"Alphabet Soup" After Nurses' Name?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi all! Quick intro: I'm a second semester student nurse in an AS Nursing program who has been snooping around these boards for a while! It's about time I registered as a user here and I'm glad I did. I love this board! :redpinkhe

So, I am looking into personalizing a gift for one of my favorite instructors. It's a simple mousepad and I'm able to put her name on it. I was thinking about including all of her titles on it, but don't know if I should (she will soon have her Phd in nursing, and as of now is only MSN). Anyways, I'll figure that out later.

My question is, what does all this "alphabet soup" after her name mean anyways?!

Her e-mails used to be signed:

Ms. Amazing Nursing Instructor, MSN, RN, C

Now, they are signed:

Ms. Amazing Nursing Instructor, MSN, RN, C, D(S)

I think I'm going to just keep it simple and put Ms. Amazing Nursing Instructor on her gift, but I'm still curious!

Thanks all! I will be around & interacting more often now that I'm a user :)

Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

Since when did it become okay to add initials of a degree that you haven't even earned. I'm speaking of D(s). A doctoral student? So since I've taken one course towards getting my masters it's okay to professionally use the title M(s)? That's really pushing it.

I think if I had a choice I'd put FlyingScot RN., SOL. (Student of Life) but depending on the day could easily be the other...and often is.

i'm a diploma grad as well...leslie, rn, pita

didn't have to work very hard for that credential either, but certainly earned it nonetheless.:)

leslie

I'm justa plain OLD diploma graduate, RN working on BSN and occasionally full of just plain BS!

Seems like the old diploma programs were gave you much more real world experience than even the most vocationally geared degree program today.

The more I learn about them the more I'm sorry that it is not an option for me and that they've fallen out of favor. But I'd be dang proud if I had one!

Since when did it become okay to add initials of a degree that you haven't even earned. I'm speaking of D(s). A doctoral student? So since I've taken one course towards getting my masters it's okay to professionally use the title M(s)? That's really pushing it.

I think if I had a choice I'd put FlyingScot RN., SOL. (Student of Life) but depending on the day could easily be the other...and often is.

I think the idea behind those titles is to put them on your research while you're working on your degree. I don't think those titles are really suppose to go on other things, such as your badge. Since like you say, you haven't actually earned anything yet.

I have to sign SN at the end of my name sometimes. Wouldn't put it in my email signature though.

I work in a teaching hospital and the D(s) designation on badges would be helpful. We don't make any distinction here, but in my unit we have multiple MSN/DN students who round and take pt loads along side our residents. They are all RN's so they have that on their badge, but I think it would be more professional if they had something that seperated them out in the pts minds because they are functioning as a PCP-type role, rather than a bedside nurse.

At work, we got new badges and the template is NAME, DEGREE (and certification if applicable) and underneath is position. So at work, my name badge looks like this:

Hiddencat, BSN

Registered Nurse

A lot of nurses in my facility have certifications like CPN or CPEN and have those on their badges.

I sign my discharges as Hiddencat RN (charts are electronic so they're autosigned and that just has my name on it without BSN or RN but I assume somewhere on there it says I'm a nurse. When folks send out emails with other letters behind their name, I think about whether those are certifications I'd like to have someday. I don't think "gosh that nurse must be really insecure and need to build themselves up by advertizing their credentials too much" and the only time I've ever seen someone incluce "ACLS, PALS" in their signature was a medic doing transport who was obnoxious for much more than signing his name with common certs that all medics are expected to have anyway.

To the OP, I think it would be fine to write your professor's name as she does. Or not- I think she'll appreciate the gift regardless.

Since when did it become okay to add initials of a degree that you haven't even earned. I'm speaking of D(s). A doctoral student?

It's actually really common on the doctoral level- you might see someone listed as "PhD (ABD)" which is All But Dissertation when they're nearly done. You see this outside of nursing in other fields at any rate.

i'm a diploma grad as well...leslie, rn, pita

didn't have to work very hard for that credential either, but certainly earned it nonetheless.:)

leslie

LOL I guess I earned that one too!!!! (PITA)

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