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 :)
Not sure if this has been addressed but why would someone saying they are getting their RN annoy you? I will be a CNA soon (taking classes now) and really am in school to get my RN (I graduate with my BSN next May.. and I already have a BS in Biotechnology and went to grad school) SO that's a little offensive to assume that it's a lie just because that person is a "lowly CNA"??
I completely agree! I recently worked at a pediatrician's office where the MAs repeatedly referred to themselves as nurses! They would answer the phone with, "Yes, this is the nurse," then proceed to give advice to parents! Sometimes it was wrong advice! And the parents are trusting that it is coming from a real RN. It makes me so angry that they think they can call themselves nurses! If I answered the phone with, "Yes, this is the doctor," and then gave out advice, I would be arrested! So I'm glad to hear it's against the law. Is it only in certain states or all states? Can anyone tell me about MD? And what can we do about it? Who can we report them to? I think the original poster should write a letter to Congress or something. I am ready to sign it! And by the looks of how many posts there are, I'd say many more RNs are behind you too!
I think this is the original point: "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"."
Nursing students, medical students, CNAs and Respiratory Therapists are not nurses.
And if memory serves me right, the poster did not call CNAs "lowly," but tried to point out that they were not nurses.
I'm just a student, and I would not dream of calling myself a nurse. When a patient calls me "nurse," I let them know that I am a student.
To be honest, I've never been called a nurse in any of my four clinicals. I introduce myself as "Sarah the student nurse from Utica College" so I guess it's never been an issue. I would correct them however, if I was called such. And I know she did not say it but from her tone of the message one can understand her view point. I know it's a rant but just as she can comment on other's behaviors, I can comment on my perception of her post.
are you saying that CNAs are not nurses? at all? then what are they? im so confused by this post....
I have seen people say they are nurses and not even finish a program.... are those the people your mad at? Or are you mad at CNAs... because they attended a shorter program than you did with your RN program?
Certified Nurse Assistant
if its not a nurse then why is it called certified NURSE assistant ?
NOTE: im not mad or offended i just want to understand ...
for example.. I know a girl that callles herself a CNA but does not have her certification. Therefore i dont consider her a nurse
cnas are not licensed (i regularly see the assertion that they are but this is in error; call your state nursing board and ask them if you don't believe me. they have certificates, which are not licenses.), and they are nursing / nurse assistants. in this case, "nursing/nurse" is an adjective, not a noun. the law specifically states that only registered nurses (rn) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (lpn/lvn) may use the term "nurse" to describe themselves, and it is unlawful (illegal) to present him/herself or allow him/herself to be presented as a nurse.
cnas are not nurses, and it is illegal in almost every jurisdiction of which i am aware for them to say otherwise, or to let someone assume they are.
if it helps, you can think of the way some people are car mechanics....but they aren't cars.
cnas are not licensed (i regularly see the assertion that they are but this is in error; call your state nursing board and ask them if you don't believe me. they have certificates, which are not licenses.).
nurse's aides are licensed in my state; they're called licensed nursing assistants (lnas). the bon issues their licenses, determines their scope of practice, and dishes out discipline.
Nurse's aides are licensed in my state; they're called Licensed Nursing Assistants (LNAs). The BON issues their licenses, determines their scope of practice, and dishes out discipline.
Well ok but if there was a such thing as a licensed attorney assistant they still aren't an Attorney - they are the attorney's assistant.
A Physician assistant is not a physician and so on....
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Morainey, BSN, RN
831 Posts
I personally didn't feel comfortable calling myself a nurse until I knew for a fact that I had passed NCLEX and saw my license number.