DNP required soon?

hanni,
i agree with you for the most part. but, is it fair if you introduce yourself to a patient as doctor, and they of course will be thinking medical, and you don't clarify, aren't you misleading them? that in and of itself would be liable to suit. now, that being said, i have worked with and under many PhDs who at bedside do NOT introduce themselves as doctor but by first name. clarity is the issue most of the time. a dentist is a doctor but not an MD, yet they are called doctor. i do agree that anyone that has earned a degree of doctor should be entitled to receive such salutation, however, there is a place for such... in my opinion anyway.

nope. not as long as they clarify dental doc.

I am a nurse with a PhD. Generally, I introduce myself to people with just my first and last name because I work in a hospital where that is the norm. However, I have no qualms about using my "doctor" title when it suits the situation.

All professionals -- regardless of their discipline -- have an obligation to explain their role in the patient's care when they introduce themself. That goes for physicians as well as for nurses of for anyone else. A resident should not pass himself (or herself) off as the head honcho physician, and the head honcho attending physician should indicate his/her supervisory capacity when introducing himself/herself to the patient. Similarly, as a nurse, I have an obligation to explain my role when I introduce myself to a patient. If we all did that properely, there would be no problems.

For example: "Hello, I am Dr. XYZ and I am the nursing instructor supervising the nursing students on this unit today." "Good morning, I am Dr. ABC and I am the medical resident assigned to your case. I'm here to ask you a few questions about ..." Etc. etc. etc.

So you conclude nurses may use "Doctor" as well?

I agree with you 1000%....... The problem comes when people do not explain their roles to the patient as explicitly as they should.....There was a CRNA that I worked with that had a PhD in Sociology and would introduce herself as Doctor So and So.....I know she knew what the patient was thinking and she also knew what SHE was doing. She was told not to do that anymore...Thats where I think the line gets fuzzy...In her defense, I understand that she wanted to be recognized for the work that she had done to GET her PhD...and her position as a CRNA did not allow her to do that.. but there is a time and place for everything.......

this is a bad idea. it will allow AAs to gain a greater foothold into anesthesia because there will be less CRNAs. its ridiculous, I dont think it will improve care, or our situation. Im totally against it

It will also potentially lower our reimbursement just as full independence will. Not because the AA's will gain a greater foothold butbecause it will make anesthesia a nursing profession potentially. Once anesthesia becomes a nursing profession reimbursement will drop markedly. We will be looking at < 3 figure salaries again.

Nurse anesthesia/anesthesia has always been a nursing profession. Nurses have been doing anesthesia from the beginning. Nurses were the 1st professionals to do anesthesia as a full time practice in this country. Also, it is considered the first nursing speciality.