I just started a new job last week, and thankfully I have some experience in dermatology, so I’ve been able to catch on pretty quickly. Because they’re so short-staffed right now, I actually didn’t receive any training at all. For the things I didn’t know, I’ve basically had to learn by asking questions and figuring things out as I go.

There’s a medical assistant I work with who up until now has been really nice to me. Whenever I had questions or needed help, she seemed happy to help me, so I felt like we were getting along fine.

Well yesterday I went up to the front desk to ask if they needed me to clean the break room. We had a rep cater Chipotle and I didn’t want to leave a mess for whoever happened to be the last person in the office.

Unfortunately as I walked up to the front desk, I realized this MA was talking to my boss about me and she was NOT saying nice things. I was completely caught off guard because I genuinely had no idea she felt that way.

I acted like I hadn’t heard a word and just asked my boss if they needed me to clean the break room. I didn’t want to make a scene obviously or let them know I had overheard.

About 10 minutes later that same MA came back over to me acting all giggly and friendly. She told me that our boss had asked her how I was doing, and apparently she told her that the doctor needs to realize I’m still learning and needs to cut me some slack.

Except that is definitely NOT what I heard her saying. And the doctor has actually been incredibly nice to me and has never made me feel like I’m doing a bad job.

Then today, which is our normal day off my boss randomly texted me, “Hey girl!! I hope you are having a great day.”

Now I’m wondering if my boss feels guilty or is worried that I heard the conversation and is trying to feel me out. I know people talk about others, it’s just being human. But I don’t ever talk about my coworkers to other people in the office. Or speak about them in an ugly manner.

I’m trying not to overreact or create drama, especially because I’m brand new and I really do want to like this job. But I also don’t want to be naive about the situation or continue being overly friendly with someone who is saying things about me behind my back that could potentially cause me issues.

What would you all do? Would you address it with the MA, say something to my boss, or just keep my head down, stay professional, and let it go?

Hi! Has anyone done BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College) CUNY's Medical Assistant program, and what was your experience like? I spoke with a very nice and helpful man named Cory who answered all my questions, but I would love to hear from someone who has personally

Hi all. Im entering my last week of externship (and got a job offer for once I finish my hours!). I noticed we have a few regulars who come into the clinic who are TALKERS. They will talk both your ears off if given the chance! I appreciate that they are comfortable interacting with me and chatting and all that. I myself appreciate a bit of chatter versus dead silence. I do, however, find that it's a bit of struggle when I have to move onto a different patient and the patient is just talking and talking. Im terrified of being seen as rude, especially as we mostly see those in the older population. Do you guys have any tips on politely "shutting down" the conversation without offending the patient? We don't see a ton of patients per day but id still like to be able to move from room to room in a timely manner. Thank you guys in advance!

I recently took a drug test for work and I found out a week later I failed, I took multiple at home drug tests before. But I still failed the actual one, no 3 weeks later I am able to retest for the job and I need to know if this at home drug test is even good enough to tell me, I tested on my girlfriend and all of hers were solid lines, I’ll put a picture in, the 1st picture is from 3 weeks ago and the second picture will be from today, can anybody tell me if the second picture will pass? Also the drug is THC that I am trying to pass

Any Medical Assistants who work in the General Surgery department? I wanted to ask, what's a typical work day? What duties do you perform? What is the patient count? Is it M-F 8-5? Are you generally happy in this department?

I’ve finally gotten an interview for a postgrad job at an eye clinic. I would love some advice or suggestions to help me stand out a bit or say things they like to hear. I’ve already talked to them on the phone and I thought it went well but going in person is a whole other ball game i feel like. Interview is Wednesday so I’ve got a little time to prepare.

I have two Medical Assistant interviews coming up one tomorrow and one Thursday. They’re both video/phone interviews, and I’m really nervous because these would be my first MA jobs. I’m not the best interviewer and I tend to ramble or lose my train of thought when I get nervous.

Does anyone have any interview advice, especially for someone trying to land their first MA job? If you remember what questions you were asked or what you think helped you get hired, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience!

Hi everyone, I wondering if anyone here is an expert at EPIC lol. We just made the switch and everyone seems to be so confused despite the trainings. I feel like we were not prepared.

My only question I have is if anyone else works at a clinic where most patients use quest for labs? When doing an intake, it doesn’t give the option of what lab a patient uses so when they are checking out, the lab requisition isn’t printing, it only says what was ordered in their AVS. No one seems to know but others are just saying that the labs just get automatically sent to every lab? I just don’t want to give pts the wrong answers 😭😭

I hold a medical coding and billing certificate, but I haven’t secured a job yet. I’m contemplating pursuing the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) certification, but I’m having second thoughts because I’m not sure how the age of medical assistants is perceived. I’ve noticed that most medical assistants I see in the office are young . I’d appreciate your insights on this matter. Additionally, my community college is offering this workforce course at a lower price, so I’m considering adding it to my portfolio as I was a SAHM all these years.

Not sure what I did wrong but we had our first two tests today and they didn’t go well to say the least. I created quizlets for both tests and studied both of them over the course of four days.

The tests were multiple choice and I’m usually pretty good about breaking down which one is the correct answer but it just felt like the information in the book/powerpoint that our professor gave us didn’t cover all of the information that was on the test.

After the first test I wanted to cry because I studied so hard just to do so bad. The second test didn’t go as poorly but still was not a satisfying grade. I’m definitely having self doubts about if I should even be in this program. Even though I want to become an MA.

Overall we have to have a 75% in both classes to pass and I know we have multiple other assignments and tests to make up the points but still any suggestions on how to study/take notes/resources would be awesome.

I know I can do it but these first two were a punch in the gut.

Hi all, my son is finishing up a BS degree in kinesiology at a traditional 4 year school. He's asked me for advice on what to do next, as he thought he'd go get his DPT and become a physio.

The problem is financial - PT school is SO expensive and he's not 100% sold on it. He already has 50K+ in student loans.

He asked if I thought he should get an RN or something instead but I thought maybe MA as I've had such great experiences with MAs as a patient. MAs tend to be my favorite people when I have medical visits, and I have recurring skin cancers so I spend a fair amount of time in them.

Ideally, he'd like a program where he can get clinical practice/training (he doesn't have any clinical for his BS) so he can start making money to support himself and get an idea of where he'd like to go with his career: PT, RN, PA, etc as well as specialty, without too much more debt.

Thanks for any insights.

It’s not that I don’t like the work environment going into, I actually love it. All of the staff have been very warm and welcoming towards me thus far. I’m not even anxious about patient interaction. I’m anxious because I’m one of the youngest and also least experienced out of everyone. This is my first true job as well as my first job in the medical field. I think I feel terrified of making mistakes and also not picking up on things quick enough. I know I’m intelligent and capable but everything feels so new. How did your first day/week go? What can I expect and does it improve with time?

I had become certified originally in 2022, worked a couple years then I got pregnant with my first, and decided to stay home. expiration date passed and i didn’t care to renew it (dumb) so i had to retake the test again. in 2022 i was single without kids, had all the time in the world to study and i got a 427🤣 yesterday i got 426 and i had not one quiet moment in my day to study in peace, i decided to take the test one week before scheduling it, sleep 3-4h a night only due to my kids and i still was able to do it. if i can do it anyone can 🥲

Hiiii! Is there anyone here who applied under Camox? I'm suddenly hesitant to continue. They took my passport, can I still back out? I had a problem with my medical, and they said I’d be transferred to an employer that gives a waiver and just to wait for the interview. But it’s been almost a month and there's still no update regarding the interview. I'm not sure anymore if I should continue or hold off for now🥹 Please share your experience with this specific agency🥺

how short is too short to work somewhere before quitting, assuming there is nothing inherently wrong with the job? I just got an MA job and have been here for a week, but I am planning on applying to medical school next spring. come next february I am thinking I will have to quit to dedicate time to study for the mcat. this will be 7 months of work, is that enough time to not be a total dick move to the company?

I have tried many codes online and some on this thread but they all seem to be expired :(

Hi everyone! I recently graduated from college and just accepted my first job as a cardiology MA. I’m really excited about the opportunity, but I’m also honestly pretty nervous because I don’t have previous MA experience and I’m not MA certified.

My background is a bachelor’s degree in biology, but most of my experience has been academic rather than hands-on clinical work. I do have my BLS/CPR certification, but I know working in an actual cardiology clinic will be a completely different experience.

For those who have worked as an MA, especially in cardiology, what advice would you give someone starting from basically zero? Thank you for any advice you all can give me!

We are the Frontline workers of any office and it often feels like we are the most replaceable, our job security is almost 0 imo. Ive had multiple ma jobs and all it takes is one supervisor or higher up to not like you and then suddenly your out of a job.

Segwaying Into pay, they choose to pay us dirt wages on average. Meanwhile the doctors cant run a clinic themselves and the managers dont know half the shit we deal with and actually do.

Im just kind of tired of it.

Recent MA graduate struggling to find a part-time job — what am I doing wrong?

Hello everyone! I’m a recent Medical Assistant graduate (I finished my program a few months ago), and I’ve been trying to find a job ever since. I’m starting to get really discouraged and honestly don’t know what else to try.

There’s an on-demand MA staffing service in my area (or there should be at least) where MAs can pick up shifts at different clinics. I’ve noticed that a lot of the clinics are very understaffed, but somehow they still aren’t hiring. Some of them don’t even have applications or job postings available, which makes it really difficult to get my foot in the door.

I also don’t have any professional MA experience yet, but everyone has to start somewhere! I need someone to actually give me the opportunity to gain that experience in the first place. 😭

I think part of my problem is that I’m a full-time college student, so I’m specifically looking for part-time work. I’ve heard that finding part-time MA positions can be difficult, and I’m definitely starting to realize that now. But surely there have to be some clinics that are willing to work with a college student, even if I can only work during certain days or the times when they need the most help.

I’ve applied to hospitals, urgent cares, private practices, specialty clinics—you name it. I’ve found a few part-time positions, but either they’re extremely far from where I live, or I apply and never hear anything back. I’ve even been ghosted by places that were relatively close to me. It would honestly be nice to at least know whether I was rejected instead of just never hearing anything. 😭

I’ve considered going into clinics in person and handing them my resume, but I’m hesitant because a friend of mine tried doing that and never heard back. In one situation, she handed her resume to someone at the front desk, turned around, and saw the woman throw it away. 💀

At this point, I’m honestly getting frustrated and questioning whether getting my MA certification was even worth it. I paid thousands of dollars out of pocket for the program, finished it, got certified, and now I’m struggling just to find someone willing to give me that first opportunity. All I need is just a chance to prove myself, but they're not helping.

And of course, I’m doing all of this because I’m hoping to eventually apply to medical school, so it’s frustrating feeling like I’m working so hard to get the experience I need just to potentially be told no by medical schools anyway. 😭

For those of you who are MAs, especially those who were full-time college students when you started: how did you find your first job? Did you have any luck with smaller private practices or specialty clinics? Is there anything you recommend doing differently when applying with little to no experience?

I’d really appreciate any advice because I’m starting to feel like I’ve tried everything.

I'm kind of thinking about using Clinical Skills Institute for an online Medical Assistant (MA) program. While completing it, I'd like to work as a medical receptionist at an office or clinic I really like—preferably a pediatric practice if possible—and then hopefully get hired there as a Medical Assistant.

I'm also trying to get CPR certified, but I'm honestly not sure how or where to do it. I tried to look it up but so much came up. I went to a free CPR class through my school, but I never actually got certified because I wasn't sure what I needed to do afterward or where to go.

I'm also considering getting a phlebotomy certification. 😅 I kind of discovered it while looking into Medical Assistant programs, and now I'm interested in it too. So if anyone has information or advice about phlebotomy programs/certification, I'd really appreciate it!

Thank you!

So, I’m starting a medical assistant role at a small, private practice next week. It’s going to be a full-time, M-F position. However, I have a per diem job that I plan to keep and only pick up shifts on the weekends every now and then. The requirement to stay employed at my per diem job is one shift a year, so the amount of work I can choose for myself is very, very flexible, The field in which I work my per diem job is somewhat adjacent to the medical assistant field. However, is there still a risk of telling my practice manager and my colleagues about my per diem job in casual conversation? Could this make me a target for termination by the practice manager due to a perceived conflict of interest?

This is probably a pointless question because I would have to compile my 2027 tax forms in a way that shows I am a single, dual-income taxpayer anyways. Also, fyi…during the interview, I had told the practice manager that I would completely move on from the field in which I’m employed per diem should I get an offer. Obviously…that’s not going to be the case, lol.

did every new MA feel so incompetent and dumb when they started?😭 I did an online program and took the NHA exam, but never had clinical or an externship so i’m basically learning everything hands-on from scratch. i’ve been doing training for 3 days now and am really getting the hang of it but there’s still so much I don’t know, especially if the patient asks me any sort of question. we also do manual blood pressure, and i’ve just started doing them by myself as of yesterday, but today there were 2 I couldn’t hear and had to get someone else to come in and check. I feel like i’m learning quickly but I don’t want any of the doctors to be inconvenienced if I do something wrong.