Calling yourself an RN

Nurses Relations

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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!

How is the board of nursing going to fine someone who is not a nurse? Send them a bill in the mail? they have no legal authority over someone who is not a nurse.

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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In order to be able to get a license as a physician, an individual must pass all 3 parts of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Usually medical students will take Steps 1 and 2 during med school--if I am not mistaken some (all?) schools require passage of Steps 1 and 2 to graduate. Step 3 is then taken during an individual's residency. If a person graduates from medical school, they are a Doctor of Medicine (MD), but they do not have a license and they cannot practice medicine independently, they have to pass Step 3. MDs are not required to complete a residency (only to do, I believe 1 year), but no decent hospital will grant a physician privileges with completing a residency.

I apologize if I got any of the details wrong--please feel free to correct me. One thing I don't know--does the PVT work for USML? (sorry, couldn't resist)

Thank you for the explanation , i was not too familiar with the entire process.

PVT trick for that lol, you made me crack up.

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care-Family Medicine.
It is my understanding that even students who have graduated NS but yet to pass NCLEX cannot call themselves nurses either neither sign RN, LPN or whatever next to their name because in reality, yes, they have graduated a program but do not hold a license which is what actually gives you the right to call yourself a nurse. 😉

Here in Texas they are referred to as GN (graduate nurse) and GVN (graduate vocational nurse) until you take the boards and you must sign your name as such. Many facilities limit what you can do as a graduate nurse as well. If you pass boards the first time you get the RN or LVN title. If you fail you lose your graduate title and cannot work until you pass.

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I am a Registered Nurse....but I misrepresent myself on my facebook page as a laborer for my parents' business! I have worked there in the past, but not currently. I occasionally help out with their landscaping.

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So, it seems confirmed.

1- It is illegal to call yourself a nurse unless you are one.

2- The only interest any BON seems to have is regarding those who practice as nurses without being licensed.

To the OP- If you have a friend who stops behaving in a way you find acceptable, stop being her friend. It is simple. Much like if you had a friend who turned out to be a bigot. Stop being friends.

If you are really concerned about the legality, go ahead and report her. You could luck out- the BON could send her a letter. Maybe you could ask them to keep you in the loop as they pursue this case.

Considering all the folks who falsely call themselves nurses in a healthcare setting, I doubt the BON will devote its full resources to bringing down this Facebook scoundrel. But ou will sleep better at night.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
Regarding the seeming abundance of students who portray themselves as nurses, I'm actually a little surprised it's being permitted by their schools. Seeing as how they are carrying around tote bags with their name and the designation "RN", surely they are using these where actual nurses and instructors can see them?

When I was in school, right in the beginning, when we were first learning how to write nursing notes for the charts, it was drilled into our little heads that we were to use the designation "SN" for "Student Nurse" and that designation was included in the key on every page we were to write on. No exceptions. If we were found to be using the designation "RN" before we had earned that title, I know for a FACT that our instructors would have gone RIOTA$$WILD on us, because they were quite explicit that it was NOT for our use. In fact, it was listed as a reason for disciplinary action, outcome to be determined at each infraction. We knew that using the designation Nurse or RN could actually get us kicked out of the program.

Guess what? NOT ONE STUDENT seemed to be confused as to the fact that they were STUDENTS, not NURSES. Geez!

We had to write 'student nurse' because SN could be confused with 'staff nurse"

Was kind of a buzz when I got to start writing RN:yes:

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Specializes in CVOR, CVICU/CTICU, CCRN.
We had to write 'student nurse' because SN could be confused with 'staff nurse"

Was kind of a buzz when I got to start writing RN:yes:

Our school had us sign as 'RN-S'. Compliance with this was never an issue with my cohort. And I totally agree - the first time I was able to sign something as an RN it was a huge head rush!

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I have to throw it in, again. In WI, an LPN CANNOT call themselves a "nurse", stand alone. They HAVE to say "I'm an LPN". Crazy, I know.

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.

People need to start calling out those that misrepresent themselves and end up causing confusion on the public. As a professional it is our duty to watch out for the reputation of our profession, and to make sure only members can identify themselves as such, or next time claim to be an Architect to a group in an Architect Office and let me know how that goes.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Again, a WI fluke, but if you are a WI resident, educated in WI and practicing in WI, you do NOT need to sit for the bar exam. It's called diploma privleges---you can google it. We're a crazy state, I tell you!!

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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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
Again, a WI fluke, but if you are a WI resident, educated in WI and practicing in WI, you do NOT need to sit for the bar exam. It's called diploma privleges---you can google it. We're a crazy state, I tell you!!

What is going on up there?? :cool:

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I'd totally blame Walker, but these were rules in place LONG before his reign of terror....

What is going on up there?? :cool:
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There is someone on this list that I USED to know....

Board of Registered Nursing - Unlicensed Practice

Most of these are "practicing" violations. A few say "using RN title", but give no context at all. What were the circumstances of your acquaintance? I would love to find one concrete example of disiplanary action for simply saying, "I'm an RN." on social media. So far, no one has been able to confirm that it's ever happened.

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