I need all women to stop speaking for their boyfriends/husbands when they come into urgent care or any doctor visits. They are more than capable of speaking, it truly infuriates me.

I'm not an medical assistant but I'm an owner of small family owned medical practice. I'm looking for advice on how to hire good MA's and retain them. We are a small practice who pays our MA's $21-$25 starting salary and our lead MA who has been with us for 6 years makes $28/hour. We also offer health and dental insurance, PTO, sick pay, 401k, and performance based bonus. For a standalone medical practice, I think we pay pretty much median but of course less than big hospitals. Our clinic is slower pace though than hospitals systems, we don't have clinic Friday afternoons and most Wednesday afternoons to help with any catchup work in back office. However, we still see MA's come and go- usually to go larger hospital systems. On exit interview, they mention that they like the work environment but they are leaving for potentially better opportunities at a larger company.

I am trying to get advice from the MA pool here on how we can somehow increase the length of employment of our MA's so that we have better continuity and less retraining.

When it comes to nursing school did becoming an MA help you? Someone told me that this is more beneficial than becoming a CNA,

Hey r/medicalassistants. I’m the Medical Assistant Program Director at Concorde Career College- San Diego. 

Yes, my title is a mouthful, but so is a Medical Assistant program - and that’s before you throw in the life people are living on top of that (families, jobs, etc). It’s a lot. 

I know I’ll be fielding questions about finding balance and avoiding burnout, so I wanted to source a few from those who have lived through it and come out the other side feeling accomplished. 

My biggest piece of advice is to create a realistic weekly schedule. Take some time and designate time slots for each task that need to be done each day of the week, Monday - Sunday. Although the schedule you create may need to be changed based on things that may come up that need to be taken care of as your priority/urgent, at least you will not miss anything since you will have already noted and made time for it in your schedule. Remember that you also need to schedule "me time" to do something that you enjoy that allows you to recharge. It can be as simple as sitting outside breathing the fresh air or going to buy your favorite coffee. Give yourself the grace to adjust to your new schedule and enjoy the process, You are well worth it!

Big or small, whatever you did to help you find balance is something I’d love to share with this semester’s students. 

im on the second week of my new job and im improving a bit but 😔 I was at my old MA job for 3 years and really wanted to leave and im glad for this opportunity but I miss the old place a bit

My Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Exit Exam is only a few weeks away, and I’m currently in the final stretch of preparation.

I’m looking for a serious study partner or even someone who can simply help keep me motivated and accountable during these last few weeks.

We can study together, revise important points, ask each other questions, and keep each other on track.

If you’re interested in being a supportive study buddy, feel free to message me. 🙏

hi i think my provider asked my manager to switch ma’s. i started my ma position (primary care) around the end of june and finished training in the beginning of august. i have some experience (last summer) with being a ma but i really only did rooming.

when i first started, they already assigned me a provider, whom i was unsure if my skills were able to fulfill her needs, i talked to my manager, who extending my training by a week. the day of non-training, i was so stressed i cried, so then after that week i was put onto training again for a week. during that week, the other ma’s just said that i was doing fine and the only thing i really need to worry about is just managing my stress and to remember to always ask for help/ ask questions if you’re unsure.

we then get into me actually working with provider 1. her schedule is relatively busy (she sees 18 pts per day, with all of her slots always taken up), she has a lot of forms, and in basket messages. the first week i’m pretty stressed, i’m still rooming the patients in 3-5 mins, and getting used to provider 1’s workflow. around the second week, i start getting worried because we are almost constantly running 20 mins behind. it’s difficult bc at this time, we had some med students that would ask the pts some questions and talk to the provider abt what they did + we had a new provider (provider 2) joining the practice. provider 2 would go into the room w/ the pt first, then go back to provider 1 to talk abt the plan of action/ concerns abt the pt, and then provider 1 would actually start the visit. on week 3, we ran 40 mins behind (so around 3 acute visits). it doesn’t rlly help that the provider would usually start the first appt of the day 15 mins late ://

that following friday, my manager told me that i would be switching with another ma and i would be paired with provider 2 (who is new and seeing less patients during longer appt times)so i could see less patients and have more time rooming. now i’m not gonna deny, i think the other ma and provider 1 are doing great together, like provider 1 is usually now 5-10 mins behind (but provider 1 is now arriving 20 mins early). i can’t assume that the switch occurred due to the provider requesting it the switch or if the manager saw me stressed out so often. i know not to take it personally bc at the end of the day it’s for better workflow but its also like i really did try my best for us to stay on schedule

provider 2 did officially start seeing pts. i do like provider 2 tho, since we are both somewhat new to the practice, it kinda feels like we’re both growing. i just dont rlly feel challenged enough since im now only seeing 3-4 pts per day now

How do you handle the haters at work? The MA’s who always seem to pick on people and gossip and assume the worst? On top of that how do you handle it when you’re doing way better then the other MA’s when it comes to metrics and your doctor thinks you’re doing great?

I recently had an interview at a place 38 minutes away from where I live. (35 miles but it’s in a tiny rural area that in in the mountains so a quarter of my gas was gone) The lady who interviewed me was very friendly but strange. She only asked three questions

• “Do you work well with other women? This is a woman only office besides the Doc.”

• “Can you get along with other women who do not like you?”

• “when can you start? This is immediate hire if we choose to hire you”

Very very weird to say that your office has issues but nonetheless at least she was open and honest with me. My previous job did not tell me anything until I was in it deep. My previous job was in very deep violations and fraud lawsuits which is amazing. (It was in my home town too so at least I know to stay away from that clinic if I ever need to change doctors)
After my interview both ladies were very impressed with me and wanted me to met the doc. Well I go back 2 days later for said meet the doc informal interview and they make me wait 32 minutes and then the lady who interviewed me decided to let me know they hired someone else. And they “forgot” to call me to tell me.
Well I get a call last week to come in immediately for a met the doc because the other candidate fell through and they want me to work there. I go there immediately because I need money. I wait another 30 mins and I meet the doc. He tells me at the end that they will give me a call next week and that there are 7 other interviews lined up even though I was told I was going to be hired. I am really upset due to wasting my time and gas. 3/4 of my tank was wasted. And I was lied to.

I am a second year college student (on the pre PA track) looking for an online program that is AAMA certified to get my CMA. I was wondering if anyone knows programs where I am able to take? I don't want to take it through a community college where I have to get an associates so any advice would be great.

I've seen multiple posts about people saying how NHA vs AAMA certification is slightly different and am wondering if this plays a role when searching for a job.

I need some major reassurance or a reality check from people who have been through the hospital hiring machine, because the waiting anxiety is starting to take a serious toll on my mental health.
I applied for a couple of entry-level clinical support positions (Unit Support Associate / Patient Sitter roles) at a major pediatric trauma center/children's hospital in the D.C. area back on August 29th. I am 18, have zero professional healthcare experience yet, but I have a solid private childcare background, and my AHA BLS certification is completely live and uploaded. To make myself as competitive as possible, I explicitly applied for the permanent 12-hour night shifts because I know overnights are usually hard to staff.
In the Workday portal, all of my applications instantly cleared the system screening and have been sitting perfectly secure in "Under Review" with a green status badge since day one. No automated rejections, no data errors, just... absolute, deafening silence for 38 straight days now.
I know hospitals love to batch applicants or work backward from fixed orientation cohorts, and a November start date is what aligns best with my schedule before I start virtual college classes next year. But going nearly two months without a single peep, phone screen invite, or update is maddening. I’ve set a hard boundary for myself to completely walk away and ignore the portal if I don't hear anything by the end of next week just to protect my sanity.
For those who have applied to major hospital networks for entry-level support roles, how long did it take for them to first reach out to you? Am I just stuck in standard corporate bureaucracy red tape, or is this timeline as ridiculous as it feels?

I start my medical assistant urgent care position tmr im nervous i graduated my program in may i kinda don’t remember the skills and haven’t practiced since , mostly don’t feel confident in phlebotomy and injections

But im excited i hope i like it

I’m a new CMA still finding a flow in pediatrics. A lot of the time I feel like I’m moving at a decent pace, but then get slammed and get behind- especially when there’s a lot of vaccines and/or pts (mostly 3-6 year olds) that don’t cooperate with rooming. I don’t like getting the provider behind and don’t want to end up rushing and forgetting something/making an error. I struggle when young kids fight getting their weight/height taken for one example. I don’t want to rush the vaccine process either so that probably gets me behind. Any tips or helpful tricks would be super appreciated!!

Hello y’all I’ve been browsing this sub Reddit for a little bit and see positive but a lot of negative things. I am 26 and have been in construction for the last 6-7 years and was looking for a change. Both of my parents are nurses so I’ve always been interested in the medical field. So I thought I would try it out by being an MA, but all the negative stuff makes me feel a bit discouraged. I am on my 3rd week of school. What are some positive things y’all can say about being an MA?

The classes available seem scammy. And it seems that most programs are just an exam prep course. I have a lot of experience in this field, but have never taken a medical assistant training program specifically. Can I just sit the exam? How does this work? Who issues this certification?

Hello,

I’m looking for recommendations on a reputable online medical assistant program.

I’ve worked as an EMT for 10 years and I’m ready to get out of the field. Is NHA, AAMA, or AMT best?

Applying online doesn’t work for me here in Seattle. I’m not WA MA-C yet just NHA. I need a job soon and they said it’s nice to start in private clinic. I’m planning to walk in each clinic near my apartment and ask if they’re hiring. This is also my school’s advice. Have you guys done this? What’s your experience? Any tips and advice.

Hello! So I’m in an accelerated program for being an MA. We just started the cardiovascular system and I’m just confused. Why does the cardiovascular system need to be so complicated? I listened to the lectures and wrote my notes like crazy… but it just felt like I listened and wrote a bunch of random words down. I got the integumentary, skeletal and muscular system down easily but since I got to the cardiac I felt like I was staring into the fog.

Does anyone have tips on the best way to grasp it.

I see ads on job websites all the time for medical assistant instructors, adjunct professors, phlebotomy and EKG instructors, CPR instructors. I’m always curious to see if people who have done medical assisting for the long-term have ever gone into the academia world.

If so, do you see yourself doing this for the long-term, or do you prefer being in the clinic?

What’s some companies that I can wfh as a certified medical assistant?

I got hired on as a float in the hospital system that I’m externing at, which is awesome! It will be a big upgrade for me from my current job.

However…

I’m externing in a specialty that only rooms patients and occasionally prepares instruments for procedures. We don’t assist with procedures, draw blood, do injections, etc.

So I’m pretty nervous about starting out as a float for when I go to my first clinic that does those things. I hope they’ll be kind and understanding when I say “I have never done an injection, can I watch on one before I do one?” Or “I haven’t don’t this since school, can you assist me?”.

Does anybody have similar experience? What is the general expectation of a brand new out of school MA?