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 :)
I would not call CNA a profession. Two characteristics of a profession include the ability to regulate ones self and the ability to have a significant amount of autonomy. Clearly, many other concepts also define a profession such as education, professional organisations and so on. It is even debatable rather nursing is a profession.
Of course, the real question being, does being called a "profession" validate your importance in this world?
I agree the difference between having a certification and a license in a big grey area.
I disagree, a CNA is a licensed profession. You have to have so many classroom hours and so many clinical hours. Then you have to pass a state test and renew your license every 2 years, you don't renew a certificate. No a CNA is NOT a nurse, and I understand where the op is coming from you see it many times in any setting whether it is in LTC or in the hospital. I have had many residents ask me if I was the nurse or if I can give them their meds. My answer was always the same "no I am not your nurse, I am not allowed to do that by law, I will tell the nurse for you". Even CNAs have a certain standard and laws to go by, of which I take seriously. I am proud to be a CNA and I am proud to say that I am currently in school taking my pre reqs to apply for nursing school, but I have never nor will I ever claim to be a nurse until I am one. I know how hard nurses work in school, a lot of my family and my in-laws are nurses, I know how hard nursing school is. On that note, please don't belittle the CNA license, being a CNA is honest work, CNAs are needed, they are an important aspect to the healthcare team. The CNA can make or break the nurse, if it wasn't for a CNA the nurses would be doing a lot of the butt wiping, showering, assisted feedings, toileting, dressing, and everything else that the job entails. The CNA is what enables the nurse to do his or her job. I am just trying to say that we are valuable too. Anyway like I said before I have worked with those types of people, but I think the most annoying type of person is the super CNA or the super nurse, you know the ones who say how great they are and how they know it all and like to belittle/talk bad about their co-workers when in reality, they are lazy know it all witches.
oh no!!! I hope the CNA's reading these posts don't misconstrue what is being said. The CNA is a VERY important part of the healthcare team and there shouldn't be a nurse 1 that says anything different. I, for one, have the utmost respect for the CNA's. While I am a student nurse, I don't get to reap the benefits of having a CNA assist me. They have come into the room of my assigned patients and started to do something to which I always have to say oh no I'll do that. I am not supposed to accept help from a CNA, I am supposed to do total care for my patients. There is no way a nurse could do total care and have 7 patients and get everything done in a shift. I think the only issue at hand is the CMA's and CNA's out there that step outside their practices and claim to be nurses. God bless the CNA baby cause I don't know how you all do it day in and day out.
And also, the CNA's in my state have to be licensed as well. I was able to sit for the licensure test after so many hours of nursing school and clinical but chose not to because I had no desire to work as a CNA. They get stuck with all the dirty work and are undercompensated in my opinion. At least in my area.
Why can't you accept help from the CNA? What if you have someone that needs to be rolled in order for you to do treatment? That does not seem very fair, there's no way you can hold someone on their side, clean whatever area you are treating and open all those packages with one hand. Is it like that for every nursing student? I know I am more than willing to help the nurse because to me if you are helping the nurse you are helping the resident/patient as well. And yes I think I did misunderstand what you were saying earlier, ty for clarifying, and yes CNAs are extremely under-compensated my last job paid $8.10 per hr. I just want to do more than what I am allowed to do by law, I love being a CNA and I enjoy helping out any way I can whether it is the nurse or other aides, but I want to do/be more than what I am right now.
Why can't you accept help from the CNA? What if you have someone that needs to be rolled in order for you to do treatment? That does not seem very fair, there's no way you can hold someone on their side, clean whatever area you are treating and open all those packages with one hand. Is it like that for every nursing student? I know I am more than willing to help the nurse because to me if you are helping the nurse you are helping the resident/patient as well. And yes I think I did misunderstand what you were saying earlier, ty for clarifying, and yes CNAs are extremely under-compensated my last job paid $8.10 per hr. I just want to do more than what I am allowed to do by law, I love being a CNA and I enjoy helping out any way I can whether it is the nurse or other aides, but I want to do/be more than what I am right now.
I would be allowed to have help turning or moving a patient. We actually had transport/transfer people at the last facility I was in clinical at (on a rehab unit) so they helped me with transfer when needed. Usually the only time my patient was out of bed was for OT or PT and then they would help with that, but that's the only thing I couldn't do alone, was moving the patient. If there's a safety concern or if it were impossible to do a task on my own with the patient's best interest in mind then yes, I could get help somewhere, but we are expected to do everything ourselves. Usually when I turn the CNA away it's because they're coming in to do a glucose check, or a bath, or change linens, or something of that nature, and I just tell her, oh it's okay, you don't have to do that, I'll do that. It lightens the load of the CNA's and most nursing instructors will tell you that you are an SN (student nurse) and when you change the S to an R then you can start delegating. Until then, do it yourself. It would be severely frowned upon by the nursing educators if you let a CNA do those things for you, because it appears as though you're passing the buck because you don't want to do that task. I would assume that it is like that in most nursing programs. Those are tasks that you must master because sometimes you don't have the CNA to do those things. I know my best friend works on a neuro trauma ICU unit and they don't have CNA's, or LPN's on her floor. She's on her own. Granted she only has 2 patients max, but she's on her own. If you want to do more then make that happen! There's nothing that says you have to be a CNA forever. Most nursing schools like to choose students that have experience as a CNA. Actually, my nursing school is the only one in my area that doesn't require you to hold a CNA license in order to apply, which is why it is the only school I applied to. I was relocating a long way to go to school and the time frame wasn't there for me to get licensed. But it worked out, and I'm glad it is the only program I applied to because it really is an excellent program and is highly regarded.
:redpinkheI am an LPN and feel the same way. A famed medical facitily in the bronx has an office manager calling '" can i have one of the nurses come up here ( to the frontoffice). Two of the pct's come running to her office . They pass me as I walk there. When I get to the door and say yes? The office manager says its ok M.G. is here(the pct). HELLO I was the only nurse in the entire building. I remember looking at M.G. 's Montefiore HOSP. ID tag that had a stick pin with a smile right through the word PCT. SHE ALWAYS PRETENDED SHE WAS AN RN.......scary . this was done so pt.s could not read it and see that she was not a nurse. I remember a pt asking why M.G. didn't give her the b12 inj. I explained to her that only a nurse can administer injections. Their comment was oh i thought M.G. was a nurse.....I said sorry I'm the only licensed nurse in this office.
WE MUST HAVE SOME UNITY AND HAVE A UNIVERSAL COLOR JUST FOR LPNS AND ADD A STRIPE OR SOMETHING TO SIGNIFY THE RNS and their importance!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSTANTLY NEW PAPER WORK IN THE FACILITIES CONSTANT NEW CHANGES they recognize so many things that need inprovement and more loggs more papers more tasks but what about more recognition as to who is who???????but no recognition of the nurses. HELL I'D EVEN GO BACK TO WEARING THE HAT. IT IS VERY UNFAIR. AND SHAME on MONTEFIORE MED CENTER. BECAUSE I REPORTED THIS AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
hospital administrators need to ask themselves the next time you or a loved one rush into an ED /ER who do you want in a crisis situation ..........the RN accompanied by an LPN or a few PCTs who feel they have seen enough television to triage the pt c ARDS.........Hey what if they missed that episode on greys anatomy....well that is the only A&P most of them have ever been exposed to. My other beef is with these Med Techs. They are hired to hand out pills they don't even have an understanding of the drug classification. DAMN, This iswrong. Stop all the xtra paper work and let nurses be nurses.Hello......PLEASE DOWNSIZE AND CRITIQUE THE HOUSEKEEPING DEPT. OR DIETARY. DITY ROOMS AND LOUSY FOOD. SOME ONE FIX THOSE DEPTS. LEAVE NURSING TO THE LICENSED PROFESSIONALS. :yeah::yeah:
I would not call CNA a profession. Two characteristics of a profession include the ability to regulate ones self and the ability to have a significant amount of autonomy. Clearly, many other concepts also define a profession such as education, professional organisations and so on. It is even debatable rather nursing is a profession.
Of course, the real question being, does being called a "profession" validate your importance in this world?
I agree the difference between having a certification and a license in a big grey area.
If you were to look up the definition of the word profession, clearly you would see that there is no question that nursing is a profession. As to CNA being a profession, I would dare to say that it is. We are educated, trained and are compensated for our efforts. There is not question that CNA's are professionals no matter what anyone may say. Autonomy and flexibility have very little to do with professionalism, but I must hint at the fact that there are many CNA's who are independent contractors. Such CNA have been able to afford to set the time and place where they choose to work. And if you and others do not know let me inform you that their various organizations who cater only to CNA's, the web is our playground and therefore it allows us to pick and choose which organizations we wish to be apart of. We are not the poor little darlings of the nursing world you know.
The interesting part of this whole dialogue is this, that this debate has gone from a registered nurse complaining that non nurses are taking on a role that they have no business taking, to the validity of our roles as a whole. Here we have people questioning our purpose as CNA'a and our education, our license and even our contributions. This is ridiculous! There are people in all professions and not to mention walks of life that claim to be something they are not, although it is wrong, it is something that happens all of the time. There is nothing new under the sun. Take up your anger with those that deserve it and respect those of us who respect ourselves.
Some of the best RN's and health managers that I have come across in my years of nursing have worked as NA's and CNA's before going back to school and finishing. And I would have to say that they happned to be the most compassionate and caring people you could ever meet. In my opinion it takes a lot more than just a license or degree to make a good nurse, it bloody well takes heart. And some people are sadly lacking in that department.
It sounds as though there are more ego trips on this forum then anything else. If your confidant as a nurse, and love what you do.....then........who really cares what other people stoop to make themselves feel better? Let God deal with the things they do. And there are ALWAYS bad apples....and RN/LPNs are not the exception to that rule.....maybe the CNAs are not the only ones who are insecure......
Some interesting legal implications of this whole side debate. It would appear that from a legal standpoint, this whole profession concept comes down to having a "unique body of knowledge."
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
You are right. CNA stands for Certified Nursing Assistant... the C, certified comes from what ever school you went to, they gave you a certification... BUT to be able to practice as a CNA you need to be registered and have a SRNA (state registered nursing assistant) number which is your number that proves you are licensed to work as the CNA... so being a CNA is a licensed profession.
I am sure I could have worded that better but it's 2am and I'm tired lol
There is such a wide disparitty between the states for CNAs and MAs and what they are called in many cases the best thing to do is check requirements for the state you plan to work in.
I guess the bottom line is we should be happy with who we are, or become who we want to be, and not pretend to be whatever we're not. :)
Exactly!! : We need each other! The higher the job "status" the more support people you need to do your job in all professions, not just nursing. And the most effective leaders are those who will actually do tasks associated with tthe assistive person's job in a pinch. It symbolizes your respect for that person in my mind.
: We need each other! The higher the job "status" the more support people you need to do your job in all professions, not just nursing. And the most effective leaders are those who will actually do tasks associated with tthe assistive person's job in a pinch. It symbolizes your respect for that person in my mind.
GilaRRT
1,905 Posts
I would not call CNA a profession. Two characteristics of a profession include the ability to regulate ones self and the ability to have a significant amount of autonomy. Clearly, many other concepts also define a profession such as education, professional organisations and so on. It is even debatable rather nursing is a profession.
Of course, the real question being, does being called a "profession" validate your importance in this world?
I agree the difference between having a certification and a license in a big grey area.