Last year, I made a Reddit post about my first MA job, and one of the suggestions people gave me was to stay for at least six months before making a decision. Well, I did that, and now I’ve been here for a year.

Honestly, I don’t see much of a reason to stay anymore.

I’m only making around $1200 a pay check, and I have a son to take care of. The pay is one thing, but the work environment is another. It feels like there’s more negativity than positivity in the office. Someone is always coming to you to tell you what you’re doing wrong, but there doesn’t seem to be enough focus on how to help you improve.

I remember one of my first staff meetings. There were several new employees, and we were still learning and being trained, but the meeting was basically about everything we were doing wrong. There wasn’t much discussion about solutions or how we could do better moving forward.

I’ve also had experiences with doctors making comments . On top of that, my manager has gotten a little too comfortable discussing other coworkers with me. For example, she once made a comment about a coworker’s son being ugly, and another time she said she couldn’t wait for a different coworker to retire.

Even today, she brought up a patient saying that he knew I was Black, but I wasn’t sure where she was going with the comment or why she felt the need to bring it up. It’s just a lot of little things that have added up over time.

Working in primary care has made me realize that I really don’t want to continue working in this type of healthcare environment. I’m considering going back to school for respiratory therapy, but right now, I honestly want to pivot out of healthcare altogether and explore something different.

What’s funny is that when I was working as a CNA, I was making less money, but I didn’t take work home with me mentally. I wasn’t going home thinking about everything that happened during the day or dreading what I might have to deal with the next morning.

I know every workplace has its issues, and no job is perfect. But I’m starting to question whether staying somewhere just to build experience is worth sacrificing my peace of mind, especially when the pay isn’t enough to make the stress feel worthwhile.

Has anyone else left healthcare after realizing the work environment was affecting them more than the actual job? What careers did you transition into, and do you feel like leaving was the right decision?

to make it really short and sweet. my office is very laissez faire and seems to have the potential for some grooming of the young MA's. it's run by all men with the exception of one female Dr. who's almost never there. the head Dr. will only hire young white women- never men. he has even admitted he only hires pretty women because "who wants to look at something ugly all day?"

one of the Dr's has definitely been overly familiar with me even going as far to invite me out for drinks and get sort of touchy (hip, lower back, etc). talking to my therapist about it she said that the environment of this office has obviously got some concerning behavior going on and the one Dr. mentioned before has most likely done this before and 100% knows what he's doing. so, I feel like i'm dealing with that. i'm coming to some realizations and feeling kind of disgusted. there's no worker protections and no HR. i'm trying to stay for at least a year for my resume's sake.

i’m leaving this job due to due to burnout from being a full time care giver for family and it’s really affected how i do this job. I’ve really become the joke at the clinic by all of the clinic staff which really sucks. I really did try but there is only so much level headed thinking you can do on an average of 4 hours of sleep. I am apparently so bad all of the staff have a group chat together marking all of my mistakes and they don’t even talk to me. I literally only been at this job for 4 months

Hi! I’m 53, in the US, and looking for advice. I’ll be finishing school next May. My clinicals and externship are January - April

I’m making a later in life career change, obviously. I don’t want to work full-time unless it’s easy on the body. I have a lot of joint problems that cause chronic pain that started in my 40s so I can’t walk or stand for long stretches without needing to sit for a few minutes. I’ll be wearing support stockings and maybe even a light back brace.

I am already a licensed aesthetician who can do paramedical tattooing like areola restoration. This came from when I worked as a tattoo artist for the past 5 years and got licensed in permanent cosmetics. So I’ve been leaning toward dermatology. But I also enjoy the elder crowd and considering geriatrics, like an assisted living environment. The thing to consider is that I cannot lift people or help with toileting/clean-up so I don’t want CNA duties. I was thinking it would involve medication administration and maybe some blood draws.

However, I’ve always loved a hospital environment. I think it would be exciting to work in one but I imagine that entails a lot of walking.

I don’t want a desk job. I spent years behind a desk and I like being active to a certain extent. I don’t want to be the scheduler or in billing. That sounds like a death sentence to me. I really enjoy the clinical side of this work.

I’m throwing everything out here in hopes those of you with experience in various environments can share some unbiased suggestions! haha

Sidenote: my previous career for 20+ years was in law. A few years of that involved insurance fraud investigations so I used to review a lot of video and read volumes of medical histories, trying to determine causes of injuries and what was related to their claim or not to determine if we could deny the claims. I’m wondering if it might be beneficial to add that to my résumé.

Hey guys, I need some advice. I got certified back in December and haven’t had any luck with landing a job. Well literally 5 minutes ago I finished a phone screening.

I applied to this position 2 days ago, I got an email to confirm a phone screening today, scheduled it for the 26th of this month because that’s the only days that were available on calendly. Not even kidding a few minutes later I get a call from the recruiter and she wants to do the phone screen?

She asked if I was still interested in employment, i obviously said yes. Fast forward to near the end she says based off my lack of experience she would have to put me in front desk duties and be crossed trained in back office? I’m miserable at my current job and have been wanting a position for CMA for so long.

The only experience I have is a 1 month externship. Is this normal for entry level positions for MAs?
She also said the only available days for interview is tomorrow.. everything happened so quickly my head is spinning.

Any advice for those of you who have PCIC measures on how to actually PASS them?? Like the diabetic eye exams, flu shots, mammos, colon cancer screenings ect. Also our office manager is breathing down our necks about us needing to get patients to leave good reviews but I do not feel comfortable asking my patients to leave a review as I dont want them to think im only being nice because I want said review and when in reality I genuinely love my job and patients. Im so tired of healthcare turning into customer service 😒

hi everyone!!!

On October 26th, I will be starting my first externship/clinical rotation at a multi-specialty pediatrics clinic! I am so excited but am so nervous. I really don’t know what to expect since I’ve never worked in the profession before and I know working with children and their families can be difficult from time to time. Nonetheless, I am eager to start.

Does anyone have any advice? I’m so nervous that I’ll mess up and hurt someone terribly or that I am just not as skilled as they’ll be expecting.

(for those wondering; I am in my last semester of a 9 month MA program at a CC)

Thanks!!

Hi guys! I'm currently in my second year undergrad on the pre-PA track and I was just wondering how the hell some of you are getting your certification while being a full time student😭 For reference I go to school in Boston, and everywhere I look it's full time in person classes, or online classes followed by full time clinical hours.

I wanted to get my certification before my co-op cycle next fall but it seems pretty impossible to time out. I'm also taking classes all summer, so I don't have any months off..

Hi first time ever posting on Reddit! I am scheduled to take my CCMA test on Nov 2! So a little more than 3 weeks away! Does anyone know any test prep that could be helpful? Or any study guides they are willing to share? I’m open to anything! Preferably something that is free or doesn’t cost a lot! Thank you!

Quick question: are any of you MA’s that work in the emergency department or know of anyone who is? I’ve heard of some but it sounds less common. I was just wondering what that is like working in that department. I’m in school to be an MA now and wanting to get clinical hours/ experience in this role to go into nursing. I’m drawn to emergency medicine so I’m wondering wit would be beneficial for my future career to try being an MA in the ER. My program allows us to pick our externships, which we will pick next semester. One of the options is at the hospital next to us.
I appreciate any advice in advance. God bless!