Am I being snotty?

Nurses New Nurse

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Am I being snotty? I am a new grad and I have been working at my hospital for the past 10 weeks. Next week I will be finished with orientation. I am considering paying the $15 to have my ID badge redone to reflect my degree. Security put my First and Last name, RN on my badge. I didn't think anything of it until recently when some of my coworkers asked me about my degree. Since the comment I have noticed that the nurses with advanced degrees have it reflected on their badges.

I don't believe that having a BSN makes me any better a nurse than someone with an RN, but at the same time I would like to be recognized for all the hard work I did to earn my degree.

Any feedback?

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
When I finish my BSN program I won't add the BSN to my signature. I'm way too lazy for that. My hand cramps up from all of the writing I have to do anyway, adding 3 letters what seems like a million times per day would just make it worse.

I don't think I would want to be writing 5 letters after my name all day long, either. As it is, the letters have degenerated over the years to a kind of wavy-line looking thing. :)

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
Am I being snotty? I am a new grad and I have been working at my hospital for the past 10 weeks. Next week I will be finished with orientation. I am considering paying the $15 to have my ID badge redone to reflect my degree. Security put my First and Last name, RN on my badge. I didn't think anything of it until recently when some of my coworkers asked me about my degree. Since the comment I have noticed that the nurses with advanced degrees have it reflected on their badges.

I don't believe that having a BSN makes me any better a nurse than someone with an RN, but at the same time I would like to be recognized for all the hard work I did to earn my degree.

Any feedback?

I don't think you're being snotty; however, if other nurses who have BSNs have it on their name tags, you won't get any questions or anyone thinking you're being a snob. If the only advanced degree nurses who have their educational level on their tags are those with MSNs or higher, I'd leave it alone.

Or just leave it alone until you either lose your name tag (done that!) or something and you have to get a replacement.

Do you have a school pin that you can wear to work? I always liked the pin because it told a little story about the nurse's educational background. I used to wear both my ADN and BSN pins. Oh, and BTW, :up: on the new job!

Am I being snotty? I am a new grad and I have been working at my hospital for the past 10 weeks. Next week I will be finished with orientation. I am considering paying the $15 to have my ID badge redone to reflect my degree. Security put my First and Last name, RN on my badge. I didn't think anything of it until recently when some of my coworkers asked me about my degree. Since the comment I have noticed that the nurses with advanced degrees have it reflected on their badges.

I don't believe that having a BSN makes me any better a nurse than someone with an RN, but at the same time I would like to be recognized for all the hard work I did to earn my degree.

Any feedback?

I would pay to have it put on. We worked our tails off for our BSNs and your ID should show it. I think it's very appropriate if your hospital has degrees on badges.

Specializes in Cardiac ICU.

HAH! I did the same thing and also thought about if I'm being snotty. It's something that I'm proud to have and worked my tush off. It's not to undermine anyone. I had my badge changed because it only said RN.

Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

I guess that I don't find any correlation between what a name badge says and "snotty". In my mind..."snotty" would describe attitude or action rather than appearance...and a name badge is simply appearance.

Your name badge should list whatever credentials you prefer.

I got my pic changed because I needed a new dye job in the old one. Of course my new one actually looks worse!

I don't have much of an opinion one way or the other on this specific situation, but I once had a non-nurse point out to me that nurses are just about the only professionals that would include an undergrad degree in their titles or signatures. I think that's interesting.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I don't have much of an opinion one way or the other on this specific situation, but I once had a non-nurse point out to me that nurses are just about the only professionals that would include an undergrad degree in their titles or signatures. I think that's interesting.

It's also interesting how two threads on the same issue can be so different. We had one a while back where quite a number of the posts, at least half from people with a BSN or higher-- thought it was pretentious and unnecessary to put a bachelors degree on a name tag. It was quite a lively discussion. In that case, though, the nurse had become very angry, abruptly left orientation and refused to work at that hospital because they just put "RN" on the RN badges.

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
I don't have much of an opinion one way or the other on this specific situation, but I once had a non-nurse point out to me that nurses are just about the only professionals that would include an undergrad degree in their titles or signatures. I think that's interesting.

Good point; however, I wonder if the non-nurse realized that nursing is one of the few professions in which a bachelor's degree is not a prerequisite for licensure.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Acute Rehab.
I don't have much of an opinion one way or the other on this specific situation, but I once had a non-nurse point out to me that nurses are just about the only professionals that would include an undergrad degree in their titles or signatures. I think that's interesting.

I think that might be because you can be called a "nurse", regardless of whether you have your LVN, your ADN, or your BSN. MSN's typically have another title. At least that is how it seems to me. Where I work, no matter what your degree is, it's only your first name and then RN, or LVN. But I can understand the OP wanting BSN on her badge if the other nurse's badges reflect their degrees. JMHO

Not snotty but it seems you didn't care for it until you saw what other nurses had...I would let it be I honestly don't see how having a BSN on your badge is all that important.. what matters is that you are an RN. I feel patients don't look at that stuff anyway (degree type) it's more of nurses competing and showing off with other nurses.

My 2cents.

Btw I have a BSN (putting it out there for the smart comments I will probably get) :nurse:

Specializes in Cardiac.
Good point; however, I wonder if the non-nurse realized that nursing is one of the few professions in which a bachelor's degree is not a prerequisite for licensure.

Good point!

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