely. Don't kill my patients with a wrong dose EVER.
Draw blood? Not super important as most offices send patients out to a lab. (On a scale of 1-10 this is a 3. MA schools don't know this).
Phone triage? Yes. Know what is an emergency & what is not, & let me know right away.
Know in house small tests (ie: Accucheck, Urine dip, PT, do an ECG)? Absolutely, & know to alert me STAT if any of these tests are really, in dangerous levels.
Assist me with minor office surgeries/ procedures? Yes, if just to be there, be sterile, & hand me things, or put your finger over a bleeder.
'MA schools don't know this.' -> Most of all, I would LOVE to have someone who keeps track of labs (ie: whether the pt went & got them. If so, on my desk promptly. AND let me know if 3-7 days has passed & I don't have the labs/ xrays etc. Then we need to get after the patient/ lab company/ hospital & find out what is going on). To have someone who gets the discharge summary & orders from the hospital when a patient of mine comes back to the office (before they suddenly show up under my shingle).
This they don't teach you in MA school. This test followup is one of my biggest gripes about MA schools. And, they don't even mention it, but that is far more important to me than your even doing a blood pressure (which I can do myself, if push comes to shove).
In a non-student related vein, I have called these MA schools to find out what they are about education-wise (West Coast). Unfortunately, they do not even have 1 MD/DO on staff for clinical guidance. This is a BIG mistake because people with Masters in Education are the program directors, & really, they can only guess what clinical practice involves - they have never experienced it. "Formal" talking/ meetings to ascertain what is necessary, with several M.D.s etc isn't going to cut it with what I want. You need to have been there.
A nurse can't teach you really, what a physician needs either. So they do not make a good program directors. Lots of nurses *think* they know, but don't (unfortunately, some won't admit it to themselves, either).
Loyalty? Yes. Don't trick me, & I won't treat you badly either. We are a team.
What would I pay? $15 to $20/hr to start. A good MA is nearly priceless & guaranteed a job for life, IMHO.
Be my "right Hand Man". so to speak.
Thanks for reading.
What a great article!!! And so true! Most well versed Medical assistants know what you want. They have learned it on the job. However, new graduates very likely don't. The externship site would be a great place to start teaching them at least some of these values before they graduate, even if it was just one or two.
Perhaps doctors who accept externship MAs should have a clear outline as to what they want their MAs to learn, and convey this to their office managers, and other staff. I have heard from many student MAs, who were placed in an office, and they are expected to work right along the staff, without much instructions. Some stated, they are desperately looking to fit in, but do not receive the guidance that would point them in the direction they need to go. Many student MAs on externship are regarded as free help, rather than students. Indeed, they can be free help, but it should be a WIN-WIN situation for everybody, not just the office. So, some of the responsibilities also falls on the medical office staff, and doctors at the externship site.
Having said that, I would like to give you a voice on this. Since this excellent post is so deeply buried in this forum, and long thread, I have taken the liberty, as the website and forum owner, to copy your post, and place it directly into the MedicalAssistant.net website, on it's own page:
http://www.medicalassistant.net/what_doctors_want.htm
Please feel free to review the article, and let me know how I might cite it, to give proper credit back to you, as the author. Also, please feel free to submit any changes. You can contact me at the given email address in this post, or post here.
Again, thank you for this invaluable insight.
Danni R.
Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Forum Admin
Are You Working? self-employed
Thank you for this article, MD! This is valuable information!
Jenny
Thank you so much for your post....as an M.D., I also thank you for taking the time to let us know what you really need from an M.A. I, for one, want to be exactly what you stated, a "right hand man" in the office. When I did my externship in an internal medicine clinic, all sorts of things came up and I was able to assist in a variety of situations. They did everything, sutures, applying casts, discovering dangerous situations that needed immediate attention. It was great experience....and I feel that you must have a personal gift for sensing urgencies, and knowing what the Dr. may need as he or she treats each indivudual patient. It was also a great learning experience. Alas, I am still not employed as an MA and it still remains a dream. I thank you again and hope that by some stroke of luck I happen upon an interview with an M.D. like yourself.
Are You Still In School? no
Are You Working? no
I am 51 yrs old and recently graduated Medical Assisting/Clinical in the Los Angles area. I read you statement and I can honestly say that my instructor thinks the same way you do, as to what really needs to be taught to be a good back Medical Assistant. Included in the MA class were pharmacology and parenteral administration of medications this included some terminology plus 8 week extern at Kaiser Permante. I received a certificate in both. Then I took Medical Terminology this last summer and received a certificate in this also. I mainly just wanted to hello and to let you know that MY teacher, who I have so much respect for is apparently up on what most doctors want. 
Your Professional Title/Credentials: MA
Are You Still In School? No
I believe the Doctor is correct about most of what was written except nurses do make great program chairs if they listen to what is being said i have taken a program from 169 students to well over 389 in one year so to make such a broad statement is ridiculous about nurses being program chairs.
Your Professional Title/Credentials: medical assisting program chair C.E.N R.N CMA/RMA
Are You Still In School? yes working on M.S in nursing
Are You Working? yes
I want your advice, I was working as a CNA for three years and always spend weekend working, but my kids want to spend weekend with me, and I would like to start working as a Medical Assistant I took the course in a Communitity Adult School in Baldwin Park, that was three years ago, but now I want to change, any advice?
Thanks Clary
Your Professional Title/Credentials: CNA and MA
Are You Still In School? No
Are You Working? No
Hello, could you by any chance suggest any places in the Antellope Vally area(Lancaster/Palmdale)where I can get my foot in the door as a MA? I graduated in July 2011 in IN. but had no such luck in CA.on finding a job at entry level.
Your Professional Title/Credentials: MA
Are You Still In School? NO
Are You Working? NO
