Ok on the Government website that tells about the Medical Assistant Profession, It tells of only 2 Agencys that will give Certification to Medical Assistants, That is The AMT> For the Registered Medical Assistant, & The AAMA> for Certified Medical Assistants, Ok so when I read about the National Certified Medical Assistant credential through the NCCT, Is this legit in a Employers eyes? Because a lot of people say well you will be certified Nationaly through this agency when in all reality you are Certified Nationaly through the other 2 when a employer checks with either of them to make sure you are certified, Does anyone get what im saying? Is this other certifying agency getting people jobs? Why is it not listed as a certifying agency on the GOV. Website if its legit?? I notice a lot of the New Career schools got this where you can goto school for 12 weeks and be a National Certified Medical Assistant, where the other schools are 1 year or 9 months at the least....PLZ GIVE FEEDBACK IF U KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS STUFF

I think to be on the safe side, I would get certified through the AAMA. I have never even heard of NCCT. Also if you want to get re-certified where would you go for that if you went through the NCCT. I hardly doubt that you could go to school for 12 weeks and be a Nationally Certified Medical Assistant. It was hard enough going for 9 months, let alone going to school for only 12 weeks.

Are You Still In School? CMA

Hi all...

I am certified through the NCCT and have found that regardless of which you are certified through, this profession is all what YOU make it.
I personally can not see spending ALL that money in those 9-12 month courses just to get payed just as much, if not less, as I am. I looked into alot of schools, the certs they offered, talked to many MA's both certified and not. My decision to go for the cheaper and accelerated (short) course was most certainly the right thing for me.
I am currently paid at 15.00 an hour with another raise in the works. I started at 12.50 six months ago. I worked my hinny off, proved myself and am now trusted by all the docs in the practice.

I do my CE and recerts through the NCCT yearly, which if you ask me, is all about them making a buck. There is no book that can teach me what I have learned on the job.

The route I went may not be for everyone. However, from what I hear, all the money and time spent in those AMT and AAMA accredited schools, it really has not paid off for alot of CMA's I chat with.

Hope this helps.

Have a good night
Penny

Are You Still In School? CMA

Hi Penny where are you located & how long was your Training? Im in Tennessee, Also did you not have any trouble learning all the MA in a short time? Thanks for your feedback!!

Hi Penny,
What did you exactly learn in class? I have to get recert. every 5 years through AAMA. Your right about the money part, they just want to line their pockets. When I first started out I got paid $10.61 and with a raise after 3 months I was making $11.14. In the school I went to I think they taught some wrong things. They spent to much time making us count blood cells and such. If you want to count blood cells, then we would have to take the Med. Lab Tech program which is 2 years. When I got done with school, I did not feel prepared at all to go out into the work force. And now I can not even find another job, they are pretty thin here in WI. I always said CMAs should at least start off with $12 an hour for all the things we have to do. Good luck with your job.
Julie

Are You Still In School? CMA

Hi ladies,

I am about 25 min. north or NYC. I trained in a four month course with no externship. We were taught all clinical and admin components. Ethical and legal responsibilities, infection control, safty and medical emergencies,anatomy, physiology, medical term, phlebotomy, injections, diagnostic and laboratory procedures, the latest medical office software, insurance and icd9 cpt coding.
So we covered alot in those months. Let me tell you it was fast, but I loved it. You had to study extra hard but it was worth it to me. I got back to work fast after being laid off from a job I worked at for 15 years.
To answer your question Teresa, I come from a medical lab I worked for for 15 years so all that exper. really helped.
Again, I cant say enough how much effort and attention you have to put in while you are on the job. I have learned so much at work. I am working Pediatrics and LOVE it. Except when I have to give a shot. , poor kids.
All I can say is if you are a people person, compassionate, caring and genuine go for, from what I have seen we need more people like that in the medical prof.
OK I am off to enjoy the day ....it is a bright sunshinny day out here in NY and my daughter wants out.
Have a good one.

Penny

Are You Still In School? CMA

Hi Penny,
I'm just curious about the organization that you work for, is it a private practice or a larger health corporation? I went to school in Upstate NY and in that area the health centers don't allow any medical assistants to give injections, although it was part of our training. It was my understanding that this had to do with state law.
Cheryl

Your Professional Title/Credentials: ,3

Are You Still In School? CMA

Hi Cheryl,

I am in private practice. Injections are within our scope of practice. We can legally do them, just as we can legally draw blood, which is much more invasive than an injection.
It is all up to the facility you work for.

How far UPstate are you? I know people in Malone.

Thanks
Penny

Are You Still In School? CMA

Teresa I am also in Tennessee, not far from Nashville. Have you ever heard anything about the Nashville College of medical careers?

Are You Still In School? Certified Mommy- soon to be MA student

Penny,

I don't mean to start a bru-ha here but I don't know how a four month course with no externship could possibly leave you properly prepared. I went to school for 6 months PLUS a 3 month full time externship.

Also, isn't the CMA designation reserved for AAMA certification?

Lorraine

Are You Still In School? CMA

Lorraine,

LOL at Bru-ha-ha. No Bru-ha here. I agree with you totally. After I got into the school I realized I was not in the best school. A mistake (I thought) on my part because they had no affiliation with the AAMA. I did not investigate enough and I was worried. The damage was done already though, I had to make the best of it. I come from a very extended medical background. If I did not have that experience behind me I would not have done so well or be so confident in what I did learn in school. It was fast paced to say the very least.
I got lucky with work after school ended. I got a job in peds. for 13.00 bucks and hour. I worked on that pay for 3 mths then got a raise to 15 an hour. Last month I got the 16 I was promised and two days ago they offered me the Head Medical Assistant position which comes with another two bucks. I have a very extensive medical admin. history so coupled with school and my certification I am very happy with the 18 an hour. .
School was a great learning experience for me. However, there is nothing like the experience I have gained in the office.
I have read alot of what Danni has said about medical assisting and agree this profession could be just about rooming patients and nothing more, or you can really grab hold and become so much more to the office you work for.
To answer your other question, I am certified through the NCCT so my card and diploma both read National Certified Medical Assistant. It is not the aama, but I am more than happy with where I have ended up with it.
I now love what I do and THAT is really important.

Sorry to ramble so much...


Penny

Are You Still In School? CMA

Hi again. Boy, the more I read here, the more disgusted I get with my pay rate. When I started school, they told us 10-14.00 an hour. Well, I figured the 14.00 was hot air but I expected at least 10.00 an hour. I'm making 8.75 an hour and from what the gals at work tell me, there won't be much in the way of raises. I work for a MAJOR hospital network in SW Pennsylvania. I made 3.00 more an hour as a CNA doing bedbaths, changing briefs, etc. than I make giving injections, drawing blood, etc. It seems grossly unfair to me that a position that involves tasks that are invasive and a higher (for lack of a better word) responsiblity level pays less.

If my office weren't a really fun, awesome place to work, I'd be out of there in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately from what I understand, the pay isn't much better anywhere else here and we have some of the best hospitals in the country here. How sad is that?

Lorraine

Are You Still In School? CMA

Hello all, new to the gang here just found the site! I was recently certified thru the NHA, i never went to school to become an MA infact a didnt even know what one was, i started working in a drs office as a receptionist, and was cross-trained, found out i loved it and for 2 years worked with 3 drs internal med and cardiology with about 400 patients. I was personally taught by the physicians everything i know, from vital signs to phlebotomy. I even did pap smears, removed skin tags where it called to inject lidocaine which i found out later was out of the scope of practice. Anyhow I am very good at what I do and very knowledged. It did take time I wasnt super MA within a few months,lol....buit after about 6-7 months I was very well at my job. I left a pediatricians office last year to get married and move north making 18.50 an hour...I was highly sought after in my area all the docs know each other so they know whos good MA's and whos not. In fact i have 3 jobs waiting for me when they day comes i get back home. I agree thatno amount of book work prepares you for experience, my sister in law graduated an LPN program recently and i still know more then her. Before that i was studying to challenge the state CNA exams....With the experience and hands on learning i had from great physicians, i could never have gotten that from a school. Anyhow after a year off due to high risk pregnancy, i am ready to get back into it. Around here in CO they dont pay much, about 10-14.00 an hour i was use to 15-18.50 an hour in Florida where I am from.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CCMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? no

I am reading some of these forums and am going is it really worth completing a medical assisting program? Wow the pay sucks!!!!!!!!!! I am a C.N.A and I work 3 12 hour shifts at a hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska and my rate of pay is $12.47 hourly and since I work nights I get $3 more an hour making my pay $15.47. I am registered to start an associate degree program in medical assisting starting on March 22 and the cost is unreal $30,800 for the entire program. That price is wayyyyyyyy toooooooo much if all I am going to make is less than what I do now. I expected way more money, LPN's around here for new grad's start at $18 and R.N's are $28-32 hourly. Should I just do an LPN program instead? This is sad that employers can get away with paying this little does your education ot mean anything anymore? Geez......

Your Professional Title/Credentials: C.N.A

Are You Still In School? i will be?

Are You Working? yes

If I had to do it all over again, I probably would have gone for nursing, instead of getting the A.S. in Medical Assisting. I have had to put ALOT of money and time into obtaining additional education (e.g. emt program) so that I could get respect and good pay from employers.
Not to say that the field of MA is bad, but unless you are willing to put in the extra time and effort to make yourself better than 90% of the MAs in your field (or you just find an MD that REALLY appreciates you), you should consider another allied health profession...

Are You Still In School? RMA, BMO

Wow all these NCCT individuals . Maybe I should relocate to a state that reconizes that certification firm..... Detroit MI. still looking 4 months since graduation.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: MA and PCT both NCCT certified

Are You Still In School? graduated 11/05

Are You Working? no

Not to sound mean, or anything... but I have reservations about some of the newer "certifying" agencies. The "American Registry of Medical Assistants" doesn't even require an exam to become certified...and I heard that NCCT lets candidates take the certifying exam online from home. Also, there are no continuing education requirements for registration/certification renewal.
How good can something be, if you really don't have to put in much effort to obtain it???

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA, BMO

Hi all,

I am certified by the NCCT, I do indeed need to get re-certified every year. I do agree that my cert. is not the best certification out there. HOWEVER, it has worked for me thus far. I am making 16 an hour now. I do injections and I draw blood.
I love my job, my kids and their parents. I work very hard to improve my knowledge and skill on a daily basis. There is no school...NONE..that could have taught me what I have learned on the job.

Have a good one.

Penny
NCMA

Your Professional Title/Credentials: NCMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? YES

Morning

I just wanted to add that you cannot take the test at home on your computer. You have to take the exam at the school you go/went to and it is over seen by someone from the NCCT.

penny

Your Professional Title/Credentials: NCMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? YES

I am not sure what Michelle's point is besides bragging on not having any class training and about all the illegal procedures she has performed. Not all of us are lucky enough to get any kind of a job in a doctor's office where we would receive that hands-on training, much less get into one even after the schooling and the certification. Many of us prefer to go the route of getting the book learning first, which usually involves finding out what we can and cannot do. I dare say that if the patients who had the pap smears done by a non-doctor knew it, they would have said something. That type of superior,"I can do anything" kind of thinking can get a lot of people into trouble.

Are You Still In School? NO

Are You Working? YES

Great job, Penny, on clarifying/sharing insight on NCCT. It certainly helped me a lot as NCCT is not as popular as the "big" better known certification bodies which are always mentioned here.

It was nice to read how you worked your way up despite of having the lesser known credential and the "cheaper" education (and I say this carefully with a smile).

I am very impressed with your work and achievements and agree that it's not always the "three letters" added after your name that can make or break you.

Keep up the good work and come back often to read and post.

Danni

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

MA, regarding your post about Michelle just bragging. Think you are rightt. In another thread on this board she tells us all that her husband is (already)an army PA & going to Medical school to be a doctor. She apparently enjoys stretching the truth cuz I ran across some of her posts on the Army website I visit. Her husband is just starting school taking anatomy & physiology. Here is:

chell9900
PFC


Joined: 13 Feb 2006
Posts: 38
Location: Fort Cartoon
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 4:52 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From our exxperience, for the laptop part, only e5's and up where allowed to get them here at carson thru EarmyU.....they are college credits you take them online thru a regular college my husband is doing (or should i say I am doing for him) anatomy and physiology thru Rio Salado College online.....it is free as long as you pass...if you fail or drop out you have to pay.

Back to top

There are other posts as well on www.us-army-info.com/ Its her, same email address etc.

Not trying to start anything, just a little info for those who may want to take her comments with a grain of salt.

what I meant above was he is just starting school for PA, so medical school will be years down the line-if ever especially as shes bragging that she is taking the online class for him. .. a bit of a different story than told here.

Great detective work and very interesting....
LOL

Then again, let the girl go. She's proud of her husband. Army life is hard, including for the dependents. Trust me, I've been there!!! 22 years US Army depenent wife and it wasn't always easy. I have seen many many many relationships break up and end in divorce, mostly becaus of the stresses caused by separation (and anxiety).

If things work out and her husband does become a doctor, perhaps he will open his own practice and hire her. I've seen that too.



Danni

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

But the girl lied,Danni,or may have so she has no business giving any kind of advice on any websites. I am surprised you didn't comment on her post where she claims to have done pap smears by herself,or gave lidocaine injections. If that is the truth then she BROKE THE LAW. That needs to be pointed out for any who read it and think they can get away with it also.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: MA

Agree - I'm a military spouse and feel no need to lie about what my husband does or what I do. Sure life is hard, but telling people my husband is a PA (which he is not tho he can function at a very advanced level in the prehospital setting) or in med school (tho he has thought about going to the military's medical school) does not make life any easier.

And, if he does decide to further his education, I darn sure won't be doing his work for him!

Are You Still In School? not yet

Are You Working? yes - not as an MA

Whoopsie....

this post is going to get longer than anybody of us anticipated. LOL.

DG, you are absolutely right -- and thank you for taking me by the collar to shake me for trying to keep any tempers from flaring...

Okay... I'll comment:

It is clearly outside of the medical assistant's scope of practice to inject lidocane -- but she did indicate this in her own post so I felt there was no need to pointi it out. Lidocane injection is a big No No!

When it comes to the PAP smear (Papanicolaou test) only the physician (or nurse practitioner) obtains the vaginal specimen!!! The medical assistant's role is to set up for the procedure and clean up afterward. Once the specimen has been obtained by the doctor/nurs the medical assistant is allowed to dip the saturated cotton-tipped applicator into the saline solution on the slide and fixate the slide. It's her job to see to it the specimen is sent to the lab(immediately).

Also the MA records the procedure in the patient chart.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

thanks ladies, I agree! There no excuse to lie.
Personally I hate being lied to. Even though intellectually I know people lie because they don't think their "accomplishments" (or husband, life, whatever)is good enough as it really actually is, it still makes me feel mad!

However as Danni said, I was going along with giving her a pass for the sake of peace.

Probably many of the things she said she did in the doctors office are a exaggeration or distortion as well.

Well put Cindy. We see eye to eye.

In retrospect I see that as a group we handled this situation very well. We all agree that Lidocaine injection and obtaining the PAP smear sample are not within the scope of practice, but on the other hand, we understand that sometimes people exaggerate for whatever reason, and we were willing to overlook this in the true spirit of kindness.

I get a sense that we are all very proud to have a place such as this - the only medical assistasnt message board with a true sense of community - and we know that it is okay to correct someone, or politely put them into their place if needed - but we would NEVER flame someone or be "wise guys".

I've seen that happen in other web forums and I think it is horrible. If you asked me, anybody who is in the medical assistant profession should be able to post here, and we should ALWAYS be willing to lend a helping hand. So far, as a group, we have this very well (including the people who run the Yahoo group for medical assistants -- they too have done a FINE job with it for several years now!)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Danni

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

s wondering what all the ncct test cover's and do i really need to purchase the study guide because most of the student that took it say it was all what the teacher covered and say whatwas going to be on the test

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Medical Assistant

Are You Still In School? yes i graduate wait may 14th 2007 I go on my exterm site may 16th but i have been going to the podiatrist office working for free every day.

Are You Working? just shallowing at the podiatrist office every day after school