Medical Assistant / CNA Career

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What You Do in This Career

Medical Assistants and Certified Nursing Assistants may sound like the same thing, but while the jobs are similar, the options for advancement are different. If you want to become a nurse go for the CNA. Medical assistants do not provide bedside care, which is the main difference between the two jobs since the other responsibilities mostly the same. Medical assistants interact with the public, but Nursing assistants interact primarily with patients and RNs or LPNs. CNAs also care for patients’ hygiene, helping them bathe and cleaning bedpans among other responsibilities. Medical assistants cannot work in nursing homes or in home health care, however, certified nursing assistants can. Certified nursing assistants generally answer patients’ call signals, record patients’ food and liquid intake and output, monitor vital signs, clean rooms and change linens.

Salary and Career Path

The median annual salary for a Certified Nursing Assistant is $26,630, although the top paid CNAs earn $35,377. Job security is good since there will be an increased demand for home health aides as the baby-boomer generation ages. While certification regulations vary by state, the National Association for Home Care offers national certification for home health aides. Opportunities for advancement are limited unless the Certified Nursing Assistant wants to pursue an Registered Nursing degree.

What Kind of Degree or Coursework You Need

State approved training programs require 50 hours of theory and 100 hours of supervised clinical training, and aides who complete the programs qualify to be put on the State registry of nursing aides. Nurse aides must participate in 48 hours of continuing education classes every two years to maintain certification. Since the nurse aide’s job is to primarily help patients, the coursework is necessarily more hands-on. No book can teach how to help a 98 year old walk to the bathroom. Becoming a Certified Nursing Aid is not required to become a registered nurse, but the experience may be beneficial for those who wish to become nurses.

Top Online Health Services Programs

There are multiple educational paths that can be taken to become an ultrasound technician or diagnostic medical sonographer. The schools below do not offer ultrasound-specific training, but they do offer medical assisting and other healthcare programs closely related to sonography. You can request information by clicking the college's logo.

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DeVry University
AS in Health IT
 		DeVry University — Although DeVry University's online associate's degree in health information technology program is not specifically an ultrasound training program, it does prepare students to be HIT leaders in contemporary hospitals, physician's offices, medical clinics, and more.
Virginia College Online
BS in Health Services Mgmt
 		Virginia College Online — If you want to complete a health-based interdisciplinary studies degree online that will prepare you for ultrasound technology as well as for management, then apply for Virginia College's bachelor's degree in Health Services Management or associate's degree in medical office administration. The tuition for each program includes the cost of every textbook for every course. After earning this degree, additional training may be required to become an ultrasound technician.
Herzing University
AS in Medical Assisting
 		Herzing University — The AS in medical assisting degree program from Herzing University is not an ultrasound training program, but it does present students with an introduction to a physician's office, and can help lead to careers in sonography. Students learn how to assist doctors and nurses in the exam room as well as perform routine medical laboratory procedures.
Hodges University
AS in Health Info Mgmt
AS in Health Admin
 		Hodges University — Hodges University's AS in Health Information Technology and AS in Health Administration programs, while not purely an ultrasound training program, do teach students how to use the latest information technology to meet the needs of the healthcare industry. Health information technology allows medical offices to collect and analyze data from patients and doctors, a vital part of the medical process. Students learn to manage patient health information, medical records, administer computer information systems, and code diagnoses and procedures.
Lincoln College
AAS in Health IT
 		Lincoln College — The AAS in Health IT degree program from Lincoln College Online teaches students the ins and outs of technological-related medical work such as data tracking, organizing, and recorded. This degree is useful for anyone wishing to advance in his/her career within a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, ultrasound clinics, physician offices, and more. Additional training is required before becoming an ultrasound technician.

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DeVry University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org. Keller Graduate School of Management is included in this accreditation. In New York, DeVry University operates as DeVry College of New York. DeVry University operates as DeVry Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta. DeVry is certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. AC0060. DeVry University is authorized for operation by the THEC. www.state.tn.us/thec. Nashville Campus - 3343 Perimeter Hill Dr., Nashville, TN 37211. Program availability varies by location.

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