BSN but not a nurse

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So settle this with me, if someone graduated with their BSN and failed multiple attempts at the NCLEX, can they still claim BSN on credentials but not add RN to the end. Technically, they can't ever use the term "nurse" right? Asking for a "friend" who says her work allows her to have BSN on her badge. I think that is iffy. ?

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

LPN's use the title of "nurse" all the time, right.? So, you don't need to be a "Registered Nurse" to me a "nurse."

As far as using the term "nurse" to refer to someone who is neither an RN or LPN ... you would have to check the laws of that state to see whether the word "nurse" is a "protected title or not." It wouldn't surprise me if there were some variations from state to state on that question.

As for claiming that she has a BSN, that's true. So I doubt that would be illegal in and of itself.

Issues would come into play (and may become illegal) if she is representing herself to patients as and RN or LPN when she is neither of those. That would be hard to prove in court, but illegal just about everywhere I think.

Interesting question ...

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Why anyone would want the title BSN on their name badge without the RN title beats me. I would be embarrassed to be put in the position of possibly having to explain to someone astute enough to notice. Failing the NCLEX many times and then giving up is not exactly something most people would be proud of.

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LPN would be okay to say they are a "nurse" given it is Licensed Practical Nurse. RN would be Registered Nurse. But "nurse"? This person refers to herself as a Nurse in general. I would think that "nurse" would be a protected title with licensure requirements not just schooling. It's a topic I'm asking since I have heard of cases of people calling themselves "nurse" and impersonating a "nurse" in a healthcare facility.

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Sounds delusional to me. Should direct her energies to passing the NCLEX.

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Some of the better nurses I have known in the clinical setting were people who failed the NCLEX more than once. Keep trying.

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She’s a Graduate Nurse, to call herself a BSN is misleading. I know BSN doesn’t have the term “Licensed” in it but it will lead people to believe she is a licensed registered nurse with a bachelors degree.

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She should investigate the applicable state laws and make sure she isn't violating them regarding "nurse."

And if she is performing a role that typically requires a license and/or interfacing with patients in a manner that implies she is a licensed nurse she's asking for trouble.

Seems like she wouldn't want to do anything that would jeopardize her chances of getting a nursing license in the future.

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I was curious about this question so I just Googled key words and found myself on the ANA website. According to them the title "nurse" is specifically protected in all but a handful of states and that no one may legally use the title "nurse" unless they are a licensed RN or LPN. At least not in those states with the protections in place. You can check your own state and see if it's one of those?

Like someone else said I would be embarrassed to have BSN on my name badge if I had failed the NCLEX multiple times and wasn't really a nurse. She graduated with a degree but she isn't a nurse. I would think that would be embarrassing for her to explain, she must get asked this a lot right? If it were me I'd rather be thought of as a pretty smart health aide who seemed to know a lot about nursing instead of a health aide who wasn't smart enough to pass the nursing exam but maybe that's just me.

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Specializes in Psych.

BSN is a type of college degree, not a license or a title. Once you have a degree conferred by a college/university, it is permanently yours, regardless of what else you do or do not do afterward. If the person with the BSN then passed the NCLEX, they would BE an RN. You can't BE a BSN, you HAVE a BSN. I have an M.Ed., for which I could also take a state board to get my LPC, which I have never done. But I sure do use my M.Ed. in my credentials. Like another poster stated though, the BSN is not as "useable" without actually becoming an RN, as nursing is not as generalizable as my M.Ed. If had a BSN, but was not an RN, I don't believe I would put BSN on my badge.

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Now the very frustrating and controversial question I have to ask, how is it possible that are we graduating people with their BSN, and they cannot pass the NCLEX exam?

The same thing is happening in law.

I don't get it. Some of the courses I took 20 years ago plus were so much harder than the NCLEX , there was simply no comparison.

Have we watered down the degree as to be meaningless?

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28 minutes ago, Oldmahubbard said:

Now the very frustrating and controversial question I have to ask, how is it possible that are we graduating people with their BSN, and they cannot pass the NCLEX exam?

The same thing is happening in law.

I don't get it. Some of the courses I took 20 years ago plus were so much harder than the NCLEX , there was simply no comparison.

Have we watered down the degree as to be meaningless?

If you were educated in the BSN program that I was, you could very easily see how this could occur. The class failing the NLN exams was not far off point in relation to the quality of our education. It was watered down a long, long time ago in some instances.

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