UUUGHH (White-coat syndrome?)

[jbeck817]

There's this older gentleman at work who is a CNA. When you ask for help moving or feeding the patients, he constantly states, "I'm just the CNA." I don't know where this comes from and it ticks me off because he always says this. He also wears a white coat buttoned of course, and the patients frequently refer to him as a doctor, as in, "That doctor just brought me my dinner!" He NEVER corrects them. We had one confused little lady who refused to take pills from me (a female in scrubs) and took them right away when he was in the room. The little lady said, "I'll do anything for my doctor!" He is so self-depreciating and it is driving me batty! It doesn't seem very professional either. Any suggestions about what I could do? (Oh and I've already tried saying that he should not refer to himself as "just the CNA" because nurses couldn't work well without CNAs)

[TypicalFish]

Luv2BAnurse said:

I don't understand what is inappropriate with a white coat , if it's a scrub jacket or lab coat or whatever. Everyone where I work wears them...just like scrubs.

That CNA, just like any other healthcare team member, should let someone know if they are being addressed incorrectly.

When he says "I'm just the CNA" is he saying it as if "Sure, I'm a CNA, I'll help with that" or "You honestly don't expect me to be able to do anything, as I am just a CNA". I don't understand (without hearing it I guess).

I do agree with Dusktildawn's response to that remark.

I think the issue is that he is wearing a white lab-coat kind of jacket; that patients, especially elderly Marcus Welby era patients associate with a physician. And for him to pintedly NOT correct the patients when they call him "Doctor" is a major legal issue-misrepresentation, etc. And if he is just kind of walking around, not assisting thte nurses like he should be, he may appear to be a a physician.

The inference of the OP was that he deferred helping nurses with patient care by saying "I'm just the CNA", as in "What do you want me to do about it?" I think it is pretty obvious that this guy needs some intervention, before something happens, before he starts BELIEVING that he is a doctor......