I've said for a long time that MAs and patients could benefit from state recognition and regulation of our credentials. What does it tell us when that thread was more widely read than any of the others on this forum? There are several things preventing state regulation from happening. One of the biggest problems is that in healthcare cost containment takes priority over nearly everything else. Being state regulated would drive up costs. Another problem is that there are already healthcare workers who do much the same thing- nurses, CNAs, PCTs - and they view MAs as competition. Another issue is that there are already so many different MA certification agencies, each claiming to be the best. Unless there could be a grassroots effort among MAs from these various agencies coming together to lobby for state recognition, it isn't likely to ever happen. Just the agencies I know of are: AAMA, AMT, NHA, and ARMA. I bet there are others. If we could get the lawyers at the top of each of these organizations interested in helping us with this we might get something accomplished. The lawyers probably wouldn't be interested because state regulation would possibly reduce membership in the organization they work for. The MA profession will probably just go on as it always has with many MAs using it as a stepping stone to a licensed (higher paying) healthcare career.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA, CPhT

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes