Genuine question because our clinic just offered a 40-cent annual raise like it's 2005.

Between rooming 25+ patients a day, wrestling with prior authorizations, and drowning in patient portal messages, I’m completely fried. A coworker left a few months ago to do per diem/float pool coverage across local urgent cares and clinics, and she told me she's making almost $6 more an hour just picking up days when she actually wants to work.

For those of you working as an MA: is per diem or PRN work steady enough in your area to ditch a set 9–5 clinic schedule, or do you keep a staff job and just pick up shifts on the side? What are hourly rates looking like around you right now?

I’ve been reading posts in this subreddit from people in a similar situation: recently CCMA-certified, with no prior experience, and waiting for an externship that seems unlikely to happen. At this point, I just want to get hired and gain experience, even if that means a steep learning curve, low pay, and on-the-job training.

Has anyone completed an online program without an externship, prior experience, or clinical training and still found a job as a CCMA or CMA? I’m worried it could take months to get placed in an externship, or that my school, AeCT, might essentially ghost me.

I'm in East/Central Florida, btw. Certification isn’t even required to work. I just don’t have any experience beyond my education, and I'm most likely going to change my major from Health Sciences to nursing.

I need some advice. Please help ):

Hello,

Pretty much what the title says - since I’m a medical assistant I don’t have an NPI. My provider recommended I use open evidence but I used all my free searches.

For context: I just started writing clinical notes (the stuff I can write obviously) for my new job in an office for a surgeon. Primarily office is used for consults, pre-op, and postop visits. The providers asked me to bold relevant/concerning info in the Hx, FHx, PSHx, HPI, allergies, and medications sections. They obviously go through the entire note and bold things that they consider relevant/concerning if I don’t and let me know (I’ve started a running list and eventually I’ll be able to recognize stuff that commonly comes up), but they recommended as I learn to ask on OpenEvidence about medications, which ones need to be held preop/ postop, etc. I went through all my free options for open evidence and was wondering if there is another reliable ai medical site that people use that does not require a NPI number. Please let me know!

today we had an rn float to my clinic to help out cuz otherwise I'd have been by myself. she drew a testosterone on a needle-phobic patient and if youve not drawn testosterone, you're supposed to draw into a plain red top, centerfuge, and then aliquot the serum into a transfer tube.

so she got the blood but instead of aliquoting the serum into a transfer tube (which were conveniently above where the centerfuge is in a cabinet labeled TRANSFER TUBES), she put it in a purple top. not only that but it was hemolyzed to shit.

she also left the lab a mess. i had a dr appt in the afternoon and she was floating til i got back, so she left about 3. we closed at 4. the lab was in such disarray that i almost broke down into tears. samples and reqs were everywhere. samples were placed in the wrong bags. orders placed to the wrong labs (we have standing orders for routine sti labs we can order.) i was there fixing her shit until 6 pm. never in my life have i seen such incompetence.

she's been an rn for 25 years, and has worked for my company for like 10 (she started as rn, promoted to manager, then she decided to go back to just being an rn).

Hi guys I'm currently in a dilemma right now sos. I have done most of my pre reqs for my MA program and about to sign up for the main lectures and externships, basically I'm halfway through. I'm currently working as a server at sushi restaurant and get paid from $25 to $40 an hour after tips. The tips here are every inconsistent. The week where i got paid $40 an hour was when I ran my ass off because we were under staffed as well so tips were majorly split to me.
Anyway, MAs in my area get paid around $20 to $35. Is it worth it to pursue the certification and work as an MA while in nursing school? I know that i will not have time to do both MA and server because I'm also taking 18 units at school. I'm a sophomore right now and I really need a job that can pay both my rent and tuition. Which being server does accomplish that but the pay is not consistent at all.
Should I be choosing a consistent lower pay (MA) or a "higher" pay (server) but not guaranteed I'll always make a lot of money from?

Hi!! This is part rant, part question, and probably way too long, so I'm sorry in advance. 😅

I recently finished months of schooling, passed my certifications (RMA, phlebotomy, and BLS), and completed six LONG weeks of unpaid externship.

I was fortunate enough to land at a clinic where I was thrown into hands-on patient care from DAY ONE.

I learned rooming, vitals, immunizations, injections, phlebotomy, and so much more. I was actually DOING the things I spent months in school learning.

My first injection? I was shaking like a leaf. 😂 By my 50th, I was confidently drawing up and administering medications under supervision.

My confidence went from 0 to 100 during those six weeks. I went from being terrified of making mistakes to genuinely loving what I was doing.

The clinic where I completed my externship even called and told me they would hire me back in a heartbeat if I ever went back for my ADN. That meant the WORLD to me because I worked incredibly hard to earn that confidence.

Fast-forward to my first actual job as an RMA.

I was essentially told that they don't trust me to do ANYTHING yet.

No rooming patients. No vitals. No hands-on clinical responsibilities for a while, or until I've met their expectations.

And here's what really bothers me: this wasn't even a conversation with my manager or my actual trainer. It was another employee casually telling another while we were walking around.

I completely understand that every clinic has expectations. I understand being new, needing supervision, and having to earn trust. I don't expect to walk in and immediately be given free rein.

But how am I supposed to demonstrate my abilities if I'm not being given the opportunity to demonstrate them?

I've specifically asked for hands-on training. (After being told I need to show initiative in my training then being told im wrong in how i learn) I've asked to show what I know, work alongside someone, and prove myself under supervision.

I was told no, that they wouldn't train me the way I requested because that wasn't the correct way to do it. 😅

And I know computer work and telephone are important parts of being an MA. I'm not saying they're beneath me. But after spending six weeks actively working with patients, learning, growing, and finally feeling confident in myself, I feel like I've been put right back into the corner as an EXTERN WHO isn't allowed to do anything.

I feel like I've gone from 100 right back to zero.

The hardest part is that I genuinely WANT to work. I WANT to room patients, take vitals, learn the clinic's workflow, and become a productive member of the team.

I'm not asking to skip training. I'm asking to actually be trained and given a chance.

I worked so hard to get here, and instead of feeling excited about finally being an RMA, I left today feeling completely defeated.

So my question to other MAs is:

Is this normal for a new MA, even one who has completed a very hands-on externship? How long were you kept away from direct patient care at your first job?

And at what point is it reasonable to advocate for more hands-on responsibilities without coming across as impatient or unwilling

I genuinely want to succeed here. I just don't want to lose the confidence I worked so hard to build.

Thanks for listening to my rant. 😭

Took it this morning online! It was a little different than what I expected when it came to some questions (might have been the 30 questions not counted) and others were exactly like the practice materials provided by NHA.

I would recommend doing the practice questions (question to definition, definition to question). Get really comfortable with vocab and know the actual full terms and not just their abbreviations. Really know the procedures and what’s expected of an MA in different scenarios but build up your logic of how to approach a question you don’t know especially when they throw you a curveball.

I was very lucky that a lot of the materials were review for me because of my previous experience working in a medical office and taking pre-med courses! This helped when it came to chemicals and perspectives/positioning.

Good luck everyone!!!

edit: i passed!

So this question is for all the females that are in this community. Um if you girls ever had a coughing fit in general does it make your voice sound a little weak right after? Like does it sound like you lost your voice a little bit? I'm only asking because of what I've experienced seeing from my female home health nurse when I was very young when she would occasionally get a coughing fit every now and then. That has fascinated me ever since because at the time I had a tracheostomy tube and was always curious about females throats and how they work compare to mine.

Has anyone been to American Career College in LA?

I’m looking into this school for their Medical Assistant program and would love to hear some feedback about it.

I also would love to hear any experiences from being a Medical Assistant.

Thanks!!! :)

hello all! i am about to finish up my MA courses and want to know where to work. i am becoming an MA because i really wanted to get my foot in the door into healthcare as i want to continue my education and find a new role within healthcare. since i have no experience, i have absolutely no clue where to go.
so far i have a BS in Biology and i was either wanting to become a cardiac perfusionist or something like a rad/mammo tech. to be honest, i am just unsure where i will be the happiest/most fulfilled, so i was hoping that you guys would know of a clinic or speciality that would allow me to explore or learn more about differing career goals within healthcare.

thanks for any advice! i appreciate any insight!

HI, i was wondering if URGENT CARE will drug test the first day of externship or like in the middle of my externship or last day. It is only 1 week long. It would make sense if they did it on the first day but i was wondering if anyone knew? I havnt heard anything of an off site to where we have to go n do one but im just wondering!

Currently I’ve been working as a PT aide for almost a year, a bit of a drive from where I am and it doesn’t pay well. I’m kind of getting tired and bored of working at the clinic, it drains so much of my social energy and the hours are weird.’ I’m also working as a medical assistant right now so I have backup, however I’m debating if I should leave or not since I dont wanna burn my bridges for an LOR? I have a pretty good working relationship with them there.

without being certified? and also part time? im a full time student, pre-pa, I have my cna license if that helps. If anyone knows of any opportunities or clinics that are hiring I would truly appreciate it!

Does anyone know if providence pays relocation to Oregon at all still?

I went through past posts about this and my Professor at my program said we can sit for either RMA or CMA exam but she recommended RMA.

She said there’s not a difference between them but I saw some people saying otherwise.

I still have another semester but just wanted to see which one I should go for.

Thanks

Toxicity, patient load and hands on experience
Faculty and mentorship
Does anyone have any idea ?

Med Scrubs - Best Place?

Hey! Wondering....where is the best place is to buy scrubs? Ive heard Giant Tiger, Walmart, and Salvation Army can be good. I don't want to spend too much. I'm pretty chunky right now, but I plan to lose it. 😆

I really want them to fit well and not make me look all frumpy. I got a few recently that look good on the hanger, but man oh man, when you wear them, you bend and stuff, and whoa, end up having to constantly re-adjust. It's a nightmare. If you know... you know. 😁

Anyways. Thank you so so much in advance! 😊

hi guys i recently realized that i want to make a switch in my life from being a restaurant manager and was looking to going back into the medical field- i had graduated with my cma certification but it expired in 2022 and is past the deadline to just retake the exam so should i retake the ccma course to get my foot back in the door or should i try a different certification option without having to go to community college while im still employed with my current job 😞

Hi! I'm a recent college graduate taking two gap years before applying to medical school. I started a medical assistant position at a pediatric clinic in late September, and I'm trying to figure out whether my experience so far is normal or a red flag. I've also recently received another MA offer, so I'm trying to decide whether I should stay or move on.

During my interview, the manager told me the pay range was $17–19/hour. I asked for $19, and she said she could start me at $18/hour.

Then, she told me she would be happy for us to progress and the next step was a "shadowing day." Naturally, I thought this meant I would get to know the doctor and learn more about the clinic, as I had only visited once for my interview. Before my first day, I'd only submitted the job application paperwork and reviewed the front-desk operations guide. So I arrive and I come to the front desk saying I'm here to shadow, to which the front-end MA looks confused and asks the doctor. The doctor comes to me and says "you're here for shadowing? This is your first day of training." He takes me around, sits me next to the other front-end MA and I suddenly spent the day until closing verifying insurance and checking patients in and out. The manager wasn't in and I had no idea how to stand up for myself or clarify things in that moment. The other MA's are also college students or recent grads and one came up to introduce herself and asked me what my scheulde was, to which I responded "this was supposed to be my shadowing day, I didn't know I'd be handling patients on my own already" and she grimaced and said "yeah, that's how they run things around here." I eventually called the manager and asked about compensation because I'd understood this to be a shadowing day. She explained that they use the term "shadowing" to mean training and that my first two days would be unpaid, with pay starting on the third day. This was only communicated to me after I'd completed my first day.

Anyways, I didn't know what to say and the other MA's told me it was the same for them, so I'm just thinking this is normal and I'm still in the training process. So, I've just been going at a pace of anywhere between 1-3 days a week. I really needed a job so I'm going through with it and they said they'll train me in the backroom soon, but it's just overall very disorganized and I have no steady schedule yet.

I recently received my first paycheck, and it lists only three hours at $17.50/hour. Those three hours correspond to my third day, the shortest of the three training days. I also don't know how to raise that the pay rate is 0.50 lower than what we agreed on. I really do feel like they take advantage of all the MAs being students or recent grads.

I'm unsure how to approach this because I'm new to the workforce and don't want to make assumptions, but I also feel uncomfortable with how the compensation and training expectations were communicated.

The reason I'm asking now is that I've received another MA offer in a different state, near where I attended undergrad. The cost of living there is higher, but the position pays $22/hour, offers more consistent full-time hours in a surgical hospital setting, and provides MA certification. The hospital is also affiliated with a medical school I'm interested in applying to.

My advisors have emphasized that my priorities should be MCAT preparation (I'm aiming to test in March) and saving money during my gap years. I'm having trouble weighing that when I have this other offer.

My questions are mainly:
1. Are the things I mentioned normal? (For a clinic to classify the first two days of "shadowing"/training as unpaid, especially when that wasn't communicated before the first shift?)

1. Is it reasonable to question the discrepancy between the agreed-upon $18/hour and the $17.50 listed on my paycheck?

2. Would you consider these red flags serious enough to leave, especially given the other offer Especially given that I'm preparing for the MCAT, would the more structured full-time hospital position be worth relocating for, or would it be better to prioritize flexibility and studying?

I'd really appreciate advice here. I don't mean to complain at all, just not sure about onboarding logistics since this is my first post-grad position. Thank you!

Hello! some context, i’ve been in a medical assistant program for going on to months now and in total it’s 10 months. so far, i feel kind of defeated in the sense of my health maybe effecting me once im out in the field but im trying to not get discouraged since ive been able to keep up with the program…

So I have POTS, fibromyalgia and some other issues that i choose to ignore after I had a brain tumor resection i had many many many residual effects and it definitely woke up my pots, for a while it was hard for me to function normally and even get out of bed. so for the past few years ive been trying to get my tolerance for my pain up so i can do my goals.

I REALLLYYY love the medical assistant program and i want to grow in the program then medical field but im so nervous my body wont be able to keep up with my goals.

is there any other MA’s on here that also struggle with health issues themselves? how are you able to balance it with work and is there any moments you’ve had to advocate yourself? I wish i could have some insight on how this job goes when u have health issues…

thank u so much if someone can help out :3