why are medical assistants underpaid?

Question

pennsylvania is where im talking about. im saying in a drs office, working as a medical assistant, they do the same thing as nurses but are paid so much less. and the schooling is the same for LPNs and some MAs. 2 year degrees

i can draw blood, give injections, everything else. the only difference is i cant give phone advice or start IVs or take a verbal order.. and i do make more then minimum wage i just dont understand why i wont make at least something similar to a nurse. where i work, MAs room the pts and nurses are on the phone all day.

Answer 1

must be in the wrong state, their paid well around here. of course it's all relative. i mean underpaid compared to who? doctors? might be the quarter million dollars in education.

Answer 2

Because in many medical assistant courses, the classes aren't recognized as college credits. So basically what this says is that your job status isn't considered professional or even semi-professional. Where I'm from in Louisiana, there are many things that you were taught in school that you cannot legally do......like give injections, or start IVs. So in Louisiana, you just as soon become a Certified Nurse's Aid (CNA), because that's all you'll be able to do......and make minimum wage...the same amount the pay for medical assistants. My best advice for you is if you can go to nursing school. Best of luck to you.