Does being addressed as "Nurse" annoy anyone?

I've been a nurse for 14 years now, but this hasn't occurred much up until the past few years.  I work in a psychiatric hospital, and patients often address me as "Nurse.”  It happens in all kinds of different scenarios: requesting a PRN med; going over the other staff's heads to try to get what they want when another staff member denies a request against policy; one time a patient had a minor altercation with another patient, and the patient shouted "Nurse!  Johnny's blocking the TV!”  It really annoys me.  I find this synonymous to a toddler addressing their nursery school teacher as "Teacher" as opposed to "Miss (surname)”  I have often told them "I have a name, and it's not nurse.”  Thoughts?

[Guest1198722]

On 9/27/2022 at 8:30 PM, DoubleblessedRN said:

I’ve been a nurse for 14 years now, but this hasn’t occurred much up until the past few years.  I work in a psychiatric hospital, and patients often address me as “Nurse.”  It happens in all kinds of different scenarios: requesting a PRN med; going over the other staff’s heads to try to get what they want when another staff member denies a request against policy; one time a patient had a minor altercation with another patient, and the patient shouted “Nurse!  Johnny’s blocking the TV!”  It really annoys me.  I find this synonymous to a toddler addressing their nursery school teacher as “Teacher” as opposed to “Miss (surname)”  I have often told them “I have a name, and it’s not nurse.”  Thoughts?

Yes, I have thoughts on this, and the first one is, are you really serious? You are a nurse! Why would bring called, what you worked hard to achieve, bother you? Do you not like being a nurse?

[Guest1198722]

I still don't understand why you feel this way because you are being addressed by who and what you are, a nurse. However, why not tell all of your patients not to call you "nurse" but by your first name only?

[DoubleblessedRN, ADN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-P]

12 hours ago, hppygr8ful said:

I too work in psych where patients don't always have the ability to express their needs. I don't think being called Nurse bothers me one bit. The past five years I have worked with adolescents and they usually call me by my first name. If they new my last name they could Google my house which I don't want.

Hppy

I’ve worked psych for four years and I occasionally work with adolescents.  I don’t ever recall being called “nurse” by any one of them, as a matter of fact, they’re usually pretty respectful and ask if I’m the nurse and what’s my name.

 

[DoubleblessedRN, ADN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-P]

nursel56 said:

I agree with everyone else strictly on an intellectual basis regarding their reasons for being fine with being addressed that way, but honestly for some reason it does annoy me, although if I hear it shouted in a movie, it's usually because they really need that nurse right then, and I enjoy seeing that nurse swoop in to save the day.

It's just a gut reaction, similar to when a particular doctor long ago would tell patients to go talk to "the girl".  I was in my twenties so I couldn't 100% tag him on the age thing.

I used to work in cardiac cath lab years ago, I agree...there are some situations when it's necessary.  For example, whenever I finished holding pressure after an arterial sheath removal I would instruct the pts on s/s of a hematoma, bleeding at the site, and other potential complications, and to just holler "Nurse!” if the pt experienced any of these, because those are true emergencies that require immediate attention.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

But you ARE a  nurse. What do you want people to call you?

[HiddenAngels]

14 hours ago, uniteddemclub said:

I just feel bad because someone who calls me a nurse will assume I’m compassionate, caring, or empathetic. I’m none of those things. I hate to give people the wrong impression of me. 

huh???

[DoubleblessedRN, ADN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-P]

I am proud to be a nurse, I worked for it and I earned that title in my own right.  It’s just annoying.  Sort of like men who are nurses who don’t like to be referred to as a “male nurse.”  Or as another poster mentioned being called ma’am (although I do realize that in the south that is a very common term…a person often addresses a woman as ma’am as a sign of respect)  As I mentioned, to me it feels like a toddler calling their nursery or preschool teacher “Teacher.”  I was actually impressed in the past that some of the adolescent patients had the proper manners and said “Excuse me, are you the nurse?  What’s your name?”  I like your pic BTW!

[DoubleblessedRN, ADN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-P]

I sometimes do