Job opportunities are on the rise in Certified Medical Assisting. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in this industry is projected to grow much faster than average, ranking medical assistants among the fastest growing occupations between 2008 and 2018—seeing a 34 percent increase within the decade.
As a Medical Assisting Instructor, many questions about the nature of this career are fielded my way, like: “What exactly is a Certified Medical Assistant?”…or, “How does this career path differ from a Licensed Practical Nurse?” Below you will find a chart that highlights the similarities and differences in job duties between Certified Medical Assistants and Licensed Practical Nurses.
| Certified Medical Assistants Compared to Licensed Practical Nurses
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|
Job Duty
|
Certified Medical Assistant
|
Licensed Practical Nurse
|
| Record patients' medical history |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Administer medications as directed by a physician |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Drawing Blood |
Yes
|
No
|
| Perform CLIA Waived Lab Testing |
Yes
|
No
|
| Assist in Minor Surgical Procedures |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Perform Medical/Procedural Coding |
Yes
|
No
|
| Perform Spirometry Testing |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Administer and monitor catheters |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Sterilize equipment by autoclave |
Yes
|
No
|
| Instructing patients on medication and special diets |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Perform Tympanometry Testing |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Perform Limited Scope X-Rays * |
Yes
|
No
|
| Call in prescriptions to pharmacies |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Perform Medical Transcription |
Yes
|
No
|
| Remove sutures and change dressings |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Taking electrocardiograms |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Perform Clinical billing and collections |
Yes
|
No
|
| * Most Medical Assisting Programs include Limited Scope X-Ray Operator Training within their Programs | ||
About the Author: Cristen Olinger, CMA (AAMA) is a Program Coordinator in Rasmussen College's School of Allied Health. She heads the Medical Assisting Program at the Mankato, MN campus. Cristen has been a medical assistant for more than nine years—working in a high-complexity laboratory, clinical nursing unit and patient services division. Cristen's previous teaching experience includes Laboratory instruction for Medical Assisting students. Cristen received her Associate's degree from Dakota County Technical College and is completing her Bachelor's degree at Rasmussen College.
Comments (2)
- Licensed Practical Nurse
Hi....
The statistics given here shows how popular, respected and paying profession has nursing become in just one decade.With the increase in the world population(almost half a million babies born everyday worldwide) has necessitate the importance of the midwives.Difference between LPN and Certified Medical Assistant is amazing which makes the latter profession a better choice.
Certified Medical Assistant: Promising Career of the Future - Medical Transcription
Yes, it is true that job opportunities are on the rise in Certified Medical Assisting. And including Medical transcription as part of the curriculum is fantastic.
