Pros
Looks great on a resume. Health insurance starts on day 1.
Cons
MAs are limited to rooming patients. A CMA is vastly overqualified for what we're allowed to do. Pay is bottom rung with few to no raises, based entirely on your direct supervisor's subjective review. Advancement ladder is a joke. No AAMA or AMT approved CEUs are offered, even though many ANCC certified ceus are offered to the nurses free of charge. CMAs are constantly reminded that we're the lowest man on the totem pole, though many of us have more education and experience than LPNs and some RNs. The emory attitude regarding medical assistants is that we're replaceable. Turnover is extremely high due to lack of respect, pay, and advancement opportunity. Understaffing is rampant. We are expected to juggle clinic with multiple providers and perform administrative duties, but allotted zero time away from the clinic floor to complete the administrative duties. The meager incentive offered through the advancement program is out of reach for most because we are given no time to complete the requirements. No recognition or incentive is offered to those who take on specialty procedures or additional responsibilities either. Bottomline, if you want to be valued, respected, and rewarded for your work as a medical assistant, Emory is probably not the place for you.