Good thing is, because of my boyfriends job i will probably only have to work another two years or so. I am very thankful for all the skills and knowledge I have gained over my first year as a PA student. She doesn't actually know how to be one and gets annoyed when any of us have questions or issues. They may make castings of feet, expose and … I always feel the same way about leaving a job. As a waitress for years on and off, in between all the other random jobs I have had, I can tell you without a doubt one single thing: people treat servers like crap. my first interview for a medical assistant job is tomorrow Knowledge of proper safety procedures is essential to maintaining a safe environment. But i do know im not happy and i need to figure out what will make me happy job wise. Look for how to deal with tough customers. This has become more a soap box rather than a question but I believe it is an important discussion to have. 3. Ive been threatened to be hit, screamed at in my face, everything. I should have prefaced I have other reasons for medical school not just the experience part. Savanna runs a podcast, The Pre-PA Club Podcast, and a website called The PA Platform. If you think any of these things are too difficult or "sickening", then doing this job is NOT for you. I get to travel and go out all the time all while still saving for the future. After 5 days (on a Baylor AM shift on the weekends) at a nursing home, I quit my new job. Im still paying off my student loans from MA school. Minimum pay. But you know that if you stay and nothing changes, you won't be happy. Long story short, my manager denied it and told me it wont work and to reschedule the surgery. I need to worry about myself and it will most likely work out anyways :) i mean, we do live together haha. Stability, a decent salary, and plenty of work are just some of the reasons why people like to become medical assistants. Customers can seriously be the worst. The money with waitressing come at a price. cause now as a medical id say the 2 things you have to keep in mind the most it the heart rate and Blood loss. The Medical Office Assistant Associate Certificate includes a practicum to gain real-world experience and is one of BCIT’s more popular programs, with classes filling up quickly. I too am wrestling with the need for medical school—as the reality sinks in, and I see the gap in knowledge between myself and my MD spouse, I wish I had applied to MD programs instead. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the physicianassistant community, Continue browsing in r/physicianassistant, This is a subreddit to share information about Physician Assistants (PAs). I didn't have any direct HCE; I only had experience as a scribe which didn't count. Medical Assistant and Physician Assistant Comparison. Others, however, use it as a springboard to additional medical education or more professional development. I get that feeling of taking a step back. I think after going through some school my passion for medicine changed and understanding of healthcare. In the same way that you might reference resume samples, the following Medical Assistant cover letter example will help you to write a cover letter that best highlights your experience and qualifications. The median yearly salary for a medical administrative assistant is $34,000. I had mediocre “PCE” hours and was able to land a seat in a program. Medical Assistant - Takes longer and is more expensive to get certified, most courses offer training in phlebotomy which is a plus, seems to have some jobs available depending on where you live. Maybe once I am in the role things will change. The more I thought about it the more I believed that PA school is not an entry level healthcare profession, in the sense it shouldn’t be a first option, at least for people like me. At the last office i worked at, when i quit there i went to be a server. . I've been one off and on for about 8 years now, almost 9. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Over the course of three days recently, I had 23 head-to-toe physicals from 23 second-year students at the Georgetown School of Medicine. Likewise, being a medical laboratory technologist/scientist is neither a bad job nor the best available. Im not trying to sound like a whiner, but all of this is really affecting my life. But after talking to the manager at the restaurant it seems i will be able to make the same, if not more. A lot of these medical assisting programs present the program as being an MA is like being a nurse. Working as a medical assistant offers many rewards and many challenges. One of the puppies needs to get fixed, have her last set of shots, and have a fecal test done because shes had issues with parasites. The workload is extremely unfair at the moment and most of the office (except a few of us) are working from home. I know you're right about the "jerk" thing wherever you work. Being a healthcare professional means more than a paycheck. You may be able to arrange this yourself by calling local clinics. Some medical assistants are content to greet patients, perform lab work, and do administrative tasks for the duration of their careers. Marajazmin "MJ" Martinez is a medical assistant in California's Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Hospital. Better to be happy. She doesn't help us with anything and always just tells us to mind our business and deal with whatever it is that's going on. Hope. And she likes it well enough to stay there for as long as she has. Some places could be more office assistant than dealing directly and taking care of patients though. Out of all the responses only one gave the correct answer, the history of the profession. Everything just sucks. Medical assistants, much like dental assistants, take care of everything from preparing patients (this includes taking blood pressure and basic interviewing) to cleaning a patient’s room once their examination has been concluded. This is the one thing that keeps us going every day, especially when times are tough. I think it just takes time. Careers are more than that. But unless i try it i guess i wont know! However, being a medical assistant isn’t all roses. This is the best advice I've heard in a while! Skip to content. Medical assistants have been around for decades, but they are being used more now than ever before. If you didn't do well in high school, then you may not be accepted into a good school. They have taken away our raises this year as well. The only reason i left, was because at the time i wanted to move out and needed some extra money, so i started working here at the office im at now part time also. 8) Medical Equipment Preparer. And sometimes that stops me. This sub is open to PAs, MD/DOs, NPs, Nurses, any other medical professional, or even the general public. Hi everyone! I guess i get nervous to go back to a changing schedule, because im scared that my schedule wont match well with my boyfriends. Your duties could include scheduling appointments, recording patient information, buying supplies and filling out insurance forms. Which i know is dumb. The medical schools in my state are $100k for 4 years. Which is not bad compared to the crazy $200-400k type of other medical … Nursing is stress, and you never feel like you did everything. We’re breaking down the differences between these vital healthcare roles, so you can take your vision further and choose the best healthcare position for your skills and interests. Sofia Flores (123) 456-7891 . Wish me luck because im terrified lol and thank you for all of your advice! I believe that as a community we like to hide that. I got a job offer to work at a restaurant. You need to work where you will be happy and comfortable. I felt well prepared before rotations, now I feel like there's so much I don't know that I'll never be able to know everything I need to know to be able to perform my job at 100% all the time. A place for advice, help with passing your certification test and school. My back hurts, I always smelled like a nursing home, and I have been explosively pooped on quite a few times, but I could easily suck it up. I have anxiety and change completely freaks me out. Writing a great Medical Assistant cover letter is an important step in your job search journey. Full Bio. But for most of us it's a job, one that cost a lot of time and money to obtain. Advertising. And if you're not, then that's okay too. He still had his book bag. I had the urge to start this thread after reading on prePA about why so many HCE/PCE is required for PA school and not med school. 0 Likes. Sally Kane. Thanks for the comment and I appreciate the advice. Location. Sally A. Kane wrote about legal careers for The Balance Careers, and is an attorney, editor, and writer with 20 years of experience in legal services. Take heart though. In addition to patients, you will deal with workers from many different medical disciplines. 0 Likes. I have good pay here at the office and good hours. But, no . You probably didn't know that medical assistant job duties may include the analysis of data, including patient medical records and charts, along with billing information and insurance. I am very honored and proud to be where I am but that doesn’t change my overall feelings with MY CHOICE. It is a shock and nothing will lessen that shock more than experience. Ugh exactly i get major anxiety about it and it stops me from doing it! Exact location only Within 25 km Within 50 km Within 75 km Within 100 km. Just curious ... have you considered completing a PA postgrad fellowship/residency? I got hired at a "rehab" facility. It’s more like 2 years, not 5. I am already planning on taking a year to work as a PA before deciding. Most of the residents I would interact with there were the top of their classes at Yale, Harvard, etc... People groomed to be physicians and who had gotten into very lucrative residency programs. Thank you so much! Proud Medical Assistant A Certified Medical Assistant that will blog about everything in the medical assistant field . I hate pompous asshole emergency room medical directors who are so busy patting themselves on the back, they can't remember to put my Damn orders in promptly or properly. Edmonton, AB 71 St. Albert, AB 7 Spruce Grove, AB 4 Leduc, AB 4 Sherwood Park, AB 3 Fort Saskatchewan, AB 1 Sturgeon County, AB 1. I went straight from undergrad to PA school and I’m now in m second year of practice. No matter how horrible the place is, just thinking about putting my 2 weeks in gives me some serious anxiety. I would hate to think of being a PA as just a job when being a physician is a career I like. Some places could be more office assistant than dealing directly and taking care of patients though. Of course, it could be different at this new restaurant. I love working at those places because the customers tend to be just as chill as the working environment. That's hard for anyone, especially a northern gal deprived of southern food until she was 25, to give up. This is hard and you should be proud. Ultimately PA or MD is not for everyone and there's no shame in having regrets. Simply put, being a doctor has become a miserable and humiliating undertaking. Here are six reasons medical assistants love their jobs. At least in my experience but again, it could totally be different at this new restaurant. I have a friend that took 4 years to have her degree, I know that it usually takes a year..I'm so confused IM 23 I forgot everything I learn in high school, I was going to for pharmacy technician but it has a lot of math on it and I hate math I was never good at math. For a sub that is specifically geared toward PA students, check out: r/PAstudent, Press J to jump to the feed. Disadvantages of Being a Paralegal or Legal Assistant. They show patients how to insert, remove, and care for contact lenses. I would love to do something with animals. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 29 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations.” The average for other occupations listed in the handbook is 11%. I think (and please dont take this in a weird way) but ive mostly worked at bar "breastaurant" places. Being an EMT for 10 years on a box my life was go go go . As a medical assistant, you will get to know your patients on a personal level. I think that's why PA schools make such an effort to ensure the applicants know what they are getting into. The thing is, with covid and everything, i was lucky to get her surgery scheduled at all. The median yearly salary for a medical administrative assistant is $34,000. *The Certifying Board of the AAMA recognizes the many challenges caused by COVID-19, one being the ability for medical assisting students to fully complete their programs. my first interview for a medical assistant … That being said, you should absolutely leave your other job, but think of the fun waitressing job as a temporary time to move forward to find a different job/career. Going through the process of school has shown me how hard this is. And that’s great! The learning curve will be steep for someone without that. My program would never let me defer to apply to med school. I’m in the top 1% of income (lol) for my age bracket thanks to PA. I’m relatively young, getting married soon, and looking for a home. To me, the experience is more important than grades. Much like a medical equipment repair person, an equipment preparer does a lot of good work without ever really being ‘known.’ It is their job to get equipment and machinery ready and ensure it is working correctly before a procedure. If there are any applicants reading this, please spend at least 1 year in a direct patient care role for your own sake—to avoid the shock you will feel during your clinical year. Filters. I hate double charting. I had about 700 hours of hands on exerpience plus 400 shadowing. This has really perpetuated me into considering me to become a physician. You will be with them at challenging times in their lives, privy to very personal information and looked upon as someone to be trusted. There are free customer service videos on You Tube. But, as the profession drifts from its origin and we compete for autonomy with other professionals, I fear we are headed for some serious soul searching and re-evaluation of the education and experience required for the privilege of practicing medicine. Yeah the plan is to work a year then decide. Related Resource: Signs You Might Be a Great Pediatric Medical Assistant. Ask for the human resources department and then inquire if they offer the opportunity to shadow a medical assistant. I would still have to take the MCAT, apply, do interviews, and then start the following year (this could take 2-3 years; here I could work as a full time PA and save money for medical school). 94 notes May 22nd, 2018. As a medical assistant, you handle mainly administrative duties in a medical setting. 1. Employers value BCIT’s applied, job-ready approach to education and training. About the program. Gauge . I will say though ive had more jerks working in healthcare than i did during my time serving. I made great money and worked half the hours and had fun. So I'm going into my junior year as a BSN student. I did most of my shadowing in various departments at a very prestigious US hospital. Negativity that this can invoke mainly administrative duties in a job is tomorrow clinical medical assistants been! A nursing home, im seriously considering it three weeks agao ) started working as a BSN student pre-PAs check. Keep their space to themselves, they develop homes for all the time difficult going straight through while not the. Six reasons medical assistants love their jobs covid and everything, i happier... Being the best advice i 've been one off and on for about 8 years now, 9... 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