Gender Discrimination for male Med. Asst.

I find that a lot of physcians currently
would prefer to hire a female Med. Asst., regardless of their skills or experience.I have found my current job search hampered by an seemingly apparent gender bias. I wonder if there are any other'MALE'Med. Asst.'s that have encountered similar circumstances.
I would hope that physicians would want a true 'Technician'-Med. Asst. capable of performing any and all point of service testing rather than just a pretty face, but alas it does not seem to be the case in most instances. I am a Med. Asst. that can perform an E.K.G. with a MINIMAL exposure of skin/breast tissue ( I tuck gown underneath the breast) and female patients are extremely comfortable with my demeanor when I perform any and all testing, Stress Echocardiograms electrode placements etc, whereas I find that my female counterparts sometimes expose female patients for an E.K.G. electrode placement like if they were a display at a Macy's window. Just one of the many observations I rn across during my ten plus years of Medical Assisting. Any and all comments would be welcome. My email addres is as follows - eacos2000@yahoo.com

If this were women being disqualified, they would hire a lawyer and sue... so, I think the same should apply.. men need to start suing for descrimination in hiring practices.. any good lawyer would take the case with payment upon win... based on the number of males to female ratio in the medical industry, it should be very easy to prove descrimination...

Yes I definetly agree that Male Med.
Assistant's get the short end. I was
sent to a prominent N.Y. hospital once as a temp. Medical Assistant and "overheard" the Lead Physician/Older person state that He DID NOT WANT A MALE MEDICAL Asst. I was summarily sent back to my agency to which I complained but nothing was done. I just did not think about a possible legal case, but it seems that in this situation it very well could have been likely and possible. The clinic was NOT an OB-GYN, in fact I believe it was an
endocrinologist clinic.
I was so very very disappointment in the field and the discrmination to this day still exists in employment agencies and

I think there's a bias against males in the medical field because alot of male hands-on workers like medical assistants, nurses and even doctors have been known to behave inappropriately. When you're a female patient with cancer or who just gave birth or whatever and you're there to see your doctor, the last thing a woman needs to deal with is a pervert with medical certification. A few bad apples spoils the whole bunch. Sorry.

NM in Jamaica, New York said: I think there's a bias against males in the medical field because alot of male hands-on workers like medical assistants, nurses and even doctors have been known to behave inappropriately. When you're a female patient with cancer or who just gave birth or whatever and you're there to see your doctor, the last thing a woman needs to deal with is a pervert with medical certification. A few bad apples spoils the whole bunch. Sorry.

so should guys give up because some men were perverts?

natekruk@aol.com

I am a certified registered medical assistant and have 15 plus yrs of certification. And I cannot find a job anywhere. What can I do? I am a male also and have encountered the same problems. What do the male medical assistants do to get a job?

Yes, it is tough for a Male Med. Asst. particularly in the last
5-7 years. I would suggest and this is what I have done,
concentrate or highlight in your CV/Resume more Administrative
proficiencies. which can lead to Office Manager or Med. Asst.
supervisor slots within clinical offices. It is a shame that
more and more private physicians are disregarding a True
Med. Asst./Technician in favor of a (sorry to sound prejudiced)
pretty face who perhaps does not know a straight needle from a
23 gauge butterfly. With someone with over 15 years of experience
I think the best move is Management/Upper Level Administrative.
Good Luck to you.

Thanks for your response, I will be updating my resume send me more specifics on what to do. thanks have a great day!

i was wondering attending a local school to become a cma. is it really that bad for men out there. i am 33 and looking to enter this into a new carrer. any suggestins

Hello there, It's a tough market out there right now for Medical Assistants. Men and Women are a hard time finding a job. My best suggestion is be the best you can be. It's a great honor to be a Certified Medical Assistant...if you work really hard you will get a great job. The key is seeing yourself alreay doing it and your making the money you want to make and living where you want...you just have to thinking that way all the time. Most inportant is to always to your Heavenly Father above each and everyday. Good Luck.

I am thinking of atrending school this spring to become a medical assistant. From what I've been reading it's supposed to be the number one growing occupation in the country. But as a man will I be able to get a job ? don't want to waste my time and money.

Rick,
Medical Assisting is a good field to get into for anyone - male or female. Sometimes we, as male Medical Assistants, do encounter gender descrimination from the staff and MDs/providers. But once you find the right professional setting - and prove your value and skills (especially a good bedside manner that encompasses compassion/professionalism) it is rewarding. I think that there are pro's/con's to being a male MA. I think, though, that the older male MDs can totally be judgemental and think that the role is a female one. And those are DOC's that you really wouldn't want to work with, anyway. It's their loss - not yours. But I also have known some clinic managers to specifically want and hire more male MAs/RMAs/CMAs in their mix. Sometimes the MD/NP/PA-C will even be your best ally and supporter in getting the experience you need/desire, promotions, etc... . Also, after you get your diploma/degree in the field, you can specialize too (level II EKG tech, medical coder/billing specialist, office manager, and other roles). Good luck and go for it!

Thank you all for your advice. I will be attending school starting in april. Now how do you get into those specialty fields you were talking about? I am going to be an MA and i will take the certification test to be certified. Thank you for all your help!!!Sems to be a good bunch of people in the field!!!

You generally have to start in Family Practice to get your feet in the door. I actually started in a hospital as both a Patient Care Tech/Ward Clerk, and then, eventually to Interventional Medicine. Hospitals/hospital-affiliated clinics pay the most, by the way. If you can't find a job right away as a Medical Assistant, then look at other healthcare positions in the hospitals. Some of those positions are: Health Unit Coordinator/Unit Secretary, Patient Care Tech, Physical Therapy Aide, even transporter. You can also greater increase your chances of getting a job as a hospital-based MA by gettting your CNA (you can getting training from a nearby nursing home; the training is usually 4 weeks with the first 2 or 3 being part-time in the day time and then a full-week of clinical). Even consider taking the Certified Professional Coder exam after graduating from MA-school. I believe that the MA schools still teach Medical Billing and Coding as part of their cirriculum. Also, you may even be able to get into a clinic being cross-trained as a Surgical Tech. I have worked w/several Surgical Techs who were cross-trained into that profession (and these were traveling techs that made good money and had their housing and transportation payed for). Just get your foot in the door and then keep your eyes open for opportunites. Also, make sure that your program is accredited so that you are eligible to sit for the CMA(AAMA) certification exam. If not, find out if you can at least sit for the RMA(AMT) cert.

David in Seattle, Washington said: You generally have to start in Family Practice to get your feet in the door. I actually started in a hospital as both a Patient Care Tech/Ward Clerk, and then, eventually to Interventional Medicine. Hospitals/hospital-affiliated clinics pay the most, by the way. If you can't find a job right away as a Medical Assistant, then look at other healthcare positions in the hospitals. Some of those positions are: Health Unit Coordinator/Unit Secretary, Patient Care Tech, Physical Therapy Aide, even transporter. You can also greater increase your chances of getting a job as a hospital-based MA by gettting your CNA (you can getting training from a nearby nursing home; the training is usually 4 weeks with the first 2 or 3 being part-time in the day time and then a full-week of clinical). Even consider taking the Certified Professional Coder exam after graduating from MA-school. I believe that the MA schools still teach Medical Billing and Coding as part of their cirriculum. Also, you may even be able to get into a clinic being cross-trained as a Surgical Tech. I have worked w/several Surgical Techs who were cross-trained into that profession (and these were traveling techs that made good money and had their housing and transportation payed for). Just get your foot in the door and then keep your eyes open for opportunites. Also, make sure that your program is accredited so that you are eligible to sit for the CMA(AAMA) certification exam. If not, find out if you can at least sit for the RMA(AMT) cert.

David,

Thanks for the advise and information. I'm for sure gonna go for it.