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.
I worked as a charge nurse for six months here in Florida. I had one physician who would frequently send in patients as direct admits with orders. Half the time I either couldn't read the writting or the medication dose was wrong. After the third time, speaking to his P.A., I discovered his P.A. had been trained by him, no formal course work and no certification (it was in 1980). I told the P.A. and the doctor I would no longer accept any orders from his P.A. I was not going to put my license on the line for this man and this physician. The DON ordered me to and I continued to refuse. I was moved into ICU. And resigned my position two months later. I worked too long and too hard to get my degrees. I am not about to allow anyone who is not an R.N. or an L.P.N. to refer to themselves as a nurse. Even my PCP understands my attitude.
i would not dare call my self a nurse i am not one yet and know that i have a long way to go before i can. i knew a girl who was a nursing assistant and she called herself a nurse. i corrected her once and she got very angry but i did not care. a lawyer would not want someone going around calling them self a lawyer when they are only the one of the workers in the office. and a doctor would not want that either. i can not wait until i can call my self a nurse but until then i will be patient.
Specializes in Emergency, ICU, OB, Hospice/Home Health.
"It is definitely illegal in all 50 states to misrepresent yourself as a nurse. If you do not have an LPN, ASSOCIATE degree in Nursing, BSN, etc, and are not currently licened in your state, you can be charged with practicing without a license, as well as other offenses. Next time someone calls themselves a nurse, its time to get a witness, and file it with the Board of Nursing. You can file a claim in confidence with all 50 Boards.More power to you! "
You know, I actually DID try this about 18 months ago. I was a hospice case manager, and an employee at a doctors office was calling herself a "nurse". I really didn't get too bent out of shape at the time. Then, she started to give our patients some really kooky advice, and when I'd try to straighten everything out, the patients and families were utterly confused, stating "But Dr. X's nurse said..."
Eventually, this crazy woman got me FIRED :angryfire:angryfire:angryfirewith her head games (long story; the first and hopefully last time I ever get fired), and I checked the web site for the Oklahoma board of nursing; she was definitely not a nurse. I contacted an investigator, who informed me that as long as she does not represent herself as a RN or LPN, she is free to call herself a nurse. Many unlicensed people work in doctors offices under the PHYSICIANS license, and whatever the employer wants to label them is acceptable...as long as it does not denote that they are RN's or LPN's. I was also told that as long as their job description includes activities that are typically part of the spectrum of the role of "nurse", such as giving injections or taking vital signs, then they are not falsely representing themselves.
Think about it...not that long ago the nurse did everything. We drew blood, changed beds, assisted the doctors during surgery, helped with X-rays, did physical therapy exercises, took care of the charts, answered the phones, etc.,etc.,etc.
NOW, because of the expanded role of the licensed nurse coinciding with a HUGE shortage, there are endless titles and abbreviations that define the roles of unlicensed personel, many of them exculsive to individual facilities and agencies.
Examples - PCA, NA, CNA, CMA, MA, UAU, NP (nurse partner), PTA, OTA,UC, Resp. Tech, Rad. Tech, Pharm Tech, Lab Tech, Phlebotomist, Surg Tech, Monitor/ECG Tech...good gravy, this list could go on forever.
Hey, I've done healthcare for almost 17 years, and I hear about new positions all the time, and I can't keep them all straight; how can I expect a patient to?
Specializes in Emergency, ICU, OB, Hospice/Home Health.
"It is definitely illegal in all 50 states to misrepresent yourself as a nurse. If you do not have an LPN, ASSOCIATE degree in Nursing, BSN, etc, and are not currently licened in your state, you can be charged with practicing without a license, as well as other offenses. Next time someone calls themselves a nurse, its time to get a witness, and file it with the Board of Nursing. You can file a claim in confidence with all 50 Boards.More power to you!"
You know, I actually DID try this about 18 months ago. I was a hospice case manager, and an employee at a doctors office was calling herself a "nurse". I really didn't get too bent out of shape at the time. Then, she started to give our patients some really kooky advice, and when I'd try to straighten everything out, the patients and families were utterly confused, stating "But Dr. X's nurse said..."
Eventually, this crazy woman got me FIRED :angryfire:angryfire:angryfirewith her head games (long story; the first and hopefully last time I ever get fired), and I checked the web site for the Oklahoma board of nursing; she was definitely not a nurse. I contacted an investigator, who informed me that as long as she does not represent herself as a RN or LPN, she is free to call herself a nurse. Many unlicensed people work in doctors offices under the PHYSICIANS license, and whatever the employer wants to label them is acceptable...as long as it does not denote that they are RN's or LPN's. I was also told that as long as their job description includes activities that are typically part of the spectrum of the role of "nurse", such as giving injections or taking vital signs, then they are not falsely representing themselves.
Think about it...not that long ago the nurse did everything. We drew blood, changed beds, assisted the doctors during surgery, helped with X-rays, did physical therapy exercises, took care of the charts, answered the phones, etc.,etc.,etc.
NOW, because of the expanded role of the licensed nurse coinciding with a HUGE shortage, there are endless titles and abbreviations that define the roles of unlicensed personel, many of them exculsive to individual facilities and agencies.
Examples - PCA, NA, CNA, CMA, MA, UAU, NP (nurse partner), PTA, OTA,UC, Resp. Tech, Rad. Tech, Pharm Tech, Lab Tech, Phlebotomist, Surg Tech, Monitor/ECG Tech...good gravy, this list could go on forever.
Hey, I've done healthcare for almost 17 years, and I hear about new positions all the time, and I can't keep them all straight; how can I expect a patient to?
"A profession is an occupation, vocation or career where specialised knowledge of a subject, field, or science is applied.[1] It is usually applied to occupations that involve prolonged academic training and a formal qualification. It is axiomatic that "professional activity involves systematic knowledge and proficiency."[2] Professions are usually regulated by professional bodies that may set examinations of competence, act as an licencing authority for practitioners, and enforce adherence to an ethical code of practice.
-snip-
Professions enjoy a high social status, regard and esteem [12] [13] conferred upon them by society. This high esteem arises primarily from the higher social function of their work, which is regarded as vital to society as a whole and thus of having a special and valuable nature. All professions involve technical, specialised and highly skilled work often referred to as "professional expertise." [14] [15] Training for this work involves obtaining degrees and professional qualifications (see Licensure) without which entry to the profession is barred (occupational closure). Training also requires regular updating of skills."
Allowing people who are not members of a profession to claim they are diminishes the entire profession. One cannot call oneself a doctor, or dentist, when one is not. This is due to the rabid protection of the status earned by these professionals for fulfilling the educational, training and licensing requirements required by their professions. Nurses should demand no less from the public, or their coworkers - including physicians.
I can see how it is confusing to patients as to what role is fulfilled by which person due primarily to an identification problem with uniforms, etc.. This, IMO, is something that should be addressed by the nursing profession as a whole.
Allowing people who are not members of a profession to claim they are diminishes the entire profession. One cannot call oneself a doctor, or dentist, when one is not. This is due to the rabid protection of the status earned by these professionals for fulfilling the educational, training and licensing requirements required by their professions. Nurses should demand no less from the public, or their coworkers - including physicians.
I can see how it is confusing to patients as to what role is fulfilled by which person due primarily to an identification problem with uniforms, etc.. This, IMO, is something that should be addressed by the nursing profession as a whole.
I agree, I like hospitals and offices that make nurses stand out from other staff , ie: cna's, ma's etc. It's good for the pt and good for the nurse be clear about who is who.
Specializes in Mostly LTC, some acute and some ER,.
It never really bothered me until I myself was in my second semester of LVN school. I don't even call myself a nurse yet even though I am days away from graduating. I want to wait for that moment, when everything is official to step back and say . . ."I'm a nurse."
Quote "....and then we all find out that the family member is not a nurse, but a CNA, or a Lab Tech or something stupid like that"
WOW, that statement really steams me. My daughter is a Certified Medical Lab Tech; she holds an Associate's degree in that field. No, she is not a nurse and does not portray herself as such. So sorry that someone would feel that her chosen profession is "stupid".
We had a patient care aide on our floor and I witnessed her telling more than one confused patient how she is a 2nd year nursing student... it really bothered me because these patients were not of sound enough mind to understand she is not a nurse nor a nursing student while she works at my facility... she is an aide. She is not covered by the institution's insurance to do nursing skills that she could do were she here in a nursing student capacity. :S
We had a patient care aide on our floor and I witnessed her telling more than one confused patient how she is a 2nd year nursing student... it really bothered me because these patients were not of sound enough mind to understand she is not a nurse nor a nursing student while she works at my facility... she is an aide. She is not covered by the institution's insurance to do nursing skills that she could do were she here in a nursing student capacity. :S
I fail to see how this hurts anyone
or how it threatens anyone
and if the patients are that confused maybe it was just the easiest thing to say. I dont see where it hurts those little old confused people either.
why let it bother you, I just dont see a significance here.
woody62, RN
928 Posts
I worked as a charge nurse for six months here in Florida. I had one physician who would frequently send in patients as direct admits with orders. Half the time I either couldn't read the writting or the medication dose was wrong. After the third time, speaking to his P.A., I discovered his P.A. had been trained by him, no formal course work and no certification (it was in 1980). I told the P.A. and the doctor I would no longer accept any orders from his P.A. I was not going to put my license on the line for this man and this physician. The DON ordered me to and I continued to refuse. I was moved into ICU. And resigned my position two months later. I worked too long and too hard to get my degrees. I am not about to allow anyone who is not an R.N. or an L.P.N. to refer to themselves as a nurse. Even my PCP understands my attitude.
Woody:balloons: