How to Go from
Medical Assistant to RN

1. Expanded responsibilities

While medical assistants and registered nurses both strive to provide quality patient care, their responsibilities and scope of practice differ.

Medical assistants can have many types of administrative and/or clinical responsibilities to help facilitate patient care. They can schedule appointments, greet patients as they enter the office and help prepare the patient by taking vitals. While they can potentially earn a level of autonomy, MAs usually work under the care of a licensed physician or a registered nurse.

Nurses play a greater role in patient care. While many of the tasks that MAs perform resemble the work of Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses (LPN/LVN), nursing carries additional patient responsibilities, especially at the level of RN.

RNs have less of an administrative role and they primarily work one-on-one with patients. While they usually work under a licensed physician, they can create patient care plans, collaborate with other medical staff, run patient diagnostic tests and operate some medical equipment.

3. Specializations

Just like there are different types of medical assistants, there is no such thing as “just” a nurse. Nurses provide specific care for patients in a variety of different settings. However, as you choose to pursue a nursing career, you may decide that you want to specialize in an area that interests you. Some possible nursing specialties include, but are not limited to:

• Aesthetic/Cosmetic Nurse
• Cardiac Nurse (CVICU)
• Flight Nurse
• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurse
• Labor and Delivery Nurse
• Oncology Nurse
• Pediatric Nurse
• Travel Nurse

There are unconventional nursing careers that you may also choose to pursue once you have earned your BSN. Nursing represents both a great next career step for MAs and excellent undergraduate foundation building a bridge to many future potential career paths.

5. Where they work

Both medical assistants and registered nurses work in similar environments, but that does not mean that they are the same! As a nurse, you can pursue your career in a variety of healthcare settings.

According to the BLS, 60% of RNs worked in state, local and private hospitals in 2019. RNs are much more likely to work in hospitals than medical assistants. MAs most often work in physician’s offices, with only 15% working in hospitals. If you’re interested in working in a more autonomous role in patient care in a hospital environment, going from MA to RN may be right for you.

Many other nurses will choose to work in the offices of physicians, outpatient care centers, home health care and nursing homes. Although these are only some of the places that nurses can work, it depends on availability, location and specialization.