Do you call your patients by first or last name?

[HappyNurse2005]

Is your pt "Mr Doe" or "John" to you? I ALWAYS call my pt's by last name. Mr or Mrs whatever. Of course, I'm 24, and 99.999999999% of my pt's are older than me. It's a respect thing to me. Not that calling by first name is disrespect, but I don't know...It just never occurs to me to call them by first name.

Though, I do occasionally call older ladies "honey".

So what do you call them?

[hypnotic_nurse]

First name basis if the pt calls me by my first name. Otherwise we're all on a Mr/Ms basis.

Docs who use my first name (but don't give me permission to use theirs) get the first name of "Doc".

[Crocuta, RN]

In my facility all staff except managers and doctors have only first names on our ID badges, so everyone is on first name basis professionally. Personally I like it because I'd rather my psych patients not know my last name (small town). There is a measure of safety in that system. Hospital policy is that all patients are to be addressed by last name unless they specifically request otherwise.

On a side note, I had a manager in a former career who told me that you could never go wrong by calling women of any age or marital status "Miss" and last name. He said he'd never had someone be offended by that.

Now I spent some time in Baton Rouge many years ago, and I heard all the guys saying "Miss Lisa" and "Miss Jessica" to women of all ages. Coupled with that southern twang, it seemed very elegant.

[Fun2, BSN, RN]

Now I spent some time in Baton Rouge many years ago, and I heard all the guys saying "Miss Lisa" and "Miss Jessica" to women of all ages. Coupled with that southern twang, it seemed very elegant.

That's what I'm talking about. I really don't do it for people my own age, but I even call my 8 year old "Miss Kaylee" half the time. (Texas belle here...lol)

[jetsetter]

It's ma'am.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I also say Mr. and Miss/Ms./Mrs. but try to get on a first name basis as soon as posisble. because we spend 12 hours together, and if I'm going to seeing them naked, doing dressings, giving wiping their butt, there's no need to be so formal in my opinion. I'm 46 years old and many of the trauma patients I take care of are young adults, plus the I'm old enough that older patients don't think it's disrespectful if we get on a first name basis.

To me nursing is personal and intimate and not formal and I see no disrespect in using their first name. Sometimes I do say "sweetness", "hon" or "my friend", which many not always be well recieved but in 15 years I haven't had any negative feedback in how I approach my patients. It's all in how you treat them and approach them, your demeaner, care, etc.

I always get permission from the patient before using their first name.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Usually i'm introducing myself to Mr or Ms. Patient before i'm doing anything for them though.

True. Introductions are always formal.

[nurselynninTN]

I always address my pts as Mr. and Ms. We were taught in class to do this unless they gave us permission to call them by their first name. So I have stuck to this.

[tvccrn, ASN, RN]

For me this is how the typical first meeting goes(I work in the cath lab so we aren't together that long)....

Hello, I'm "tvccrn" and I will be your nurse today. Do you have any questions about what we plan to do today, Bob. May I call you Bob?

I have yet to have anyone up to the age of 100 years old decline my calling them by their first name with that approach.

Of course, I'm from the South as well and always find myself calling them darlin' and honey at times. No complaints on that one either. Matter of fact, had one patient that said it made them feel more at ease.

[firstyearstudent]

On psych unit that I'm doing a clinical rotation on, they only use a first name -- I believe to protect a patient's identity.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Do mostly kids now, so it's first name (or kiddo or sweetie). Adults it's Mr. or Ms. And being a radical feminist, I'm married but you better refer to me as Ms. not Mrs. (after all, my husband didn't change titles when he got married, why should I?) And with older adults that we really know well, it can often be Mr. or Miss first name. And I've been known to slip into Honey or Sweetie mode, but I live in a Southern small town, and that's what Southern small town folks do. (Another sign I'd lived in GA too long was when I actually called someone "SweetPea" when I'd never even used that word in a food context before!)

ETA: With peds patients, general practice is parents end up being "Mom" and "Dad." Keeping up with last names on parents requires too much brain power! And never had anyone offended being called Mom, but call a woman by baby's last name and you could be enduring a long tirade about the baby's dad!!

[kersti]

I use "Mr/Mrs" - just seems more professional and makes it easier to keep a respectful distance. Even though on a few occasions, when it seemed appropriate, and really important to the patient, I did use a first name basis.

[beautifulb]

I call them Mr., Mrs., or Ms. However sometimes I do call them by their first name. Sometimes, and this may seem odd, but you can kind of tell. If they are around my age, 34, I call them by their first name. It feels kind of awkward to call a 22 y/o Mrs./Ms. so and so. I do occasionally slip an occasional "hon" in there "O.K. hon, we are going to turn you now." But on the other hand, I introduce myself by my first name also. I worked with a nurse who used to introduce herself to her pt.'s as Mrs. Smith and felt that she recieved more respect by doing so.