I have been doing medical transcription for the past 5 years. I am planning to go to school in September to become a medical assistant. I might be able to replace some of my credits (the MT and Keyboarding) with something else and was thinking about going ahead and getting the phlebotomy degree/certificate. I'm thinking if I do that it might raise my pay scale because I will have the MT, MA, and phlebotomy. I also would like to take a Spanish course online, but I will probably wait until I'm done with school to do that. Will all of this raise my pay scale, or will it be just a big waste of my time and energy. Should I just go for the MA? The course does have phlebotomy in it but not to the full extent of taking the phlebotomy course.

Please note that I am not expecting to make much. I think around here the pay for a MA is between $11-$14 or $15/hour. I'm happy with that, but would like to make the most I can make.

What do you think? Will I be putting too much on myself for nothing?

Are You Working? Work as an MT at home

There is a good chance you may. Not to sound rude,but are you ignoring all the posts on here that say it ISN'T worth it? When people say they are applying and applying and nothing is coming out of it,it generally means something and it isn't all necessarily something wrong they are doing. If you don't have an impressive resume,even if it was professionally done,you can't force anyone to give you an interview. If you live in an area that has a dozen MA schools that are sending out groups of students every few months that are all competing for the same few jobs that are advertised,then the odds are high that you may have difficulty finding something. To think that having a few other skills such as phlebotomy will up your pay isn't realistic,it doesn't happen. You wrote that you "think" the pay rate for MAs is a certain amount in your area. That shows that you're not sure and you need to find OUT for sure before you get into this and then discover that a lot of jobs expect you to take $8-$9 an hour. You say you don't expect to make much but if you have a loan bill hanging over your head monthly,after awhile you may need to.

Try to talk to some ex students where you want to go to school,the ones that are still going to it a year later to meet with the job coordinator or to scan the unadvertised job ads that are posted on a wall there,as well as with any who found a job quickly. That truly is the BEST way of finding out what to expect.

Actually, I have been ignoring those posts because they don't apply to my area. There are always jobs posted for MA's, they just don't list the pay. Also, some of the jobs don't require that you be experienced. All they say is that GED or diploma is preferred. I have considered just applying for these jobs before going to school but I would feel more comfortable with experience/schooling.

There was an MA/phlebotomist that I talked to yesterday when I went to get labs done and she said she's been working for 26 years and is only making $20 some thousand a year, and she said for me not to do it, that I should just go for my LPN or RN. Those are not options for me right now because of the schedule. I know for a fact that where she works they pay $10/hour for MAs. I know this because my friend who is an LPN works there and told me. She only makes $13/hour as an LPN. This place is a community health care center in WV, and I know from experience that MD pays much more. A while back I applied for a registration position in WV in a hospital and they only offered $9/hour and then I applied for the same exact position in MD and I got paid $13.40/hour. There is a big difference between the two states and I only had to drive an extra 10 minutes.

I guess I will just have to ask the MD yahoo message boards and try to find an MA to ask. I just figured if I did both courses it would give me more options as far as working in either a hospital or office. Also I figure it might raise my pay scale because I would be able to fill in at the lab too if I work in an office.

Are You Working? Work as an MT at home

Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do. You have the right attitude. Just keep doing the research.