Medical assistant

[ss345]

Is a medical assistant position considered PCE or HCE? Thanks!!!

[Maximoff]

It's usually considered PCE but it also depends on your responsibilities!

[ss345]

Thanks! The reason I asked is because I saw the following in CASPA: 

"

Patient Care Experience

Experiences in which you are directly responsible for a patient's care. For example, prescribing medication, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, designing a treatment regimen, actively working on patients as a nurse, paramedic, EMT, CNA, phlebotomist, physical therapist, dental hygienist, etc.

Healthcare Experience

Both paid and unpaid work in a health or health-related field where you are not directly responsible for a patient's care, but may still have patient interaction; for example, filling prescriptions, performing clerical work, delivering patient food, cleaning patients and/or their rooms, administering food or medication, taking vitals or other record keeping information, working as a scribe, CNA (depending on job description), medical assistant, etc."

 

[Guest blee100]

ok this is causing me confusion now because if you go onto program websites they note medical assistant at PCE.

Take for example LIU listed on their admission page the following

Complete a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience by no later than at the time of matriculation to the Division of Physician Assistant Studies. Of these 500 hours, a minimum of 400 hours must be completed by the time of submission of CASPA application. Acceptable types of direct patient care experience include:

— Medical assistant
— Surgical technologist
— Licensed practical or registered nurse
— Dental assistant
— Dental hygienist
— Certified nursing assistant
— Home health aide
— Residential aide
— Emergency medical technician
— Paramedic
— Physical therapist
— Occupational therapist
— Physical therapy assistant 
— Physical therapy aide
— Occupational therapy assistant
— Occupational therapy aide
— Respiratory therapist
— Perfusionist
— Electrocardiographic (EKG) technician
— Phlebotomist
— Ophthalmologic technician
— Volunteer work involving direct patient care
— Shadowing a physician, physician assistant or dentist
— Athletic Trainer
— Scribe

How are we suppose to know what to put our hours under for the new cycle ??

[MT2PA]

Use your best judgement.  

CASPA does not always line up with what programs consider PCE/HCE.  Just do what you can in the most honest way possible.

[TheFatMan]

Some medical assistants work "front office" and do administrative tasks. Others work "back office" and assist with the care of patients.

The title doesn't matter as much as what you are actually doing in this case, in my opinion. 

[aceface]

I put my MA hours under HCE for the 2017-2018 cycle and got a lot of interviews. Some of the schools said follow CASPA and put it as HCE, other schools like you mentioned above label it PCE. I was worried about not having much PCE, since all of my MA hours were labeled HCE. I just went with if one school says HCE, then I guess all schools I'm applying to will be HCE. If all of the schools that you're applying to say PCE, then you can leave it as PCE.

What you put under the description is more important regardless of if you label it HCE/PCE.

[InternaTionallyjsu]

Your rank depends a lot on what skills you have, not what diploma you have. The list of duties of a nurse and a paramedic is large, as it may include patient care, the use of equipment, and more. Accordingly, you can take additional courses that will improve your qualifications.   However, such a system does not work with dentists since they need a diploma to treat or assist patients. I always go to https://jeffreygrossdds.com/, as I am confident in the skills of local dentists.  You can try to consult with the head physician of the hospital to understand what position you should count on.

Edited July 26, 2022 by InternaTionallyjsu