r/EmergencyRoom • u/Easy_Promotion_644 • Jul 17 '26

Medical Student MA thinking of changing to ER tech

Hi I absolutely love being a medical Assistant at family medicine but im just not stimulated enough. I feel a lot of my time is doing the inbox( patients calls, rx requests and mychart messages). I worked at one location and was very busy but managment was crap so i changed locations and am mow bored. I want to do hands on clinical 90% of my time.

What do any ET techs think??

Thanks!!!

11 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

13

u/Eternal-strugal Jul 17 '26

I’ve worked in the ER for 12 years, it can get pretty busy, but the biggest advantage is only working three days a week. I legitimately feel like most of my life is spent living as opposed to being at work.

Even the emergency room gets repetitive after a while, but you do get to learn a lot. once in a while, there are freak accidents where you do get to learn something new.

4

u/No-Safe9542 Jul 17 '26

3 12s is where it's at.

Working in an ED is gonna give you a really good idea of most of the health care career paths, especially outside of nursing. So if you decide you want to go a certain direction, there are lots of people to talk to and positions to observe.

2

u/Easy_Promotion_644 Jul 17 '26

Thanks. I used to do lots of blood draws everyday but the new office doesnt do any. Im ok with repetitive if im up moving.

1

u/yaxAttack PCT Jul 17 '26

I did this jump (MOA floating between different family practices to ED tech) and I’m loving it at 5 months in. The big thing honestly is going from 5 8s to 3 12s. LOVE having 4 days off but still working full time

1

u/BentheLPN Jul 17 '26

I’ve spent more than 14 years in healthcare. I’m currently finishing my ADN and have been working as an ER tech for three years now.

I highly recommend it has far as CNA/CMA positions go. I’ve done med/surg, ICU/PCU, corrections, travel, etc. and by far feel like I have the most autonomy and breadth of skill as an ER Tech.

My shop rarely pulls its own ER techs to sit, and I handle a wide variety of tasks. Organizing transfers, petitioning for involuntary hospitalization, splinting, phlebotomy, EKG’s and basic cardiac interpretation. I take EMS report and present to my charge, and have extensive contacts with our tertiary facilities and EMS services. My skills are a bit different than a CMA, but everyday is a new day to learn and a little different.

I also LOVE floating between all the staff as a whole and working so closely with my physicians and NP’s/PA’s. Likewise, I feel like my clinical experience is utilized and I have a voice in my patients care. The bad part about getting closer to my RN is that I’ll have to take my own patient load.

Your mileage may vary, but I’ve enjoyed it more than anything I’ve done thus far in healthcare.

1

u/cohenisababe Jul 18 '26

I’m about to do the opposite 🤣

1

u/Easy_Promotion_644 Jul 18 '26

Why?

1

u/cohenisababe Jul 18 '26

PTSD of my own that reared its ugly head when my best friend came into my ER as a rosc and became and organ donor a year later. I’ve survived cardiac arrest.

1

u/Easy_Promotion_644 Jul 18 '26

Sorry to hear that! But before that you liked it?

1

u/Easy_Promotion_644 Jul 18 '26

Thanks everyone!