At my boiling point...you are NOT a Nurse...of ANY kind!!!!

[nursehunnie]

Ok folks, I'm just about ready to lose it and I know it's a little silly..or it may seem petty...but just take my feelings into consideration.

I am SICK to DEATH of SOME Medical Assistants, CNAs, and Respiratory Therapists (etc.) calling themselves NURSES, or allowing themselves to be called nurses...or saying that they are getting their "RN". Are you KIDDING ME?

Before I start, let me begin by saying that I respect ALL health care workers and think you should be proud of what you are doing, going to school for, and what your title is. However, I have LOW tolerance for people who break the law and throw around a professional title/license. It's beyond ignorant and I'm wondering how it can be stopped.

I would NEVER in a million years, call myself a Doctor...or a Nurse Practitioner..because I am NOT one. I did NOT go to school for it. I am a Registered Nurse and PROUD of it. If anyone calls me Doctor, or ANYTHING else, I quickly correct them with a sweet smile on my face.

Examples of what I have heard/seen/witnessed/etc.:

" Can I speak to the nurse?" Medical Assistant" Speaking, How can I help you?"

" So excited for my first day of school, we did injections!" says the medical assisting student..friend asks "OH, nursing program?!"...medical assistant student says "Yep, sure is!".

"Nurse Sarah, when do you finish school?". Sarah says, "In 2 months"...Sarah is in a RESPIRATORY therapy program.

My friend says to me," I went to school to become a nurse and finished, but I decided I prefer Social Work." I ask, "Really, so you're a nurse, where did you go?" Friend replies "Yes, CNA Tech Institute".(fake name) Uhm, that's a well known 6 month CNA school. SERIOUSLY?

"I actually teach the nurses on my unit everything. I know more than them and have more experience.", says the Medical Assistant after I ask them why they are referring to themselves as "Nurse".

I can't even go on to tell you how much more I have witnessed. MANY of this is coming from my friends. I'm going to be REALLY honest with you guys. I am just heated. I worked my BOTTOM off in nursing school. I applied to a program with 600 applicants in line (which is STANDARD) and was accepted into ONE of 20 seats. I killed myself not to be flunked out and passed with an average 3.5 GPA. It was four years of GRUELING work and I feel I have earned the right to refer to myself as a Registered Nurse. I'm very proud of it.

I feel like other health care workers are SERIOUSLY making a JOKE of the nursing field throwing around the title as though we are a dime a dozen. Why can't they be proud of what they do? EACH of those fields is JUST fine..but WHY are you breaking the law and calling yourself a Nurse?

Can you imagine what would happen if I called myself a Doctor? Sorry, but that's ignorant and pathetic. I would NEVER do it. If this thread offends you, then please don't reply. It shouldn't be offensive unless you are one of the few health care workers who live a lie and call yourself a nurse.

How do we address this and stop this? Medical Assistants are the BIGGEST group I have witnessed this by. I have a LOT of respect for them and envy their position. They ENJOY their jobs...but why do SOME (not ALL), throw MY nursing license value around like that by claiming they are a nurse?

What do you do when it's a friend doing this?

What do you do when it's a health care coworker?

I already know what I would do if I was going to a Doctor's office and they did this. That's easy. It's the friend part that is hard. I KNOW it's silly to be upset..but I have never seen so much ignorance. Why did I work hard if someone else can call themselves a nurse and only went to school for 6 months? What did I work for? Other than the obvious paycheck and passion?! ha :)

[Flying ICU RN]

My stepdaughter

She has also made it known that she will have more of an advanced degree than me (I have an ADN).

My in-laws who are know-it-alls tell me that I cannot work in an ER or ICU. Some people are just ignorant..

All that's missing here is a fairy godmother and a cat named Lucifer! :)

[SweettartRN]

A CENA isn't even licensed. They are certified nursing assistants and there is a big difference between a license and a certificate.

[nursehunnie]

Contact Us :: AAMA - The American Association of Medical Assistants

Can't we email them and tell them they should address this with their colleges? It's a simple mass email for them to send to the head of every MA program and have them remind their students that they are NOT nurses, nor allowed to refer to themselves as one.

[SweettartRN]

Contact Us :: AAMA - The American Association of Medical Assistants

Can't we email them and tell them they should address this with their colleges? It's a simple mass email for them to send to the head of every MA program and have them remind their students that they are NOT nurses, nor allowed to refer to themselves as one.

That's a great idea!

What do we do with the nurse aides? :)

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

It bothers me. I worked hard to be able to become an RN. If it bothers you, report them tot he State BON. They are there to protect you and the public in total.

Boards of Nursing

It's illegal in all states to claim a license you do not hold.

[PurpleLVN]

This must be getting worse as we are hearing about this more than ever. I personally have never witnessed it but I am wondering if the docs lean on the MAs in their office to identify themselves as nurses.

I've heard MANY docs introduce the MA's as "my nurse" so I don't think the MA's are being pressured by the docs-I think the docs are at fault for allowing and accepting and promoting this-especially in the clinics. I'm an LVN and MA's are taking over b/c the doc's are hiring them for less money and training them to do what I've been formally trained to do. So although I don't profess to be an RN-yet-I do feel your frustration!!!

[girlleyla]

I understand exactly what you mean!

I have been working as a receptionist for the last 3 years in a large medical facility where I witnessed a few medical assistants referring themselves as nurses or nursing students to staff and clients. I always raised my eyebrows as it did seemed very strange and unfair to someone who worked hard for their nursing licence.

While working there I never once said I was a nursing student out of context unless I was asked by staff directly what I was taking in school. It just didn't seem right to be throwing that around!

I guess I didn't help by not correcting their mistake but neither did anyone else at the facility.

Besides why would anyone want to take liability for something they really are not prepared to take on. There is a lot to being a licensed nurse and someone untrained or unprepared for the actual role should not claim to know or be as that of a nurse.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

It seems crazy to me that these people wouldn't know the difference between their title and a nurse. I agree with you totally it is completely inappropriate for them to refer to themselves as such.

About the legality of it.. if they aren't directly calling themselves a licensed nurse (like I'm an RN, I'm an LPN, etc) and just saying 'I'm a nurse'.. would that still be illegal? Technically they are not claiming to be licensed in the profession. (I'm DON'T AGREE with this, just asking)

On a more positive note: I've had MAs correct me before when I mistake them for nurses. This happens generally in the doctor's office when I say something like, "Go ahead and answer the nurse" to one of my boys. More than once they've told me, "oh I'm not the nurse, just an assistant".

[AmericanRN]

i've heard many docs introduce the ma's as "my nurse" so i don't think the ma's are being pressured by the docs-i think the docs are at fault for allowing and accepting and promoting this-especially in the clinics. i'm an lvn and ma's are taking over b/c the doc's are hiring them for less money and training them to do what i've been formally trained to do. so although i don't profess to be an rn-yet-i do feel your frustration!!!

you are still a nurse though!! an lpn (lvn) is a nurse and your title is protected here in florida just as much as mine is as an rn.

in florida the title of nurse is protected so if the doctor is introducing their ma as a nurse and the ma does nothing to correct it they are both wrong.

chapter 464 in the florida statutes covers everything from what initials a nursing student can use, a graduate nursing student who has not taken boards, etc, etc. the nurse practice act here is over 115 pages long.

the gist of it regarding nurses in florida is that:

there are only three types of nurses specifically educated and trained to provide nursing care. they are classified under the title "nurse" as follows: [color=#3263a1]licensed practical nurse (lpn), [color=#3263a1]registered nurse (rn) and [color=#3263a1]advanced registered nurse practitioner (arnp) which includes [color=#3263a1]nurse practitioner (np), [color=#3263a1]certified nurse midwife (cnm), [color=#3263a1]certified registered nurse anesthetist (crna) and, though not recognized in florida, but in many other states, [color=#3263a1]clinical nurse specialist (cns).

in the state of florida the title "nurse" is protected and cannot be used by individuals other than those previously identified.

[sleepysnr]

I graduated from LPN school back in June. Where I live, GPN's aren't hired so we are forced to work as Medical Assistants until we take our NCLEX. The day I was pinned I became a nurse. So yes, I answered to nurse even though my title was Medical Assistant. I just passed my boards a week ago but my title has not changed yet at work due to my license number not sent yet. So I continue to answer to nurse. Not all patients know the difference between CNA's LPN's MA's and RN's. The person who is called the nurse, but is in fact not, might not want to correct the patient for fear of embarrassing them. I know you meant to use this post to vent and educate non-nurses. But I think you came off as rude.

[gbpack]

I agree with you 100%. I work in a hospital as a CNA and, I would never would refer or let anyone else refer to me as an RN. I'm a junior in college for RN so I'm fully aware of the time and hard work it takes to earn the title RN. It is definately something that can just be thrown about. In, my opinion, people who refer to themselves with false titles must have an insecurity about their choices and career paths.

[amystudent2012]

Nursehunnie,

I used to be an MA and would NEVER allow anyone to call me a nurse or anything else besides who I was.. a medical assistant. I think that people who do this are looking for a pat on the back. In my opinion, they want to be like you and want to feel important, but they are doing it all wrong. I am with you, I think people who would allow patients (who dont know any better) to call them a Nurse, is disgraceful. They are in the wrong and you can show their true colors.. that is what I would do..

For instance if you see a pt speaking to an MA and saying "Are you a nurse" and she says yes, I would reply, "Please do not lie to our pts", Ms. ___, she is not a Nurse and I can get your nurse in here if you have any questions. I would definitely take it up with her supervisor and let people know what that person is doing.

Maybe I would not last long and not have many MA or CNA friends, but who cares, if they give pts wrong info, then that can come back on the hospital or whatever facility they are in.

You can also question their judgment, keep them on their toes. Show them what a Nurse really knows and ask them medical questions. When they don't know the answer say.. "That is the difference between a nurse and a CNA or MA. If you really want to portray a nurse, then go get your RN".

Ok, I am off my soap box.

Hope this helps!