Call Us Nurse or Call Us ???What???

Nurses General Nursing

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If you could pick what professional title "nurses" could be called instead of the title "nurse", what title would you want to be called......professionally speaking? :nurse:

When I introduce myself to my patients I say, " Hi. I am Jackie. I will be the REGISTERED NURSE that will be taking care of you today from 6am to 6:30pm. Mr/Ms... what do you prefer to be addressed as? This is the plan for today as I know it. Do you have any questions or concerns? Blah, blah, blah.."

I am not a nurse. I am a registered nurse. "Nurse" is too broad of a description word. I worked hard for my RN and deserve to be recognized by my patients as such.

Nurse Jackie just sounds plain corny to me. That would be as hard to adjust to as having me wear a white dress and cap.

IMHO, our problem with professionalism is that we as nurses have no standard in the way we conduct or identify ourselves.

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Originally posted by cheerfuldoer: If you could pick what professional title "nurses" could be called instead of the title "nurse", what title would you want to be called......professionally speaking? :nurse:

I agree with Dianah and Cheerfuldoer. I think Professional Care Coordinator (PCC) is appropriate. However I would like to take the title a little further.

I know that many of you prefer the title nurse. This was fine 100 years ago, but as we grow and branch out into new areas our title needs to reflect our role more accurately. I would like to see our title become more area specific. For example an operating room nurse could be called Surgical Care Coordinator, an ICU nurse could hold the title of Intensive Care Coordinator and so on.

Nurse is too general. Do we call all public safety officials police officers? No, we call them fire fighters, police officers, and paramedics. These titles are role specific as opposed to "nurse".

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I have no problem with nurse....I think the public is aware of the stresses on our field they know WE DO IT ALL!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.
Originally posted by cheerfuldoer

On the silly side.......:D

How about the name NOAT.........Nurse Of All Trades! :rotfl:

NOAT? :eek:.... as in "Nanny Noat"... I think NOT !!! Baa-aaa-aaaaa-aa! :rotfl:

Don't care for PCC either... too "businesslike". :stone Booooring.

I LIKE being a nurse... it's what I am. Just don't use it as the FIRST part of my name..Nurse Jnette... nah! Too victorian. Now, if it was used with your LAST name, whaddaya think? Nurse Smith.

Nurse Johnson. Nurse Lancaster. Nurse Wiliams. ... yeah, like Mattsmom said. I DO kinda LIKE that ! Hey, how many docs call themselves Doctor Bob? Or Doctor Susie?

I think that really MIGHT help with the "too friendly-familiar" aspect and perhaps just MIGHT give pause to reflect on the respect issue a little more.....JMHO, though. ;)

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Originally posted by Gator,SN

;)

:)
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Originally posted by FIREFLY89

Hey!! I worked damn hard for my RN-whatever degree you want to put behind it-and you know that thermometers have degrees too-and we all know where they are put!!

!

Once followed a nurse who signed every last entry "RN, BSN, masters candidate."

Perhaps I should write "RN, BSN, grad school drop out, former LVN" After all I learned a lot as an LVN and taking the advanced critical care (Those who finished becam a CNS).

Since we learn from experience perhaps years of experience could be listed too.

That could make a loooong name badge!

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I like to be refered to as "Your Majesty" or "Your Highness".

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
Originally posted by spacenurse

Once followed a nurse who signed every last entry "RN, BSN, masters candidate."

Perhaps I should write "RN, BSN, grad school drop out, former LVN" After all I learned a lot as an LVN and taking the advanced critical care (Those who finished becam a CNS).

Since we learn from experience perhaps years of experience could be listed too.

That could make a loooong name badge!

:chuckle :roll :chuckle I'm with you spacenurse.....the "titles" kill me everytime I see them on a nurse's badge. The ONLY title that entitled her/him to be a nurse was the RN......anything else was her/his educational choosing so WHY the need or desire to wear the education as if that's what it took for that person to become a Registered Nurse? :confused: I never get this title stuff.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Our facility had the "RN" or "LPN" titles that follow ppl's names

One RN on my floor just started about 2 months ago. We got into a school conversation about Master's degrees in nursing and i said that one day i'd like to get my Master's and teach. I asked herwhere she received her degree from and she said "University of Virginia and James Madison University". Turns out she'd earned her Master's from UVA. I never would have known id she hadn't told me. Her name tag says RN. None of the RN's have their degrees afterwards, and i think it should be a choice if you'd want it on your tag or not.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

I just don't understand why it is important to put one's education on their badge as if that qualified that person to be a licensed nurse when in fact it didn't. Just makes no never mind to me. :D

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I want people to address me as 'eminance'

"yes your eminance, right away eminance"

hehe

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Titles are part of our name that one uses to convey to others a status that is aquired.

In European countries, titles often times come to a person by birthright (royalty).

In the US there is a cultural tendency away from any monarchy and a tendency towards democracy. Within this is the belief of being in control of one's destiny and being able to elevate oneself regardless of how humble one's beginnings are.

In the US, the title "Doctor" or "Reverend" preceding one's name sets the tone for their relationship with the rest of society by saying that this person has attained a position of status because of extended education.

There is a lot of power in titles. A Registered Nurse who earns a Masters in Nursing and a Doctorate in Nursing has earned the right to be refered to as "Dr." Fearing this, the state of Illinois included in the language of their expanded practice act that PhD. prepared nurse can not use the title "Dr." in any clinical setting.

> One more point to Cheerfuldoer: You earned the right to sit for the NCLEX ONLY after having completed a prolonged course of study within an education program approved by your profession. Don't ever let anyone undermine or trivialize your education. Many times, administrators would like the public (and nurses) to take the view of "a nurse is a nurse is a nurse is an UAP is a CNA is a secretary who can help out answering call lights, etc, etc.

Be proud of your education. Nursing is a learned discipline, and everyone should be reminded of that with each patient encounter.

JMHO, Edward, IL

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