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discouraged and mad

I am a student at Medical Careers Institute i richmond, virginia. I will be graduating in October as a Medical Assistant , and i will have an associates degree in applied sciences. Today i met a lady at a medical staffing agency ans she told me that a medical assistant is nothing but a CNA. She said that they lie to us and make us think will be MA's but we will only be CNA's and wiping peoples butts. SHe made me so mad. There is nothing wrong with CNA work, but thats not what i have been in school for this long. She went on and on and said that her friend went to school to be an MA and works at nursing home as a CNA. Can someone please tell me that she is lying.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: MA

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? not yet

Re: discouraged and mad

Congrats on your degree! A lot of hard work and you should be very proud.
CNA's have much different training here in Calif. They work in nursing homes and hospitals. Medical Assistants typically work in physician offices and clinics and prepare the patients for exams and assist the physician. You should be able to give injections, assist with minor surgical procedures, draw blood, do routine lab work- UA, Strep Screens, and other CLIA waived tests. You are a vital component of the office and if you have front office training you can do insurance billing, scheduling and many more front office duties. You are not a CNA. They are also some of the hardest working with the most delicate population and they also deserve a pat on the back and a big hug.
Good luck and find another agency.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA- Regional Occupational Program- Clinical Medical Assisting Instructor

Are You Working? Yes

Re: discouraged and mad

hey

that can't be true
i'm student but i also know that cna's and ma's don't do the same thing. both are trained differently

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Medical Assistant Student

Are You Still In School? Yes

Are You Working? NO

Re: discouraged and mad

Totally different!!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: M.A., EMT-P, MSNE,

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

Re: discouraged and mad

cna's and ma's are totally different.
ma education/training is geared to work in doctors office setting..assisting with exams,giving injections, drawing blood etc.
cna education/training is geared to work in a hospital or nursing home. Their duties usually include assisting with the "adl's"..activity of daily living..dressing, bathing, feeding, vitals of the pt.
I have never seen a cna work in a doctors office or a ma in a nursing home.
l.lopez lpn

Your Professional Title/Credentials: lpn

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

Re: discouraged and mad

I think this can be overcome in how you present yourself. Down playing your training and credentials is the modest thing to do. While you are job hunting, your skills and training are yours to promote. Even seemingly minor skills like summarizing and solution proposals from writing classes, while not directly related to your degree, are part of your training package. You should go over your curriculum and categorize all skills you have learned and list them on your resume. If possible use examples of skills you acquired in an externship or prior work history.

Who am I kidding, my program starts this fall

Your Professional Title/Credentials: working on it

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Re: discouraged and mad

Regrading:

She said that they lie to us and make us think will be MA's but we will only be CNA's and wiping peoples butts.



She is an idiot... Whhoops, I'm sorry it slipped. Now I'll go stand in the corner!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Re: discouraged and mad

Medical assistants and CNA's are not the same... From my experience in various areas of the health care field a medical assistant would have a hard time adjusting as a CNA, and a CNA would have a hard time adjusting as a medical assistant were they to switch places for a few days without any additional training.

Without going into the details as to what a CNA does (bedside care) here are the medical assistant's responsibilities. CNA's are NOT trained to do the following, and it is not part of their daily routine:

Prepare and file medical records and patient charts
Maintain medical records usin numeric or alphabetic systems (color coded tabs)
Adhere to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996
Perform inventory control and ordering supplies
Maintain office equipment
Manage an account for petty cash
Post service charges and payments
Gather community resources
Prepare and maintain appointment books
Sterilize and wrap instruments
Prepare the examination room
Record body measurements and vital signs
Assist with the physical examinations
Assist with therapeutic procedures
Administer injections
Collect and preserve specimens
Perform simple STAT laboratory tests on collected specimens
Handle telephone calls and requests
Compose business correspondence
Transcribe dictated documents
Review and explain doctor's instructions (patient education)
Respond to medical office emergencies and administer basic first aid

So, the lady is ver very wrong! But I apologize for calling her an idiot. She probably never looked into this, and was just assuming or guessing. However, to make these "top-of-the-head" assumption and turn potential medical assistants off, or away from the profession is very unprofessional. That's probably why I called her what I called her in my post above.

I have strong feelings about such unprofessional behavior toward the community and professional incompetence.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Web Site Owner/Site Admin

Re: discouraged and mad

I am a CNA and a MA student. The woman who said you would be working as a CNA does know anything! They are completely different occupations. As a CNA, I work in a nursing home and provide basic hands on patient care. I am in school to get away from "wiping butts", but I do have to say there is much more involved than just that. CNA's become family to the residents they interact with each day. We are the ones who hold their hand when they are dying. We are the ones who give a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. We are the ones who give just a little more each day.

Sorry to vent, but had to say CNA's do more than most realize.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CNA/MA student

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? yes