Another rant regarding MA's and Nurses

Nurses General Nursing

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I know I've read on here multiple times regarding MA's calling themselves nurses but now its not even the ma's but the doctor's office they work in calling them nurses. I feel this is so misleading and done deliberately. I called my doctors office today (she is part of the Advocate system here in Illinois) and the recording said "press 2 to speak with a nurse" so I pressed 2 and the person answering my call said "Hi this is Ashley, can I help you?". Well after spending a few minutes telling her my issue and her giving me advice I said "You are a nurse.....right?"

She went on to explain that no she isnt a nurse but a ma. When I asked to speak to a nurse instead, she said they don't have any that work there, they only have ma's.

Is this reportable? I felt really misled by the office recording and I'm sure other patients think they are talking to a nurse when in fact they are talking to a ma.

How do you feel about DNPs introducing themselves to hospital patients as "Hi, Ms. Jones, I'm Dr. so and so"...?

:rolleyes: The same way I feel about DLS' (Doctor of liberal arts) introducing themselves as Dr. so and so; if that is the title you earned through education USE IT!

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.
Ditto for Louisiana.

Wisconsin as well!!

Specializes in ICU.
Wisconsin as well!!

New Mexico too!

I don't know who they would charge though. The phone system may have said 'speak to a nurse' but then you asked Ashley she didn't claim to be one. I think you should report it though, especially seeing as it can cause problems for patients thinking they are talking with a nurse.

The original poster clearly stated Ashley was giving her advise. Ashley was indeed practicing nursing without a license.We have all read about people impersonating Doctors and practicing medicine: they get prosecuted and convicted of fraud- a felony. So why is nursing so shy and intimidated to do the same? Healthcare is full of Ashley's- they 're cheaper than nurses because they don't have a license. Every unlicensed healthcare worker(MA, NA,CNA, PCA,PCT or medic or what ever they are called in that particular arena) who allows themself to be called"nurse" and doesn't correct the patient, allows the mascarade aka the fraud, should be reported to their boss and the boss should be pressing charges with the BON and/or the DOH and diciplinary action. An act of Fraud is a deceptive practice. How many of the higher ups smile or laugh and poo poo it. All of them!! They act like your the PIA for reporting it. Maybe if you forged their name to a large credit card purchase they wouldn't think fraud was so funny!. Nursing's problem is nursing. Nursing keeps it's mouth shut too often and to the detriement of everyone. Nursing has no backbone to stick up for itself and the good of the profession. The only time nursing opens it mouth is when they're telling other nurses to shut up and speak up for themselves. Nursing is so anxious to give their job responsibilites away aka "delegation"( IV starting, medication administration, now telephone triage in the Dr's office"just press #2). If the Doctor's office wants to offer "nursing" advise service to the patients, maybe the Doctor's office should hire an RN, pay a triage service or stop offering advise line to their patients. If Ashley wants to pawn herself off as a nurse, Ashley needs to pay for a nursing education and get a nursing license. That's what a physician would tell a nurse, if a nurse over steps their role into that of the doctor. I've heard doctors say that to nurses.

Doctorates of Psychology call themselves "Doctor" also Just try to get one of them to order your psych pt's their meds- they can't

Specializes in NICU( RN), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

I think that some facilities think it is easier to say "Nurse" than "unlicensed personnel" because a majority of patients call the MA's that. I have been an MA for five years (Now in nursing school) and I tell pts all the time that I'm not a nurse, but they still call me it. I think it's cause it's more "nursing the patient" not the technical term Nurse. Idk if that makes sense. As a medical assistant in a doctors office everything that I can tell the patient I do, I have the right and knowledge to tell them what they need to know if its within my scope of practice. After giving them the information I still state that I will forward the message and any other concerns to the doctor since ONLY a doctor can actually give them a diagnosis etc. Even if you are a nurse ( RN, LVN/LPN) you still have to tell the patient that. Idk... I think it's just patient centered and patient friendly for facilities to say Nurse.

It's fraud and it needs to be dealt with as such

Specializes in OB (with a history of cardiac).

This isn't an excuse- but I know when I was an LPN working at the clinic, the RN's at the triage line simply followed prompts on a computer to tell the patients what to do next. Like if someone called reporting chest pain, they'd type in "chest pain" and basically read a script and doing one of those "if the answer is yes, then ask this, if no, ask this..." really no nursing knowledge or critical thinking involved. I suppose it's a way of covering one's fanny if the wrong advice is given.

When I was on my big quest to find a job after getting my RN I hit up a few clinics that didn't hire RN's, and only had CMA's. I wondered what they'd do if a patient suddenly crumped in the office (it has happened) who is going to assess, start an IV, push any needed drugs until the paramedics arrive? I mean even having an LPN on site would be helpful although where I am LPN's can't do IV's or IV push meds, and technically can't assess either:rolleyes: so I suppose the doctor is going to do all of this right? When I worked clinic we had at least one IV start per week for whatever reason, we had chest pain walk in's nearly weekly, and usually 2-3 times per month had the paramedics pop in to cart someone off to the hospital. Sometimes the LPN's would be involved with taking care of the walk in's be they chest pain or sob, but I don't know how much a CMA would be able to do in those cases. We had a little problem too, for a time where the docs were calling the CMA's their "nurse" and the CMA's calling themselves "nurses" (some didn't, some didn't feel right about it) and we all had to sit down and have it explained that NP's aren't called "Doctor" (even though in peds the families always called them "doctor so and so") the CMA's aren't called "Nurse".

It's fraud and it needs to be dealt with as such

The only reason I hesitate to place blame on Ashley is if she knows about what the phone system is saying and if she corrects people when they address her as nurse. Before I entered nursing school I would ask the MA questions about whether I should bring in my kid to the office. I knew she wasn't a nurse, but I still asked. I definitely am not siding with someone who calls themselves a nurse when they're not, but the original post made it sound like she went through the conversation, then afterwards asked if Ashley was a nurse, to which she said no. I def. agree that the phone system should change if they are not being directed to a nurse, but should Ashley face charges? It just depends on the details.

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I told my PCP's office they couldn't put "nursing staff" on their name badges, when they had no nurses there. I get along quite well with the office manager, we kind of went round with it as they don't have any nurses on the staff.

The badges now only have names.

Specializes in family practice.
In NY, it clearly states in the Nurse Practice act that only a nurse can be called a nurse. Not an MA, not a secretary. It also states that only a nurse can triage a patient. So, I would check with your states BON and go from there.

arizona as well. no one can misrepresent themselves. i do believe there is a charge for this also

Specializes in LTC, Med-Surge, Ortho.
How do you feel about DNPs introducing themselves to hospital patients as "Hi, Ms. Jones, I'm Dr. so and so"...?

The DNP has a doctorate as a Nurse Practitioner as well as a license, but the medical assistant has no license and is not a LPN or RN. It is very misleading to the public and it should be reported to the BON. Nurses have a legal right to be called a nurse.:nurse:

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