Does your hospital or facility badge include your credentials?

Nurses Professionalism

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In my current staff nurse RN position my badge says Maggie and underneath my name it says nurse in lower case letters. Not even RN, just 'nurse'. We have several excellent night shift LPNs on Med Surg and my badge is identical to theirs. I don't mean to sound elitist it's just that we are in different roles.

(Please don't dogpile on me for mentioning the LPNs ok? They are my buddies. This is about badges not who is a better nurse.)

At first I thought 'whatever.' The hospital management made a statement that they are opposed to having "cv information" on hospital id badges.

My credentials are BSN, CCRN. My department is MICU.

I'm curious if this is happening in other hospitals because I just dont get it. I dont want the badges to say AA or AS RN, that is unnecessary. But RN would certainly be reassuring to the pts. If I'm sick I would be thankful to see that CCRN or CEN or CNOR on my nurse's badge. It represents competence and a commitment to continuing education.

Any thoughts?

Specializes in Critical Care.

Sort of. We have full first and last name, Registered Nurse, and a hang tag that goes under our badge that says RN in white letters against red background. There's nothing about degree, certification, etc.

Specializes in Emergency and Critical Care.
"it really had nothing to do with opportunities because there are many out there, it has to do with desire and a commitment to lifelong learning"

To Cinlou and icuRNmaggie... Don't get me wrong. Kudos on your accomplishments. I wish it could have happened to me as well. I was just put off by the competence comment. Don't for one minute think credentials spell out competence. I complete many, many classes to stay up with current trends and do more CE's than I will ever need. Education is super important. And Miss Cinlou, you have no idea what I have sacrificed for choosing my family over school. I was accepted to 2 programs in my late forties after completing my prerequisite classes with a 3.9 GPA and being on the national deans list when both my parents fell ill each time I was accepted to a program. I took care of them both until their passing plus working a full time job. This was a span of years. That was my commitment ladies. I am at peace with the choice I made and wouldn't have it any other way. God just has me on a different path. My nursing years have been for the most part great and I am a very happy and good at what I do. Life happens and things change. Don't make a comment on someone's opportunities, desires, and commitment until you have the facts...

I asked why you did not feel you had the opportunity, because there are opportunities with desire? You are absolutely correct I do not know your life nor do you know mine except for what we choose to expose to this site. But from your response it was obviously your choice to choose your path and you have continued your life long learning in the way in which it works for you.Good for you. It took me many years and many life turns for me as well, if you read my Bio you will notice I am a Director of an LPN program of which I feel very strongly about, because without this program there are many who would not be able to fulfill their desire and passion to be a nurse, and I feel that the LPN is the answer to what has been described as a nursing shortage. LPN's are skilled licensed nurses who can provide that direct bedside care in which patient satisfaction scores would rise. Perhaps I should have said a commitment and desire to obtain the degrees for more options later in my career, rather than the desire and commitment to life long learning, because they are definitely two different things. One can certainly maintain their life long commitment to learning without receiving certifications and degrees, but without them the options are more limited.

Specializes in Emergency and Critical Care.
I bolded and underlined the part of your post that really cuts to the heart of the matter. Many of us have no desire to everhave student loans ever again, ever.

I am financially secure, my loans paid off a few years ago. I'm commited to a debt free life, having spent most of my twenties (I'm 32) deep in debt. If someone is gainfully employed and happy with their job, I fail to see the need to go back to school.

Sometimes I wonder about this mentality in our society to push everyone for more and more education, forever and ever. At some point there's only diminishing returns.

My response for me would be that to make that choice it can not be all about the money. I spent 35 years at the bedside as an ADN in critical, trauma, ED etc. . My options were limited and my back was giving out. At first I just wanted my BSN for me, it was something I had started on many years ago and life took a turn that I was forced to turn with and I never finished it. When I completed my BSN, I spoke with my husband and he said why don't you get your MSN, I hemm'd and hawed about it, and thought why. My answer to myself was "options", and it was an opportunity for me to give back to students what I had received from some excellent instructors so many years ago. This has given me an opportunity to continue doing what I love, which is teaching,while also affecting changes in the nursing programs, work closely with the clinical facilities in our area, and try to improve the quality of our community. Was it easy? absolutely not. Was the decision to take on loans difficult? you betcha. Do I think the cost is to high financially? Absolutely. But for me the benefit of having additional choices for my future and be able to keep working doing what I love, with more options, this was the right choice for me. This choice may not be the right one for others, and each person needs to decide that. What is right for one is not necessarily the right choice for someone else. I am a strong advocate of continuing education, as well as a nurse and patient advocate, this is my way of giving back. Everyone has to choose their way of giving, and each has to choose their future. At the age of 32 I thought to myself, no way could I afford to go back to school nor at that time in my life did I ever think I would go back to school in my 50's, times change and so doesn't how we think. Sometimes you just never know where your future will lead you until you get there.

Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

Ours have our phots, then names, then credentials, Name, BSN, RN or MSN, RN. ADNs just have RN. Then, below that we have 'RN" in big bold letters. I like it because I can identify who's a nurse and who's not. Important to me, because I have to hunt down a variety of floor nurses in my role.

Specializes in Cardiac, ER, Pediatrics, Corrections.

Mine says my name and then underneath says RN-BSN.

Mine has RN BSN after my name. Is it a magnet hospital? Mine is and RNs wear a different color scrubs than LPNs and other staff as well.

Different hospitals are going to do it differently, one hospital in my area has first and last name (I'm glad mine doesn't!). I don't think its really anything to worry about if it is hospital wide and not just your bage. I'm sure that they have a good reason for it

Specializes in Cardiac, ER, Pediatrics, Corrections.

I do not work at a magnet hospital. You wear certain color scrubs for whatever unit you are in.

Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

First name, license, highest degree (unless you're an ADN), credentials, clinical ladder level.

Home Unit

18 point bolded license card behind badge as required by California law.

Everyone has a badge in my hospital system because we have RFID chips embedded in them for computer log on as well as restricted door access/entry.

Everyone from every department, (including the doc's), has their first name. The last name is optional, however, I haven't seen any doc's that only have their first name.

Even the senior management have badges.

The last name can be kept off badge due to confidentiality of staff - had a really bad employee-patient stalking episode once upon a time.

Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.
"If I'm sick I would be thankful to see that CCRN or CEN or CNOR on my nurse's badge. It represents competence and a commitment to continuing education."

Yes, credentials on a badge are appropriate, but get real... your work ethic and how you care for you patient represent competency and commitment. Not a bunch of letters. Some of us are quite competent but were unable to have all the opportunities as some to continue our education. 28 years in the field and a damn good nurse. Proud of it!

The presence of credentials on my badge does not diminish your competence in the least.

"Getting real" here: I took a real exam to get my LPN. I then took a real exam to get my RN. I also took a real exam to get my credentials, and I took a lot of real exams to earn my degrees.

None of these exams have, diminished what you have.

What they really Do establish is a standard competence. The LPN has a standard competence, the RN....., the degrees......, the certifications......

Unless I've been just a really good guesser all along, it must mean that I demonstrate a standard level of competence.

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