What's In A Name Badge?

Nurses Professionalism

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Hi All! (I can feel the flames already)

This is sort of a vent post and my curiosity on all of you wonderful ladies and gentlemen's take on the subject...NOT AN ADN vs BSN bullcrap argument, so please NONE of that. :)

I have my BSN. I went to a 4 year program. When I got my first job 3 years ago the hospital automatically put RN-BSN on my name badge. Never did I catch so much cattiness and people assuming I felt "superior." NOT THE CASE AT ALL. I didn't even ask for it to be on my badge. I had one LPN who constantly made snide comments "BSN my a**, she knows nothing." New grads were supposed to know it all I guess?? *eye roll*

FAST FORWARD to the present. I accepted a new job at another hospital. HR asked what I wanted on my badge. I told them "please just put RN. I don't want BSN." I just want to avoid anyone thinking that I have some chip on my shoulder. I do not want to come off snobbish. I am not saying those who want BSN on their badge are snobbish but in my experience this is how it's perceived. I do not feel I am any better than an ADN prepared nurse. They are wonderful!!

What is everyone's take on this? Anyone been in a similar situation?

Beeeeecause I worked so hard for those letters and am very proud of them! :D Actually all joking aside my LPN was the most rigorous program of them all. Starting with my BSN they became embarrassingly easy and fwiw I went to well respected state schools.

So....LPN is the license you are working under or the one you want to be recognized for ? Like I stated before, if you follow the etiquette you could still list all of those but in an order which more easily understood by other professions.

Just because a college degree came easy for you does not mean it should be disrespected especially from a quality school. It may not be as easy for others who are raising a family, working two jobs and going to school. Don't belittle the accomplishments of others.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I have worked at multiple hospitals and the ones that are Magnet facilities seem to want the degree named on the badge. Like one of the above posters, the hospital employees have the name tags and then the badge behind it that hangs down and states (in BIG letters) RN, PCT, APRN, etc.

However, I'm not a hospital employee and I have a variety of lab coats (for summer) and fleeces for winter. They have my practice name/symbol embroidered on the right side and my name, MSN, APRN on the left.

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Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.

I worked hard for my degree and don't give a rat's a** what anyone thinks if I decide to put it after my name on anything. When they start repaying my student loan debt, I will start caring about their opinions.

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My facility puts first name, last name, education (ADN, BSN, MSN, other masters level degree - MBA, MHA, MPA, etc) and licensure (RN vs APRN). Certification is an additional tag that hangs behind your photo ID and hangs so the letters corresponding with your certification hang visible below your photo. When I finish my masters, yes, indeed, I will change my ID badge. I'm hoping to move into a role where my MSN will be more applicable, but even if I stay where I am - I will have worked for it, why not? Due to tuition assistance, I have to turn in paperwork when I finish my masters... We've also been told how to format our signature for our email... I'm kind of toying with taking another specialty certification exam that I'm eligible for just because I can. For what it's worth, the font is the same as our name, nothing special about the sizing to designate degree.

Others have pointed out that patients do not necessarily notice or care...

Some facilities charge for replacement ID badges? Wow. We only have to pay if we fail to return our badge or if we lose it. I've had three badges since I started at work, both times I've gotten them replaced the security folks made me (my photo was faded, got scratched, etc).

I've never really had an issue. The facility that made the biggest deal about the BSN and MSN nurses they had was my first employer (as a nurse). Their badges highlighted BSN or MSN in much larger font than your name carried. The facility was pretty rural and it did seem kind of pretentious. Some of my coworkers said something...and I told them I hadn't asked for my badge to be done that way. Another coworker said something about BSN nurses being useless and conceited. I wanted to say 'But that says more about you than me. That you hold beliefs like that, making those assumptions.' I did not, instead I said something about how much I was looking forward to learning all that I could from everyone on that unit. Boy did I ever learn...mostly what I didn't want to become as a nurse, but you know, it's still valuable knowledge. :)

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Specializes in OR.

I work at a Magnet hospital where they do the first name and credentials thing and then the large bit of plastic that says, RN, MST, etc. I personally like seeing the tag or badge that says APRN or what have you because i am fairly new there and honestly don't know who most of the docs are, never mind their PAs or NPs. (This week I paged a doc that was sitting right next to me.:shy:) Seeing as how this seems to be the general practice in the bigger facilities, it might have something to do with the number of new employees that come through on a regular basis. I work on a fantastic unit, but we hire many new grads so by default we have a bit of turnover.

I am not a new nurse (closer to crusty old bat than baby nurse) but this is my first bedside floor position. I previously spent my whole career in a certain specialty area. HR put the specialty certification that I have on my badge. I winced at that because while I am proud of it, I am now in an area where it isn't that relevant and I don't want to have to explain it. In reality however, nobody has even noticed it. Which is fine by me.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Could someone please list another profession that insists on listing each and every educational level attained, as opposed to a simple listing of the highest professional level attained?

Nurses are insecure on this issue, and management promotes the insecurity by insisting on alphabet soup name tags. Where I work, an RN is an RN. Period. This is how it should be unless and until different versions of the Registered Nursing license come to pass.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
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Who said anything about weekend CEs? My opinion, which apparently differs from your opinion and thats cool, is that all these letters are self-inflated overkill whether college degrees or not they add up to alphabet soup. As I said although I put in time I personally didn't find it all that difficult and while I'm relatively proud of my accomplishments I don't care if others are impressed so again just the bare bones is fine with me.

Jules A, NP or perhaps Jules A, LPN, ADN, BSN, MS, PMH-CRNP, BC, FNP-CRNP-BC :facepalm:

If you are an NP, you better have that on your badge! It differentiates you between those who give orders and those who take orders and all the disciplines in-between.

Also, with hospitals wanting to move to magnet status, you just might want to slap that BSN on the badge so administration remembers you.

At every hospital I have worked, the letters go on the badge. If I'm a patient and I see you have a BSN AND you're certified in your area, I'm impressed. At least you tried to do more than the minimum. And we won't talk about how attentive I'll be when I see that MSN. Quite a conversation starter. But that does not take away from those very smart and experienced people without the letters.

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Could someone please list another profession that insists on listing each and every educational level attained, as opposed to a simple listing of the highest professional level attained?

Nurses are insecure on this issue, and management promotes the insecurity by insisting on alphabet soup name tags. Where I work, an RN is an RN. Period. This is how it should be unless and until different versions of the Registered Nursing license come to pass.

MD, PhD

PT, DPT

OT, OTD

RN is a license, not a degree. BSN, MSN, etc are degrees and would be listed after the RN as the highest degree obtained.

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MD, PhD

PT, DPT

OT, OTD

RN is a license, not a degree. BSN, MSN, etc are degrees and would be listed after the RN as the highest degree obtained.

We can go on with the extensive list of degrees and credentials for Lab personnel. Some of that has also fallen into other professions like nursing and RT where documentation and check offs for some POC testing equipment must be done by someone with a Bachelors or higher in one of the sciences. The BSN qualifies. Radiology is another profession which has acquired more recognition by their degrees when it comes to specialization in Radiation Therapy or the Masters for Radiologist's Assistant. Those in the Research department of all areas will have many with Masters and Doctorates. Each wear their education proudly. Patients may not always care but in multidisciplinary rounds you will see the professionals checking out those new to the group.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
MD, PhD

PT, DPT

OT, OTD

RN is a license, not a degree. BSN, MSN, etc are degrees and would be listed after the RN as the highest degree obtained.

MD, OT, PT are professional titles. I never said that RN was a degre, I said it was the highest professional level attained.

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MD, OT, PT are professional titles. I never said that RN was a degre, I said it was the highest professional level attained.

MD is also a degree. The MD vs DO degree curriculums have been a big debate for decades. The residents in each of those programs are granted a few different care privileges at some hospitals so we must look at DO and MD but both are still "Doctors" from a doctorate program.

PT is a professional title but those with a Doctorate will almost always include DPT on their badge.

RTs changed their titles a few times from CRTT, CRT and RRT. Most were grandfathered in without getting any degree so it is difficult to determine what if any education, other than a cert or OJT, they have except when they put BSRT on their badge.

If you want obsession over just professional titles, look at EMS and their many different levels which seem to just get more complicated each time their credentialing board or state tries to change it up. NREMTP is now NRP. Some get offended if you call them a Paramedic if you don't put Critical Care or Flight in front of it. (Sorry, didn't see the ambulance fly in.) EMTs are A, B, I (some states) and CC. Medic can be for all in some parts of the country but not others. Heaven forbid if you mess up their titles or you will get "Butt wiper" screamed at you. Most of the time we avoid saying anything to them in case they want to challenge us to know their complete new title and latest scope of practice. It is so much easier to transfer patients with RNs on the team.

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