Calling yourself an RN

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I am Facebook friends with someone i work with. She lists herself as an RN where we work and she is not. She is housekeeping staff. This makes me crazy!

We had to try on uniforms that our hospital was ordering. One of our "RN" CNAs tried on the nurse color, then went into the bathroom and took a bunch of pictures of himself with his badge flipped over. He's been posting them on the internet with stories about how he "saves lives". Amazing...

In fact, about half of our CNAs claim to be "nurses" on the internet. One of them actually told me that being a nurse is about how you carry yourself, not about what education or license you have.

I try to gently correct them, because I honestly feel sorry for them. They're just making themselves look like delusional fools, because everyone knows that they're liars. 99% of them are excellent at what they do and have no reason to feel ashamed, but they do for some reason. I don't get it.

I've never seen a housekeeper claim to be an RN, but I'm not surprised. They do wear scrubs, after all. That's what it takes, right?

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It is illegal to claim to be a nurse unless you have a license. LPN, RN and NP are the only ones allowed to call themselves Nurses, any other person would be infringing the law under "Fraud", is just like you cant call yourself lawyer, engineer, physician , CIA agent, etc. .

I doubt it.

Probably illegal to do this in a professional setting. Drafting a will after claiming to be a lawyer is illegal. Bragging in a bar, or on a Facebook page, that you are a rocket scientist probably is not illegal.

A house keeper claiming to be a nurse is sad, but not illegal. And really, what does it matter? People lie about all kind of stuff on Facebook.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.
I doubt it. ... A house keeper claiming to be a nurse is sad, but not illegal. .

Actually it is, in most states. The title "nurse" is protected by law. If you have not passed your boards (NCLEX), you may not call yourself a nurse. Not just RN or LPN, but nurse at all.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Yeah, in many states it actually is illegal.

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I doubt it.

Probably illegal to do this in a professional setting. Drafting a will after claiming to be a lawyer is illegal. Bragging in a bar, or on a Facebook page, that you are a rocket scientist probably is not illegal.

A house keeper claiming to be a nurse is sad, but not illegal. And really, what does it matter? People lie about all kind of stuff on Facebook.

It is illegal to say you are a bar licensed lawyer if you didn't pass the bar. Illegal as if you can get jail time for doing so. The same thing for claiming to be a physician, those are protected titles. You can claim to be a rocket scientist, but probably no one will believe it lol.

I am not sure if in every State applies the same, but I am pretty sure that the title Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse, are protected titles, and claiming then is fraud, which is a crime. Not so sure about "nurse" by itself, bit people should not be using it without proper credentials, a CNA is a "Nurse's Assistant", a PCT is not a Nurse, a housekeeper is not a nurse, a tech is not a nurse, a CMA is not a nurse.

Wearing scrubs do not make you a nurse, just make you a somewhat comfortable dressed employee.

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Even if it is illegal, it's hard to imagine what the penalty would be ...jail time? fine? a strongly worded letter?

Has anyone ever heard of an actual legal consequence for saying, "I'm a nurse." and not actually being one?

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Specializes in Oncology/StemCell Transplant; Psychiatry.
We had to try on uniforms that our hospital was ordering. One of our "RN" CNAs tried on the nurse color, then went into the bathroom and took a bunch of pictures of himself with his badge flipped over. He's been posting them on the internet with stories about how he "saves lives". Amazing...

In fact, about half of our CNAs claim to be "nurses" on the internet. One of them actually told me that being a nurse is about how you carry yourself, not about what education or license you have.

I try to gently correct them, because I honestly feel sorry for them. They're just making themselves look like delusional fools, because everyone knows that they're liars. 99% of them are excellent at what they do and have no reason to feel ashamed, but they do for some reason. I don't get it.

I've never seen a housekeeper claim to be an RN, but I'm not surprised. They do wear scrubs, after all. That's what it takes, right?

Lol at "being a nurse is all about how you carry yourself." Sure wish someone had told me that before I invested all that time and money into nursing school. In reality, all I had to do was learn how to "carry myself properly."

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I've never personally heard of someone getting in legal trouble for saying they're a nurse when they're not. I know such laws are on the books in most states, but if they're enforced regularly I'd be surprised.

I'd imagine the only scenarios where the legal system would truly pursue it is in cases of flat out fraud where someone actually practices nursing under false pretenses or with a fake license.

I understand that there aren't the legal resources in society to persecute every MA or CNA who likes to go around telling their family and friends they're a nurse. Plus, if you were to back them into a corner on the issue, I'm sure they'd just sheepishly admit they're not really nurses, but "almost just like one, cause they do everything a nurse does", or some such nonsense. Really, these people are usually just silly and needy individuals with self-esteem issues. They ought to be pitied.

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Specializes in critical care.

OP, did you make sure she's not maybe retired and happy to do light duty just for benefits or something? I'd check the BON's website first. If you can't find her as inactive, you need to show management. I've known fake nurses who love giving medical advice. That's a bit scary.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
OP, did you make sure she's not maybe retired and happy to do light duty just for benefits or something? I'd check the BON's website first. If you can't find her as inactive, you need to show management. I've known fake nurses who love giving medical advice. That's a bit scary.

The poster checked and did not find one. Per the OP others have said that this housekeeper claims her license expired.

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OP, did you make sure she's not maybe retired and happy to do light duty just for benefits or something? I'd check the BON's website first. If you can't find her as inactive, you need to show management. I've known fake nurses who love giving medical advice. That's a bit scary.

Whoa! Housekeeping is hardly light duty. :wacky:

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Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

To the OP: what you condone, you own.

It would really bother me if someone came to me and said "so and so calls herself a nurse. It's been going on for a year like that".

If I know that YOU know it is wrong, I'm going to hold you just as accountable for allowing it to continue.

In my state, you will be Fined by the Board of Registered Nurses for even Alluding to being a nurse if you are not.

There's a whole long list of people on the board website who found that out the hard way.

There's even one or two that I might have put there........ Really bugs me to go to the Drs office and find out that the "Nurse" is really a MA.

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