The ignorance evident in this article is just staggering to me. No wonder the general public is confused.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/your-skills-matter-more-than-your-degrees/2013/01/11/8480565a-4b93-11e2-a6a6-aabac85e8036_story.html?hpid=z5

Wow. Really, "Karla"? Really?

Perhaps Karla would let me do her taxes this year. I'm pretty good at math. I think I'll call myself an Accountant, yeah.

Oh my!

She may be s------ when she asks for that job descripton, and it requires an RN.

And now — unless patient welfare is at stake, or you’re being asked to do something illegal —

....liiiiiiike practice nursing without a license?....Karla?

The person never really says what her job is. She could be an office manager in a doctor's office that oversees both clinincal and non clinical staff. I've worked in a few doc's office where the manager was not a nurse. The thing that bothers me is that she says she has the same skills as an RN. Unless she went to an accredited nursing school and is licensed in her state, she does not possess the skills. This Karla chick, whoever she is, might want to have advised the questioner that working as an RN without a license is a crime. Honestly, the whole thing offended me.

Huh. That whole article was weird.

Um, I'm pretty sure that if her job title is "RN unit manager" and she's not a RN, she is committing a crime. Period.

Also, it's pretty insulting that she applied for a RN position saying, "I'm not a nurse, but I have all the skills needed for the job." No, no you do not. And how about Karla calling a RN licence "some irrelevant qualification" Really?

The person never really says what her job is. She could be an office manager in a doctor's office that oversees both clinincal and non clinical staff. I've worked in a few doc's office where the manager was not a nurse. The thing that bothers me is that she says she has the same skills as an RN.

Unless she went to an accredited nursing school and is licensed in her state, she does not possess the skills. This Karla chick, whoever she is, might want to have advised the questioner that working as an RN without a license is a crime. Honestly, the whole thing offended me.

This is the email I just sent to Karla at [email protected].

I read your response to the person who wrote in asking if she should be worried about her job because she is not an RN. First, if she is working under the title of RN manager, then she certainly should be worried. Using the title RN without a license is the same as calling yourself and MD without a medical license. It is illegal. No one can call themselves "nurse" unless they have a valid nursing license. Also, saying that one does not have a RN license, but has all the skills of an RN is ludicrous. Just because I can dissect a pig's brain, does not make me a neurosurgeon. To become a Registered Professional Nurse, one must attend an accredited school, learn the skills and theory, practice the skills and theory and then take a state licensing exam. All that to become minimally competent to practice nursing. Nursing is a profession that requires school, training and practice. It is not something one carries in their back pocket to whip out and say "Oh, I can do that too." If the job description called for administrative skills only, then yes, the questioner may have had those skills. if that is the case, then the appropriate title would be administrative manager, not RN manager. Even though she may not use the title, she is letting others refer to her title as an RN. Is she actively correcting this? If not, a crime of admission is still a crime. She should be reported to the state board of nursing for practicing without a license. Your advice was erroneous and insulting to all the nurses out there who worked hard to earn their title. Please show the respect to our profession that is our due.

Sincerely,

This is the email I just sent to Karla at [email protected].

I read your response to the person who wrote in asking if she should be worried about her job because she is not an RN. First, if she is working under the title of RN manager, then she certainly should be worried. Using the title RN without a license is the same as calling yourself and MD without a medical license. It is illegal. No one can call themselves "nurse" unless they have a valid nursing license. Also, saying that one does not have a RN license, but has all the skills of an RN is ludicrous. Just because I can dissect a pig's brain, does not make me a neurosurgeon. To become a Registered Professional Nurse, one must attend an accredited school, learn the skills and theory, practice the skills and theory and then take a state licensing exam. All that to become minimally competent to practice nursing. Nursing is a profession that requires school, training and practice. It is not something one carries in their back pocket to whip out and say "Oh, I can do that too." If the job description called for administrative skills only, then yes, the questioner may have had those skills. if that is the case, then the appropriate title would be administrative manager, not RN manager. Even though she may not use the title, she is letting others refer to her title as an RN. Is she actively correcting this? If not, a crime of admission is still a crime. She should be reported to the state board of nursing for practicing without a license. Your advice was erroneous and insulting to all the nurses out there who worked hard to earn their title. Please show the respect to our profession that is our due.

Sincerely,

Well said!