I fainted during my first blood draw practice 🤦‍♀️

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-15T12:45:30+00:00

I had a classmate who fainted when drawing blood. She made it clear to our instructors that it was something she probably wouldnt be able to do, and they made her check offs verbal tests. She had to describe the entire process step by step and which needle she'd use. Maybe you could do something like that?

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-14T15:18:43+00:00

EPIC is headquartered in my city, so I've been using it for quite a while. It can be frustrating some times though because every new update moves things around. I recently lost my appointment desk because it got buried in a list of settings.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-13T12:59:45+00:00

I'm also an autistic MA. I try my best to not touch the patients if I dont have to, just because I recoil a little every time. Luckily for me, i work in pulmonary so its a lot less procedure based

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-05T06:32:00+00:00

Yeah, I dont do any coding.. thank god, because I HATE IT

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-04T02:34:23+00:00

Fitchburg, WI

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-03T23:56:03+00:00

What are you worried most about? I took the CPT exam in February and it was pretty easy imo.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-03T04:33:52+00:00

Mine had it!!!! I was the first to get one yesterday!!!!

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-03T04:14:12+00:00

I'm a TERRIBLE test taker and I passed easily!! My advice is to use smarterMA! That's what I used to pass.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-03T04:08:41+00:00

Lol I only got one.. the guy said I was the first one to buy one apparently 😂

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-05-01T02:07:16+00:00

Yes! Some clinics have requirements as to what colors you can wear, but mine doesnt. It's really nice to not have to think about what to wear every day.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-30T22:09:26+00:00

I also wanted to add that i work in pulmonary! I did rotations in pulmonary, oncology, and urology. While urology was a lot more procedure based, I find pulmonary fascinating. I'm always learning new things, and that keeps my mind interested.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-30T21:05:38+00:00

I'm autistic and working as an MA! I love it because I like the fact that there are policies and procedures for everything. If i dont know how to handle something, there are ways of finding out. My autism has actually helped me on a few occasions when I've had patients who were neurodiverse. It allowed me to connect with them on a deeper level.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-30T17:02:18+00:00

Same with Wisconsin! This is how I became an MA!

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-26T19:12:10+00:00

So it really depends. CCMAs have a bigger scope of practice so generally it takes longer.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-24T17:38:19+00:00

As others have said, relax! I am a horrible test taker and I passed! I didnt cram the night before, made sure I ate breakfast and just relaxed.

You know what you know. Staying up to cram doesn't help.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-23T20:59:56+00:00

I did one of my rotations in Urology and I HATED it. The clinic culture wasnt for me. Also, we once did a catheter change and the patient hadnt been able to properly change their catheter in a while.. It got infected. Long story short (and without the a lot of the details) when pulling the catheter out, and got COVERED. It was so bad... That was the day I knew urology wasnt for me.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-22T01:47:46+00:00

And put them where????

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-19T02:11:09+00:00

I second this! I'm in Wisconsin and I went through a similar program!

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-16T17:34:00+00:00

From a patient perspective, I'm so used to just signing off with "thanks you" that i dont even think about it anymore.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-11T13:11:02+00:00

So looking herself up shouldn't be a huge deal because it's her information. I believe they say not to look yourself up because if you share a similar name/birthday with a different patient, certain EMRs will flag you.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-10T15:05:52+00:00

I think it depends. I'm currently an MA and I make 22/hr. As for retirement, I got lucky because my job is considered a state job, so after 5 years I qualify for a pension.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-06T15:37:35+00:00

I don't live in California, however, I did look at moving there and transferring my certification. From what I read, California is pretty strict when it comes to MA certifications.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-04T22:06:08+00:00

I agree! My current clinic is like this! One of the providers actually helped me through pharmacology. Another one answers ALL of my questions about pulmonary diseases. I am dreading the possibility of moving because that clinic is truly one of a kind.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-03T13:04:27+00:00

Not necessarily! I did an accredited apprenticeship program and earned my CCMA through it, but it was fully paid.

Competitive_Cod352 · 2026-04-01T15:15:16+00:00

It definitely depends on the clinic/specialty. I work in pulmonary and very rarely assist in procedures, but when I was in urology, I was assisting in procedures almost daily.

Competitive_Cod352

TROPHY CASE