maybe its just me, but i get very bothered when someone says "i'm a nurse," and their not, their a cna, or nurse aid, or have no schooling at all and just worked their way up in a clinic. i work at a local emergency clinic 30 hours a week to gain experience in my field, and i just got accepted in ns, and i'v worked darn hard to get here! and i find it bothersome when one of the girls at work say "i'm the nurse" or something along those lines...i feel that when i graduate and pass my nclex that, only then, will i be able to say "i'm a nurse." the other day my doctor said "jamie, will you get a nurse?" i said "im sorry doc, i dont think we have any of those working here." he actually laughed and said "you know what i mean"......but is this just me?????
Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
Lets see if I got you right. You are saying that someone who lies about being a nurses, tells a lie. Then that lie becomes a "FACT"
I dont see it that way
Tom, I believe what you are failing to see is that the general public, today, believes what anyone generally tells them. If someone uses the term nurse and he/she is not a licensed nurse, the public doesn't catch this. They just believe they are dealing with a nurse, when in fact they are dealing with someone who has misrepresented themselves, especially given the fact that caps are no longer worn or uniforms are no longer color coded to tell who is and who isn't.
What I would like to know is why people who are not licensed nurses, insist on calling themselves nurse? If they are M.A.'s why are they not proud to represent themselves as who they truly are? And to be honest, I do not understand your attitude. Am I wrong when I believe that you do not think that licenses and correct titles are important. And that anyone who wants to should be allowed to call themselves what they are not. If that is the case, please address me as Doctor. I always wanted to be one. What harm could I possibly be doing?
Sadly that seems to be the rule rather then the norm in some facilities Ive seen in VA and NC where I or my wife have worked. To me its nothing more then the facility attempting to perpetrate a fraud on the residents/patients/family of patients to make it look like they have higher ratios then they do. I mean its all great and dandy to have a bunch of CNAs working the floor but when ya have only 1 or 2 LPNS (which I have seen one on each side of a LTC facility) for tons of patients and one of them have to be CHARGE NURSE additionally it gets rather ridiculous them trying to provide nursing care for the patients and supervise the whole bldg. In fact recently NC changed their rules ot allow "med techs" to pass meds in LTC facilities as I understand it further cutting back the licensed staff required in a facility. While Im not knocking med techs as a whole (I was one in NC and am one in Virginia) the level of acuity of patients is much higher in many LTC settings then the old traditional Asst Living where Med Techs used to be limited to practice passing meds and providing limited treatments.
And sadly it all seems to borrow down to the all mighty $ whatever some places can get away with to have more and more UL personel to save money and to quality of care be da*(ed. sigh..
When I worked on the community in Calderdale West Yorkshire the Powers that Be hit on the bright idea to dress nurses and auxiliaries exactly alike so that the public were fooled into thinking the place was swarming with nurses. They did the same in the hospital, the design was a ghastly pale blue tunic top(though they did have expaulettes, not that anyone would notice!) In the community there was no distinction other than a name badge which I am sure no-one could read in the middle of a nursing crisis--especially the elderly! This meant that when we worked in twos overnight no one knew who the qualified was, or whether we were both qualified or both unqualified. Of course we introduced ourselves, but it is all first names over here these days. When I started in the 1980s it was a blue dress and hat and I was called Sister. With all due respect to the Marie Curie service which does a wonderful job with staff who receive a lot of training, still many of these "nurses" are not qualified, again they all wear the same--as far as I know, they certainly used to, and the service known as Marie Curie nurses.
One of my neighbors tried to pass herself off as being a nurse.I excitedly said to her Oh ME too! What school did you attend.She went on to say the red cross!!Some people!
i just moved from california and it is indeed illegal to call oneself a nurse in the state of california if you are not, in fact, a nurse. i spent a great deal of time trying to explain to a physician friend that an ma was not allowed to call themselves a nurse and, any telephone triage done in her office had to be done by licensed staff (nurse or physician: all of this is written in the nurse practice act.)the problem is, most physicians run their practices this way and nothing will change unless some one enforces the rules. i have since moved across the country and work in a clinic and we must prominently display our bright orange badge with rn on it. i now work in a magnet facility and nurses are very respected here (a rarity). i still find physicians who still can't seem to identify the differences and it's up to us to educate them, i guess....you can see this frosts my water, too:angryfire
i recently attended a hearing at the state legislature's office where nurses come up for diff. reasons. there were 24 for narcotic diversion and one that was working as a "nurse" @ a pediatrician's office. needless to say, she was not one-not even a cna or ma. oh, and she was giving meds with permision of the doctor . she made a huge med error and that is how dph got involved.
anyhow, the board was not quite happy/flattered. i will not say what happened to her although it is public info and available online
We all wear proper ids but elderly people cannot be expected to read them, especially in the middle of some crisis! I have been a visitor to hospital wards myself and been completely baffled as to who was what, and you have to get fairly close to some and peer for a few minutes to read the name tag--distinctive uniform is much easier, and everyone recognises royal, or navy blue as a " sistr." I am not sure what you woudl do with the men though!
Tom, I believe what you are failing to see is that the general public, today, believes what anyone generally tells them. If someone uses the term nurse and he/she is not a licensed nurse, the public doesn't catch this. They just believe they are dealing with a nurse, when in fact they are dealing with someone who has misrepresented themselves, especially given the fact that caps are no longer worn or uniforms are no longer color coded to tell who is and who isn't.
What I would like to know is why people who are not licensed nurses, insist on calling themselves nurse? If they are M.A.'s why are they not proud to represent themselves as who they truly are? And to be honest, I do not understand your attitude. Am I wrong when I believe that you do not think that licenses and correct titles are important. And that anyone who wants to should be allowed to call themselves what they are not. If that is the case, please address me as Doctor. I always wanted to be one. What harm could I possibly be doing?
Woody:balloons:
I dont see the general public as being all that gullible
please address me as golfer, actually I am a golfer. not making anything up there am I.
Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
I dont see the general public as being all that gullible
please address me as golfer, actually I am a golfer. not making anything up there am I.
I have a question. Are yiu a health care professional? I ask because I have learned, thru sad experience, that those who don't care about titles, generally don't have one. They are not RNs, LPNs or even MAs. And I am surprised that your view of the public as not being that guillable. I've been a nurse since 1967. And I don't know how many times I have had to correct incorrect information that one or both of my parents have receivred from someone representing themselves as a nurse. Generally they are not a nurse. And they give out a lot of incorrect information. And I don't know how many times I sat next to a client and had the 'nurse' provide incorrect information. And I've had to correct their errors. And find out that they are not licensed nurses.
I'll address you as 'golfer' when you address me as doctor.
I have a question. Are yiu a health care professional? I ask because I have learned, thru sad experience, that those who don't care about titles, generally don't have one. They are not RNs, LPNs or even MAs. And I am surprised that your view of the public as not being that guillable. I've been a nurse since 1967. And I don't know how many times I have had to correct incorrect information that one or both of my parents have receivred from someone representing themselves as a nurse. Generally they are not a nurse. And they give out a lot of incorrect information. And I don't know how many times I sat next to a client and had the 'nurse' provide incorrect information. And I've had to correct their errors. And find out that they are not licensed nurses.
I'll address you as 'golfer' when you address me as doctor.
Woody:balloons:
OK Doc you can call me Golfer now.
Yes I am an RN of many decades now. I am also very calm and complacent about life in general.
Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
OK Doc you can call me Golfer now.
Yes I am an RN of many decades now. I am also very calm and complacent about life in general.
Well golfer, lay back and put your license into jeopardy. And when you lose you job because your employer convinced your state's licensing boards that someone didn't need to have a license to do your job, enjoy your golfing.
Specializes in 13 yrs CMA ortho, derm, Nurse MOHS Sx.
I worked as an Medical Assistant for 13 years before I became an RN. Patients would call me "the nurse" all the time. I always made it a point to let them know that I was an MA and not an RN. I have always had respect for the Nursing profession. I sometimes get defensive when one of the office MA's will not correct a patient when they call them the "nurse". They really don't have a clue about the education and clinicals required for the position! I know, have been there and there is no comparison in schooling! Sorry for the RANT!
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
When I was a tech working in a hospital clinic, I clearly remember an incident where a nurse took a great deal of time to explain several things to a patient, one of them being to beware of certain home remedies (not sure of which or why). Anyway, the patient took offense to it and when she walked out of the nurse's office, she ran into another tech and sounded off her dismay to her. The tech said "Oh, she doesn't know what she is talking about. All you have to do is drink such and such..." and the patient went back to the nurse and cussed her out royally. The nurse went to the tech and told her that she is not qualified to give medical advice for any reason, to refer the client to the nurse, period. It got really funky and ugly. That incident remained on my mind for many years, and when I became a nurse, it still haunts me.
This also shows me that even the nurse should have resources of information when working in private practice. There are things that even the nurse doesn't know or doesn't remember. The difference is that there is an even stronger liability when the nurse gives misinformation to the client.
I Had A Rn Give Me The Dirty Looks When Someone Asked For The Nurse In Charge And I Answered.. " That Would Be Me , How May I Help You ".. I'm A Lpn And Work In An Assisted Living Facility Where A Rn Can Work There But, Gets The Same Rate Of Pay As A Lpn Because You Don't Have To Have A Rn Supervisor , You Only Need A Lpn..she Was Just Coming On Shift And After The Person Left She Pulled Me Aside And Told Me I Wasn't The Nurse In Charge And That Anytime A Rn Is There That Is The Nurse In Charge !!! Our D.o.n. Happened To Be Around The Corner And Needless To Say The Rn Has Never Said That Again .. Yes, Yes, There Is A Difference, I Know This... But If We All Look At It Sometimes As " We Are All There For The Patients And Resisents" The Ego Trip Takes A Trip !!! The Sometimes Nurse In Charge, Debbie
Well, if you were/are in Missouri, it would be the RN who is in charge regardless of pay scale, job description etc. Particularly in Longterm care (nursing homes). I hope that both you and that RN read your state nurse practice act. It can be very enlightening reading.
:lol2:
woody62, RN
928 Posts
Tom, I believe what you are failing to see is that the general public, today, believes what anyone generally tells them. If someone uses the term nurse and he/she is not a licensed nurse, the public doesn't catch this. They just believe they are dealing with a nurse, when in fact they are dealing with someone who has misrepresented themselves, especially given the fact that caps are no longer worn or uniforms are no longer color coded to tell who is and who isn't.
What I would like to know is why people who are not licensed nurses, insist on calling themselves nurse? If they are M.A.'s why are they not proud to represent themselves as who they truly are? And to be honest, I do not understand your attitude. Am I wrong when I believe that you do not think that licenses and correct titles are important. And that anyone who wants to should be allowed to call themselves what they are not. If that is the case, please address me as Doctor. I always wanted to be one. What harm could I possibly be doing?
Woody:balloons: