Friend calls herself a nurse but never really worked as one

[MommyandRN]

A friend of mine graduated college with a non-nursing degree and went into cinical research. A few years later went and got her RN degree - just because it would be good to have for her job. Remained hired with the company... talked about trying hospital nursing but it didn't pay as much as her job so she stayed with company... never worked as a nurse in a medical setting... and this has been about 5 years now. That is all fine and good. Thing is, socially - she refers to herself as being a nurse and gives medical advice... ALL the time. And even gives her 2 cents to ME who has been a hospital nurse for a long time. It is starting to bother me. I know she IS technically a nurse but if that were me I would be a bit more honest when talking about medical knowledge. I guess the same goes for all new grads who specialize and never "paid their dues" first. I just can't see her office setting providing her with that much nursing experience. Anyway I am wondering if this is just me being annoyed or if this happens alot. Would this bother you???

[AprilRNhere]

I guess the same goes for all new grads who specialize and never "paid their dues" first.

What does this have to do with your friend? That personally hits a sore spot for me.

As it did for me. It sounds to me like you're either insecure about your own status..or unhappy with a road you've taken.

[oramar]

This prods me to tell my story. I worked for a while in a hospital that served a well to do neighborhood. There was this one patient that checked in periodically. She had graduated from nursing school over 40 years ago, immediately married a professional man and never worked a day in her life. She was very lucky in that no adverse events that required her to work ever occured in her life. She thought she was the queen of Sheba. She would announce to everyone that she was a NURSE and would proceed to tell everyone how to do everything. She also had to say how in her day they had to work so hard and she would also tell people there jobs were easy.( I would think to myself, "what day, you never had a day.) I would grind my teeth but not respond, she wasn't worth the trouble I would have gotten in if I would have said something. I never thought to ask her if her license was current. She probably would have gotten really offended if I had.

[harley007]

I can understand both sides. She is an RN but handing out medical advise without clinical experience of some type, any type, can be a bit scary. I worked with an LPN who told everyone outside of work that she was an RN - hey a nurse is a nurse. On the days I worked as a supervisor there was a rare occasion of not having a RN on a unit - long term rehab. - hospital rules required that I give the IV meds for that unit. I go to her unit for the first dose and she tells me that she already had given the meds because she "helps the other supervisors save time by giving the IV meds herself." HELLO! I let her know that she would not be helping me or my license out thank you very much! Years later she was admitted to an acute care hospital I worked at. She told the whole staff there she was an RN until she saw me. The sad part is she was a really good LPN, still working at that rehab. hospital and pretending to be an RN. So, yes this other woman is an RN but think of yourself as a GN and then as a working RN. She seems to be socially on the same lelel as my LPN

[Miss Mab]

Sorry your friend bugs you--maybe you could talk to her about it. Technically she's a nurse--you'd think any real nurse would know not to go spouting off w/medical advice. Sounds like that's not the real issue you're having though.

I know she IS technically a nurse but if that were me I would be a bit more honest when talking about medical knowledge. I guess the same goes for all new grads who specialize and never "paid their dues" first.

How 'bout all the proponents of the "paying your dues" contigent make out a specific list of positions that new grads are "allowed" to take these days so they will know and understand what will be considered acceptable to the old guard. Sigh.....I'm so over it.

Look, graduates now have many more opportunities in the hospital and within the nursing field in general. It's unfortunate that wasn't always the case in the past.

Despite sporifice evidence that some can't make the leap, many new grads are "specializing" right away and they are having great success. They're not less of a nurse because of it.

Paying your dues.......Get over it, folks! The world has changed.....like it or not. Pssssst, i hear the earth is no longer flat now too...";)

[namaste_71]

She is only an RN if she passed her state boards and continues to maintain her license (CEUs, etc.) as required under her particular state's law. It would tick me off, though ... especially the giving medical advice part.

On a separate note (and I know entire forums are devoted to this), I took my bunny to the vet a couple of weeks ago and the techs were calling themselves "nurses" -- even specifying general care "nurse," OR "nurse,' postop "nurse," etc.

I'm not a nurse myself, although I am a friend and advocate of the profession. (I am a healthcare journalist with aspirations of a second career as an RN.) Many of my friends and relatives also are RNs. Needless to say, I stopped going to that vet but I was steaming.

Is this common?

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

I am not bothered by your friend calling herself a nurse as long as she went to NS and took and passed the NCLEX. It's a slippery slope to start differentiating who is "more of a nurse" than anyone else. We all took the same training and took and passed the same test. I'm sure you're friend knows more about certain topics than you do..this doesn't make you less valid. I might know very little about oncology nursing but this doesn't make me less of a nurse than someone who works that specialty daily or someone who does med/surg. I agree with those who think the new grad comment was kind of offensive.

What bothers me is when people who are not nurses identify themselves as such.

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

i would be bothered if the woman wasn't a nurse. if she was a CMA or CNA or something, ok, be offended.... but you said that she was a licensed RN. so i don't understand why you are offended by her? if her giving medical advice bothers you, tell her so, but her lack of hospital experience doesnt make her any less of a nurse. some nurses choose to work outside of the clinical setting at insurance companies, research, whatever... nursing is a very open field in job opportunities and specialties and that is why so many people choose it as their career path....my mother is an RN-BSN who works on the technical aspect of cardiology (calibrating holters, pacemakers, etc and echovascular equipment) but doesnt deal much with the patients in person. she will be the first one to tell you that she isnt a "hospital nurse" nor does she want to be. she is just as much of a nurse as any other LPN or RN out there... and just as important, too. and about the new grad thing... i dont even know what to say. ouch. nursing school is dues enough.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I have a friend who was in LPN school with me, she took NCLEX-PN and passed, but has since decided that nursing is not for her. However, she does have an active license, and therefore, I do believe that she is entitled to call herself a nurse. Medical advice, however, should never be done outside of the proper setting; meaning having access to a chart, lab values and a physician's order.

[SICU Queen]

I think the point that the OP is trying to make is this: that this friend is giving the IMPRESSION to the people she's giving advice to that she has hospital-type experience as an RN. The OP is NOT making the point that the friend's nursing experience is less valid in any way (well, not IMO anyway, lol!).

I'd be irritated as well... and I'd have to say something.

This isn't about "paying dues". It's about where your nursing experiences have been in relation to the impression you give people. I can't stand nurses who posture and pose as something they're not - and let's face it - a nurse who's been in clinical research for years and years, while no less a nurse, is much less capable of giving advice to, say, a diabetic about their insulin, than a Med-Surg or ICU nurse would be... and that's what I think the OP is talking about.

[kpyers32!]

Dear Mommy and RN,

I'm a new grad so I am just a bit confused. When you say nurses who specialize without paying their dues first... I'm a bit confused. Are you saying that a new grad that goes into ICU out of school isn't a real nurse or one that goes straight into Telemetry.

What areas of nursing qualify for 'paying ones dues'?

I just want to make sure I understand this point of view. Thanks!!

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

Just want to say that I'm a REAL nurse because I did a year and a half med surg before going to ER. Oh, oh, is a year and a half long enough to call myself a real nurse. Because if it's not I better go back and do some more med/surg because I want to be a real nurse.

I don't give medical advice. Once in a great while I do some teaching about stuff like how frequently to check glucose levels, or what blood pressures or cholesterol levels are considered healthy.

Ooops, maybe I shouldn't do the teaching part because I don't have a masters in nursing, just an associates degree.

Oh the slippery slope

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

The best medical advice to give anyone in just about any situation is "you really need to talk to your PCP about that."

If she's licensed, she's at least a nurse. I just found out that an old "friend" of mine says she's a nurse. She's a MA. Now that hits my hot button!!