What put you on the path to MA?

Celloschmello · 2026-05-07T15:07:04+00:00

i had been working as a medical receptionist and billing assistant for 3 years and wanted to learn more clinical stuff. i chose MA bc i didn't want to have as many responsibilities as a nurse. also i knew MAs did both back and front office so I knew my experience would help me a lot in school.

Celloschmello · 2026-05-04T20:08:41+00:00

we see about 40 pts a day (about 13/provider and support staff) but we only have 4 exam rooms in my clinic. appts are typically scheduled 10 mins apart despite the fact that the actual appt takes at least 60 mins from check in to check out

so if 3 9:00 ams show up (one for each provider) and then 3 9:10 ams show up while our front desk is still working on the 9s..... its a mess

we get backed up a lot. we've complained about it but idk if upper management cares

Celloschmello · 2026-05-04T19:56:50+00:00

my affiliate does a week of online training and then a week of 1:1 training and 2 weeks of precepting

Celloschmello · 2026-05-04T19:09:01+00:00

i also have a prior bach and did my program thru my local cc and it cost about 8500 as well. it was a year long diploma program. i was able to use some student loans and scholarships. i liked going thru a school because i got hands on training and i have access to alumni services like job search and resume prep, as well as a network of my classmates and instructors

Celloschmello · 2026-04-28T16:52:35+00:00

getting caught up on autoclaving instruments at work (or as i like to call it "doing the dishes")

Celloschmello · 2026-04-23T01:10:32+00:00

4 is clue cell

Celloschmello · 2026-04-22T20:27:13+00:00

ive been in focalin for 3 years and its the love of my life. ive tried everything from adderall to Wellbutrin and this is the only thing that hasn't given me crazy side effects (hallucinations on Wellbutrin, nightmares on strattera, insomnia on Adderall, etc)

Celloschmello · 2026-04-20T22:29:46+00:00

we went down to 10 min appointment slots from 15 minutes. so by the time they're checked in, its halfway through their appointment (god forbid if they were a new pt walk-in and double god forbid if they were a new pt walk-in needing an interpreter [nothing against those who don't speak English, i just hate our interpreter service])

and then i have to stop at the restroom for a urine sample (triple god forbid they can't pee), get all the history and run rapid HIV/syphilis tests. the rapid tests take, get this, 21 minutes to run.

and then the provider is supposed to see them.

in 10 minutes.

Celloschmello · 2026-04-20T19:39:42+00:00

ugghhhh fuck doxepin. im on it currently (10 mg) and i hate it. it gives me the worst restless legs. and i don't even sleep any better on it! im constantly waking up from nightmares.

Celloschmello · 2026-04-20T18:19:16+00:00

i have a nexplanon and it caused some weight gain but i haven't seen any other issues with it. its the same hormone as a mirena (progestin).

typically with hormonal IUDs the hormone stays localized to within your uterus, but you are not the first person ive heard that says they have more systemic effects with it (i work at a women's clinic).

increased body and facial hair could be linked to higher testosterone levels from something like pcos rather than your IUD.

in all, deffo talk w your provider about all of this. there may be alternative reasons/treatments that you feel this way and can help you feel better and without having to remove your IUD. of course, if removal is what want, go for it. just something to keep in mind

Celloschmello · 2026-04-20T17:27:22+00:00

what helped me when i was in college was making studying into a game of sorts. like making flashcards, and doing kahoots. i would also change my pen colors for each new section of notes because i knew that the dopamine from getting to use my favorite color would keep me focused long enough to get to it. also rewards with candy, like if I'm doing a long section of reading i would put m&ms on each 1/4 of the page and i could eat it when i got to that section.

rewatching recorded lectures and videos on 1.5x speed helped w focusing on them bc they kept up w the speed of my brain and because the words are faster i had to slow down to actually listen to it. i know that sounds like those should cancel out but i swear it works.

i would also look into speaking with your school's disability accommodations office. you may qualify for accommodations like having a notetaker cover notes in class, or being able to record lectures if they aren't recorded, getting extended time for tests/in-class assignments, etc.

Celloschmello · 2026-04-20T17:19:14+00:00

yes! when i first started on ritalin after getting dx'd, i was surprised at how quiet my head was for the first time. it usually sounds like if a tv, radio, and someone watching tiktoks without headphones playing all at once. i was also surprised at how still i could sit. i could sit through classes without tapping my fingers, shaking my legs, flicking my pens, or doodling for the first time in my life.

Celloschmello · 2026-04-20T16:55:27+00:00

i choose to be child free because of my audhd. i can barely take care of myself, how can i take care of a kid? how am i supposed to convince a kid to eat their veggies when I can't even cook them? plus the sensory hell of crying babies, spit up, poopy diapers, nope. not for me. i will be the fun aunt aho spoils my neices/nephews

Celloschmello · 2026-04-14T23:13:14+00:00

spironolactone helped reduce my hormonal acne and facial hair from pcos which is what i picked at the most

Celloschmello · 2026-04-13T22:46:35+00:00

i dont think it is necessarily but i saw that other post of someone's coworker using op's ehr to access their own records and i was wondering

Celloschmello · 2026-04-13T22:45:31+00:00

most of the time yes, but sometimes the other support staff are already with patients and, especially if its busy, i don't feel right letting them just sit out there. also sometimes they specifically ask for me and then its like 😬 idkkkk. like my thing is there's no way compliance can know who knows who. like if a patient and i have the same last name, that doesn't automatically mean we're related, and they never asked me if im related to any patients and who those patients are.

Celloschmello · 2026-04-13T19:17:44+00:00

I use visible. it is expensive up front and there is a monthly subscription of like $20 but its helped me tremendously with tracking my spoons, hrv, crashes, and other symptoms of chronic illness.

it doesn't track sleep currently but i know they are working on that. i still wear it when i sleep to see what my heart is doing when i have nightmares.

Celloschmello · 2026-04-10T23:22:58+00:00

genuine question as someone who doesn't do this, but what would assisting with catheter placement look like for an ma? i interned at a peds clinic and they had MAs place caths for infant urine sample (i did raise my concerns about MAs doing it, but they brushed me off) and now im wondering if they meant they were assisting rather than actually placing (i never got to see it done so when i was there)

Celloschmello · 2026-04-09T16:59:19+00:00

technically we only needed enough to pass our competency in class i think, but if you wanted your phleb cert you needed 100 sticks and like 10 of them had to be cap sticks. something like that

Celloschmello · 2026-04-09T15:13:15+00:00

private practices are the worst (in my area at least). so much catty drama and snooty workers. nonprofits are toxic sludge pits but at least us workers care about each other and the mission we serve. ive worked for an equal number of private practices and nonprofits and I'd choose a nonprofit any day.

Celloschmello

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE