Impact on Public: LPN Vs. Medical Assistant

Nurses, Medical Assistants and Nursing Assistants work together.

Medical Assistants and Licensed Practical Nurses perform different tasks within the health care community. Medical Assistants' roles usually focus on clinical and administrative skills in the Medical Doctor's office or clinic. Licensed Practical Nurses offer nursing care across settings. Some Medical Assistant educational programs offer students the opportunity to "cross-train" as Certified Nurses Assistants. Certified Nurses Assistants perform hands-on tasks relating to patient care, but they do not administer medicines.

Licensed Practical Nurses

Cash-strapped health care facilities report shifting away from LPNs to Registered Nurses.

Economic conditions in many U.S. hospitals have prompted changes in the delivery of the nursing care model. As of 2010, many Licensed Practical Nurses face layoffs. Simultaneously, other hospitals demand their LPNs obtain additional education or face the possibility of future layoffs.

Licensed Practical Nurses perform "practical" elements of nursing, such as providing patient hygiene; feeding, moving or helping patients move, monitoring of patients and reporting any changes to Registered Nurses or physicians in the medical team.

Medical Assistants

Medical Assistants deliver administrative and clinical services support within health care settings.

Medical Assistants perform myriad tasks in the medical office. They answer phones, create documents, compile files, take vital signs, answer telephones and interact with patients. Medical Assistants combine administrative and clerical skills necessary to communicate with medical professionals and patients. They must enjoy working in a fast-paced environment.

While Medical Assistants work to keep private examination rooms, medical equipment and the environment hygienically clean and organized, they do not provide nursing care--they are not nurses.

Compensation Considerations

Nurses work in a variety of health care settings.

Experienced Medical Assistants, with 20 plus years experience, earn almost $40,000, or the median LPN income. Recently trained Medical Assistants earn an average of $10-14 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Some LPNs offer their skills to medical offices at reduced wages. Depending on the practice or clinical facility's needs, an LPN's knowledge may add value to the practice.

Licensed Practical Nurse and Functional Compensation

Hospitals and facilities laying off LPN workers in 2010 cite economics as the chief reason to turn away from a stratified Registered Nurse to LPN care model. Since RNs dispense medicine, order tests and report to physicians, and because of higher standards for licensing, health care organizations consider RNs more cost-effective employees. Consequently, use of CNAs instead of LPNs to perform hands-on care at a lower cost makes sense for cash-strapped facilities.

Certified Nurses Assistants perform all of these tasks though they receive much lower wages. For example, the average LPN annual salary is almost $40,000. CNA annual earnings range from about $20,000 to $27,000 per year.

Competitive Environment

New Medical Assistants frequently consider how to upgrade their skills in this competitive environment. Interestingly, some Medical Assistants decide that returning to school to become a Licensed Practical Nurse makes sense for them.

In many markets, LPNs work primarily in nursing homes where the need remains geared towards hands-on nursing care. Dispensing of medicines in a nursing home and rehab center requires a nursing license.

As demographics push more seniors into nursing homes, the need for LPNs in this setting should increase.

References

• AllBusiness: LPN layoffs a National Trend?
• Turn to Channel 10: Laying Off LPN Workers in 2010
• Salary: Average LPN Annual Salary
• All Nurses: Medical Assistant Looking to Become LPN
• Indeed: LPNs Offer Their Skills to Medical Offices

Resources

• "LPN Expert Guidelines: Advanced Skills"; Springhouse; 2006
• "Introduction to Mental Health Nursing: LPN"; Patricia Barry; 2001
• "LPN Facts Made Incredibly Quick"; Lippincott ed; 2009
• "Introductory Gerontological Nursing"; Sally Roach; 2000
• "Contemporary Practical/Vocational Nursing"; Corinne Kurzen; 2008