Many people confuse the Certified Nursing Assistant with Medical Assistants. While both jobs are similar in many respects, there is a vast difference in where and how the medical assistant works in comparison with the certified nursing assistant. In many cases, the person who wants to progress into a nursing career may want to choose the CNA practice over the medical assistant’s job.

For instance, medical assistants interact with the public, and various health care professionals and staff. Medical assistants often greet patients, take vital signs, complete medical records, educate patients on methods to improve health and instruction on how to take medications. Medical assistants also perform ancillary in-house tests when ordered by a physician or other licensed healthcare practitioners in accordance with skill level and state regulations. But, unlike the nursing assistant, the medical assistant does not provide bedside care.

Nursing assistants also interact with the public, but their interactions are between the patient and the RN (Registered Nurse) or LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) rather than with a physician. The CNA takes vital signs, adds to medical records and acts as a liaison between the patient and nurse. CNAs also help patients to and from tests and care for the patient’s hygiene – activities that the medical assistant often does not or can not perform.

Both medical assistants and certified nursing assistants must comply with a healthcare facility’s HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments), OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) laws and react calmly and effectively in emergency situations. Both jobs require a sensitivity to patients’ needs as well as a knowledge of how a healthcare facility might handle those needs.

But, the largest difference between the medical assistant and the certified nursing assistant is that medical assistants cannot work in nursing homes or in home health care or in any other healthcare facility where a doctor is not present. Medical assistants need to work in environments where a doctor is present as required by law, so their work often is confined to a clinic or to a doctor’s office. The certified nursing assistant, on the other hand, can work in environments where a doctor is not present, as most CNAs report to the supervising RN or LPN.

This last difference often makes the choice easy for anyone who wants to have the freedom to become more involved with patient care. Certified nursing assistants also have more freedom when it comes to choice of employment and with climbing a career ladder. Since medical assistants in the U.S. are not required to be certified, their attempts to become more involved with medical practice often is a step behind the CNA. Nursing assistants, however, often are required to take the certification exam to keep a current job or to obtain a job in a healthcare facility.