Alphabet soup

[badphish]

I couldn't care less about all the letters you throw behind your name. The only ones that count are RN. And these you tend to tack on last as an afterthought. Are you that insecure that you must list every degree amnd cert ever earned after your name? I know u r a professional. I can tell by the fact that you have written an article. Or that you wrote an intelligent response.

Plus I don't know what 3/4ths those letters mean really. And do I think more of a RN. With a MBA. No I don't si give it a rest already Maybe u could just attach a PDF of your CV to your signature so I can download it and read how awesum u r at my leisure

Brett

RN

paramedic

Ambulance driver

Etc.

[MisterSimba, BSN]

I don't see anything wrong with displaying one's degrees and certifications on a resume or other professional paperwork. In fact, it's expected. While we're on the subject, what is the correct order of putting all of this "alphabet soup" on my resume? I'm a BSN-educated RN and also have the PHN certification, so would it be Jane Doe, BSN, RN, PHN ?

[Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN]

It sounds like you have some issues. I'm an LPN, but also have certification as a hospice and palliative nurse. My certification is on my name tag and my business cards. You bet I'm proud of it! The certification shows we've gone above and beyond is our chosen path. I'm in an LPN/BSN program now and when I graduate, I'll have my degree listed right along with the "RN".

Hospice Nurse, LPN, CHPLN

[MisterSimba, BSN]

Hospice Nurse, I completely agree with you! I'm assuming the OP was actually referring to resumes/CV's, business cards, name tags, etc... Why wouldn't you put your degree and certifications on official items like this?

I do have to say that I'm thinking about getting my Ph.D. and teaching nursing school many years from now, and if I do, I will definitely tell my students to call me by my first name, because that's just how I roll! :-) My dad has a Ph.D. in chemistry, and he NEVER has anyone address him as Dr. So-and-so

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

Don't forget the hard-earned title of yours of "abbreviator of cumbersome words like 'are' and 'you'" for your spiffy signature.

Laughed out loud. Good job, Scruffie.

[GreyGull]

I sincerely do wish Brett the best of luck as a new RN but...

This was not an appropriate thread to start just before you enter a job as a new nurse. As this forum states in its Terms of Service, "It's a small world". He has posted more than enough info for someone to identify him including his new employer and co-workers. In some of his posts he offered up the info to be helpful to others and that is okay as long as you don't follow it with a thread like this which is offensive to those who have worked to advance their education and credentials as well as those who are required to put professional identifiers on their badge. In his previous/current profession as a Paramedic, education may not be stressed which is why the "ambulance driver" comments keep popping up. Some professions like nursing do value education.

The take home message here is if you are looking for a job or have just started something new, read the terms of service and be careful what you post. In a world that now values technology it is very easy to include an internet search in pre-employment or pre-promotion background checks.

[shiccy]

Haha I used to be like that myself. "Who the heck cares I don't even know what that means!!" Now, after being in the hospital setting for >3 years, I realize that all those little acronyms equal a huge amount of dedication and are sometimes a plain pain in the butt to get!

I just switched to the ICU setting this year. I see people with little green cards behind their nametags and ask, "What does that mean?" The green card says, "Certified RN". I was like, "I thought everybody was certified??" Apparently it means they're CCRN (Critical Care RN) certified. This is, from what I understand, an involved acronym to get behind your name. I know it's a job expectation to have eventually, and am totally not looking forward to it.

I, personally, am: Shiccy, RN, BSN. I *do* have my ACLS and TNCC certification, but I don't deem a course that takes 8 hours to be worthy the time to put it after your name. Don't get me wrong, they weren't 100% EASY to get, but still.

I had a few coworkers get their wound-care credentials recently. This took 6 months to accomplish, had a huge exam at the end like they were in school, and cost upwards of $4-8k to do depending on where they got certified. I can't remember what the acronym is for that one, though, if *I* had that certification, you better be DARN certain I'd be putting that at the end of my name when I signed something official for work!

Finally, I definitely DON'T sign "RN, BSN" on ANYTHING other than my resume. It's not important and not worth it. I don't even put BSN on my charting. It's pointless. If they wanted to look up my credentials they'd do so. If I got pulled to court and asked what my degree level was, I would very easily say, "RN, BSN".

I guess what I'm saying is people work VERY long and VERY hard for these credentials sometimes. Others *do* put them behind their name just to be like, "See I *do* do stuff!" I know of some educators that do this, and it is what it is. They haven't had a day of bedside nursing in 15 years, but they are definitely 'qualified' on paper

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

I couldn't care less about all the letters you throw behind your name. The only ones that count are RN. And these you tend to tack on last as an afterthought. Are you that insecure that you must list every degree amnd cert ever earned after your name? I know u r a professional. I can tell by the fact that you have written an article. Or that you wrote an intelligent response.

Plus I don't know what 3/4ths those letters mean really. And do I think more of a RN. With a MBA. No I don't si give it a rest already Maybe u could just attach a PDF of your CV to your signature so I can download it and read how awesum u r at my leisure

Brett

RN

paramedic

Ambulance driver

Etc.

Honestly dude, I could NOT get past all of the grammatical errors to see the point of your post.

[SharonH, RN]

However, if people are going to loose the plot over a few letters after a name, they are going to have many other problems that will not be pacified by not placing any after your name. Make no mistake, the people you speak of will go out of their way to create issues with some other inane concept.

Amen! Why take responsibility for somebody else's hang-ups?

[metal_m0nk, BSN, RN]

Maybe u could just attach a PDF of your CV to your signature so I can download it and read how awesum u r at my leisure

I LOL'd.

[RedCell]

I couldn't care less about all the letters you throw behind your name. The only ones that count are RN. And these you tend to tack on last as an afterthought. Are you that insecure that you must list every degree amnd cert ever earned after your name? I know u r a professional. I can tell by the fact that you have written an article. Or that you wrote an intelligent response.

Plus I don't know what 3/4ths those letters mean really. And do I think more of a RN. With a MBA. No I don't si give it a rest already Maybe u could just attach a PDF of your CV to your signature so I can download it and read how awesum u r at my leisure

Brett

RN

paramedic

Ambulance driver

Etc.

I could not agree more man. All of those consonants and vowels randomly strewn together are confusing to the patients as well as the nursing and medical staff. The bottom line, I will be more impressed by how an individual actually functions as an RN when needed rather than the "PDF CV" attached to the end of their badge.

[GreyGull]

I could not agree more man. All of those consonants and vowels randomly strewn together are confusing to the patients as well as the nursing and medical staff. The bottom line, I will be more impressed by how an individual actually functions as an RN when needed rather than the "PDF CV" attached to the end of their badge.

Why did you bother to list MSN, RN and CRNA in your forum profile? Are they really necessary on an anonymous forum? Or, maybe you want us to believe your credentials bring more credibility to your posts. I personally enjoy knowing credentials but not when they are listed by someone who makes a statement that seems hypocritical.

Do you take your car to a certified auto mechanic and one that holds the credentials for your car? How about the person who does your taxes? Bookkeeper or Certified Public Accountant? Do you check the credentials of your physician to see if they are board certified? Does it matter to you that your child's pediatrician is board certified or will just any doctor with M.D. or D.O. with do? Do you check the credentials of the person caring for your child at daycare? How about the teachers? Do they have the extra training and education in addition to their initial teaching degree to be in certain classroom situations? How about your educators in the classroom? Do you look for CCRN credentials when signing up for a critical care class? That at least states they have worked in an ICU. Education and credentials are evaluated in every day life in many professions. Don't devalue the worth of those in health care by just saying all letters and efforts are the same. To the layperson a good smile might be enough but to other health care professionals, they might look beyond that. If you put those extra letters behind your name, you should probably expect to live up to them with other medical professionals. I think now with more people doing their homework to find quality health care, the patients are better informed about their health care providers.

Now if you are referring to the credentials that can be obtained by just buying a question and answer book to pass a test or the letters are just handed out by an employer, then you might have a point and I agree. There are a few of those.

[RedCell]

Greygull, I believe you have completely missed the point I was attempting to get across in this whole alphabet soup game. What someone chooses to post on their forum profile in fantasyland (an anonymous web forum) is irrelevant. Patients for the most part have no clue what the slurry of certifications behind their provider's name badge means. Many nurses and physicians do not know or care either. In the real world with real people, these random acronyms cause confusion. Confusion that is unnecessary and easily avoidable. Drop the nurse code and stick with the meat. If you really want people to know all of your "credentials", go with the PDF CV gimmick and pass it out to all who grace your presence throughout the day.