Nurse is a nurse is a nurse

SC RN, RN · May 19, 2003

Originally posted by liberalrn
Agnus--thanks for the reply. "Wit" is fantastic--I keep thinking about it. Will most likely rent it again...there is alot there and not jsut about nursing. I think you will appreciate it!
As far I can tell, no-one on the thread has said that LPN's cannot call themselves nurse. I noted that most of us got our knicker twisted w/ MA's, CNA's amd techs calling themselves nurses. I think in my pediatrician's office that maybe there are 2 RN's, the rest are all techs (hwat the flip is a tech anyway--do they have CNA training? Just how accurate are the BP's they're taking?)

How accurate are the BP's? How accurate are yours? Come on, liberalrn, I think you don't really feel how this statement came out. Or at least, I hope you don't.

Nurse Techs, at least where I work, are CNA's. And CNA's in the state of California, are given a written and clinical test before they become certifed. Blood pressure is a required skill and it is tested and you must pass ... sure, the CNA's may not have as much experience taking BP's but they sure know how to do it correctly. If they don't, then some teacher needs a talking to.

Let's give CNA's and Nurse Techs some credit ... they work hard, get paid very little, and help out the "real" nurses quite a bit. :kiss

gwenith, BSN, RN · May 19, 2003

RE: Administration of Medication by non- nursing personnel

This has cropped up as a concern by a number of posters on this thread and is a real concern. Here in Queensland our Therapeutic Goods Act /aka/ Drug Administration act describes who can and cannot ADMINISTER drugs however, there is an "out" anyone can "assist" a person to take thier own medications - so that residents in hostel accomodation can have "Webster" packs made by the local pharmacy and the resident can have anyone help them take that medication but, that is not regarded as "administration" under the act.

Some of the problem with administration is the reliance within the nursing profession itself on only a limited competency in relation to drug administration. Here the most common competency revolves aroung medication calculations. The second most common revolves around the "5/6 Rights of medication administration" Forgive me but given enough time I could probably teach a Baboon those skills. What differentiates the requirements of drug administration skill for registered nurses is the ability to assess and evaluate the effect of the medication upon the patient. This is particularly important when it comes to PRN and titratable dosages where the dose MUST be regulated against physiological response.

Even the base skill of giving an NSAID to a patient requires the RN to first assess if this will be adequate to the patient requirements (i.e. do they need a stronger pain reliever) and then to evaluate the response (i.e. are they still in pain?) and even to evaluate if there is a "complimentary" intervention that will achieve the desired outcome (i.e. breathing exercises warm pack etc).

If we are to maintain our professional standing we must give cognizance to the complexities of our day to day duties and not "sell ourselves short" by only looking at the surface of the task. I am more than a pill dispenser which is why I do not feel threatened by others doing so, I do feel threatened by my professions inability to percieve the extent of my role in this regard because if WE do not see our scope of practice correctly then no-one else will and we will lose not only this area of practice but other areas as well.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · May 20, 2003

I have seen the movie "Wit" several times. It moves me to tears and makes me proud to be a nurse each time I see it.

healingtouchRN · May 20, 2003

do ya rent this one? is it on VHS? :confused:

liberalrn · May 20, 2003

SC RN: I meant it exactly as written. I do not feel that it is "flip" to question the skills of the people "assessing" my children's vital signs. I was directly referring to my pediatrician's office where there are ( as far as I know) 2 RN's and the rest are "Techs". As far as I am aware, "tech" is a generic term that anyone can hide behind (like nutritionist or psychotherapist or life coach). There are no licensing requirements to be a tech. If "techs" are CNA's; why do they not call themselves CNA's? What is wrong with being a certified nursing assistant? Is "Tech" more glamorous sounding...or is it easier to pawn off unlicensed personnel on an unsuspecting lay public? Why not say, I'm a CNA and I will be working with you today." How is that shameful or difficult?

I have alot of respect for CNA's --their jobs are hard and their work is honorable. I count myself fortunate that I work with several dedicated and caring CNA's --and they proudly call themselves that. A Tech could be anybody and often is.

This is jsut another example of how nomenclature can clarify and confuse issues...but that's another thread!

"Wit" is available on VHS at the video store...don't know about DVD.

flashpoint · May 20, 2003

I have a HUGE amount of respect for the CNAs here. They work their tails off and do a lot of care that saves us a ton of time. They are, however, NOT nurses. They do a lot of nursing care, but that does not make them nurses. When I am a patient, I have the right to know the qualifications of those caring for me...I don't think I have the right to request only RNs or only licensed nurses though. It doesn't take an RN to give a bath or change bed linen and it really burns me when patients expect that the RNs should be out there (or have the time) to do a lot of those tasks.

Furball · May 20, 2003

I hear ya liberal....my pulse is ALWAYS 58-62 ( I run a lot) unless I'm climbing a mountain or something. The tech, MA, whatever, at my last physical wrote 80. Hmmmm, I thought maybe I was nervous so took my own pulse....a even 60. Can't even take a freaking pulse?

That annoyed me. I told my doc to take my pulse...hmmmm 60.....told him to look at what was recorded and my history...he frowned.

hmmmmmm

allnurses Guide · May 20, 2003

I was a tech while in nursing school . . . not licensed or anything. Just trained by the doc's staff BUT I did know how to do vital signs. However, liberalRN is right . . there is no way to know what a "tech" truly is. I was working under the doc's licence and we signed an agreement as such.

At our hospital, the CNA's do vitals . . the RN's rarely. So I'd say they were better practiced at taking vitals. Sometimes you just have people who take shortcuts . . . and those come in all shapes and sizes. Like not counting for a full minute for infant heartrates and resp . .. . drives me crazy.

steph

(edited to fix grammar) :cool:

nursbee04 · May 20, 2003

I am a nursing student (second year) and I am currently working as a "Nurse Tech." At our hospital, a nurse tech is a nursing student that has completed their first semester of nursing school and basically does CNA duties, occasionally gets to do assessments or catheters (with supervision).

So apparently the term encompasses a variety of ppl.

:)

edited to add:

The title "NT" is in HUGE letters on a separate tag hanging below my name tag, and I NEVER introduce myself as a nurse (May 2004...that date seems so far away!!).

funnygirl_rn · May 20, 2003

Originally posted by healingtouchRN
do ya rent this one? is it on VHS?

Hi HealingtouchRn! Yes, the movie can be rented on VHS or DVD...at least at Hollywood Videos & Block-busters.

funnygirl_rn · May 20, 2003

Originally posted by Furball
I hear ya liberal....my pulse is ALWAYS 58-62 ( I run a lot) unless I'm climbing a mountain or something. The tech, MA, whatever, at my last physical wrote 80. Hmmmm, I thought maybe I was nervous so took my own pulse....a even 60. Can't even take a freaking pulse?

That annoyed me. I told my doc to take my pulse...hmmmm 60.....told him to look at what was recorded and my history...he frowned.
hmmmmmm

Furball... I had the same thing happen to me with both my pulse & BP. My pulse & BP are always low...which is NORMAL for me.

liberalrn · May 21, 2003

Thanks all. Didn't mean to sound so worked up, but really WHO are these people who touch us in all kinds of ways, at the doc's office, the outpt lab, the ER? It really burns me that every lay person I know will say stuff like,"the nurse came in and helped my mother w/ the dinner tray" or "That nurse did a terrible job drawing blood--she had to try 3 times" Whatever. And given staffing today, I can no longer say that xyz is NOT a nurse, but an aide, that abc is a lab tech (there's that word again) NOT a nurse. If it was the nurse who gave horrible care, then the issue whould be addressed. If we as a profession are taking the fall for other hcp's because of the public's IGNORANCE....that's a whole nother ball of wax!

And I hear ya about the pulse thingy. I ahd an argument w/ a "tech" years ago re: my 2 y/o daughter's health. I thought she had an ear infection; the "tech" said "she has no fever." (So?). she had bilat. otitis.......a little knowledge and a generic title are dangerous things.