Nurse Impersonators

[NancyRN]

Am I the only one who resents the "nurse impersonators" who abound in the health care field?

Everyone who works at a doctor's office or in a hospital wears scrubs and seems to pass themselves off as a nurse. Of course, the hospital doesn't mind. Visitors and patients don't realize how few nurses are actually on the unit if the unit clerks, nursing assistants, housekeepers, and technicians are all wearing scrubs.

It seems harmless enough, this generic flowered jacketed scrub outfit, until you think of the harm it does to nurses' reputation as a whole. I just wonder what people think when they see two or three "nurses" ambling around the hallways or sitting at the nurses station while their family member waits for pain medication!

I have to think the doctor's offices are the worst. The doctors will actually refer to the medical assistant as "the nurse". I wonder if a doctor would appreciate an employee passing himself off as a doctor?

Last month I was in a doctor's waiting room with my son when a man came in holding his hand wrapped in a towel. He announced that he'd cut his hand and needed to see the doctor ( ok- dont ask me why he didn't go to the ER!) . The "nurse" told him to have a seat. The waiting room was crowded and it was obvious he was in for a very long wait. I saw the towel becoming saturated, and I couldn't help going over to him and telling him to hold his hand above heart level, apply pressure, try some deep breathing, etc. I told the "nurse" to let him go in and be seen, but she said, "He has to wait his turn, it wouldnt be fair to the patients who had appointments."

Driving home, my son asked, "Why didn't that nurse help that man?" I told him, "Because she's not a nurse!" But I wonder how many people in that waiting room went home with the story of the nurse who wouldnt help a bleeding man.

I know nurses don't want to go back to the days of wearing caps (even though I love my cap), but shouldn't we be more concerned about people in scrubs making us look bad? Shouldn't a nurse on duty be as easily recognizable as an EMT, a Firefighters, or a Police Officer?

[pebbles, BSN, RN]

Originally posted by donmurray

The paranoid interpretation would be that they are all helping her hide from you! LOL

Seriously though, maybe it's an anti-stalker measure?

A valid point.

I actually had to get special permission from my manager to have only my first name on my nametag. The manager of the emergency room at my hospital REQUIRES nurses to have first and last names on their ID's. (An inner-city trauma centre, no less!) Consequently, none of the Emerg nurses bother to wear any ID at all. There's accountability, and there's personal security...

[EXOTIC NURSE, RN]

HUGANURSE: YOU ARE OFF KEY WITH YOUR COMMENT BUT IT IS OKAY ........JUST WANTED CLARIFICATION AND TO ALL WHO THOUGHT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE AN ARGUEMENT NO I WAS NOT JUST ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION........

THANK YOU MATTSMOM FOR YOUR CLARIFICATION....

[mattcastens]

As for nametags, I guess it's a difference between women and men (as my fiancee would say). I couldn't care less if my last name were visible. I'm not worried about stalkers. After all, most docs have their last names visible.

[fergus51]

I never worry about last names because if some crazy stalker is going to get me he knows where I work.

I had REGISTERED NURSE embroided on all my uniforms in big letters in a contrasting colour. It works quite well.

[Michelle_nurse]

It happened to me last December.

I had graduated as an RN 6 months before. I had worked as a nurse GPL all summer, but when Fall came around, my contract was not re newed cause I didn't have my licence yet (I ended up getting my licence 2 days after!). I had to go back as a nurses aid, until another nurse contract was offered. (I was back as a NA till just over a month ago)

I was working on a floor, as a nurses aid. There was another nurses aid, who was supposed to be working with me. But I hardly even saw her, she was with the RN all night, majorly "playing nurse".....taking BP's which she was not allowed, getting too involved /c nurse pt care. Myself as a NA, I worked as an NA, even though I was really an RN, this killed me, but I had to do it.

I asked her if she was a nurse like myself, it sure looked like it! She said yes. Turns out she was not!!!!

A few weeks later, I got a nurse contract, and guess which floor they sent me to!!! Ironic! She didn't say a word to me.

I worked very hard for over 5 years in nursing school, while being 100% independent financially. It makes me mad when others that didn't go through all that schooling, act like they have the title.

[JasmineG.]

I am a student Practical Nurse and work part time in a long term care facility. I am not aware if there

Boy have you all given me an education with this forum! I am a student practical nurse working in a long term care facility as a PT/OT aide. I don't know if there is a problem with non-nurses impersonating licensed nurses or

not, probably because it never occurred to me that people would want to do this. After reading this

forum I will certainly be on the lookout for staff that is working beyond their scope of training and legal practice.

Also, maybe this is incredibly naiive of me, but what about asking our inservice coordinator (who is a

RN) if we could have a staff inservice on this subject. Is this a bad idea? Does anyone have any advice on how I could approach this?

[JasmineG.]

P.S. That was my first posting and you can see what a mess I made of it!!! Hope you all can read it to reply.

[135ctv]

I did not realize that there were so many different job levels involved in patient care until I became a CNA.

I have been referred to as "nurse". When this happens, I explain that I am a nurse's aide and not a nurse. If they question me further, I explain the difference. I feel that all aides have an obligation to clarify this. If a patient asks me a question outside of the scope of my job, I refer that question to their nurse.

I have worked with many aides who refer to themselves as "nurses". I would not mind it if all aides wore the same color scrubs. I think this would be less confusing for patients and their families if unlicenced personnel were easier to identify and easier to differentiate from licensed personnel. It would also make it more difficult for unlicenced personnel to impersonate nurses.

I completed an 80-hour course and passed a certification exam to become a CNA. The 80 hours of training I had in no way equates to the amount of education and training required to become licensed as a LPN or RN. I enjoy being an aide. I have never envisioned myself as a nurse, nor do I think I will ever pursue nurse's training in the future.

I sometimes wonder if it would help to take less of a hierarchical approach and more of a team approach to patient care. I'm not saying that aides should not be supervised by nurses. I think they should be supervised. What I mean by "team approach" is acknowledging that each job level performs an important role in contributing to the overall care of the patient.

Many aides come from very limited educational or socioeconomic backgrounds. To them, obtaining a certification as a Nurse's Assistant is a BIG accomplishment, but many aides do carry it too far and try to be something they're not.

I do believe that nursing is a profession. I do not think that, as a nurse's aide, I am a "professional" or a part of the nursing profession. I do feel, however, that aides need to conduct themselves in a professional manner. This does not mean trying to be a nurse, it means being courteous, treating others with respect, doing your job and acting in a mature manner.

I don't know the solution to this problem. I think there will always be unlicensed assistive personnel who try to pass themselves off as nurses.

[Q.]

135ctv:

Your post is thoughtful, intelligent and articulate. A true welcome and a wonderful, mature attitude. If only all CNAs were taught this mentality.

Maybe being an instructor is in your future?

[135ctv]

Thank you. I have helped to orient aides in the past and have enjoyed that. I think that I would also enjoy being an instructor, but to do that requires that I be an RN. I think that my interest lies more in being an aide than pursuing nurses training.

I perhaps have a different outlook because this is a second career for me. Prior to becoming an aide, I earned a master's degree and worked in the business world for 20 years. This is something that I always wanted to pursue, and I'm glad I made the change. I have been a CNA for approximately one year now and have no desire to return to my previous profession.

[RNKitty]

Wow - you have a Master's and you CHOOSE to work as an aide? Hats off to you - you must truly love to work with people hands on to take the pay cut I'm sure you took. I hope when I am sick, you (or someone like you) will help care for me!

[135ctv]

Thanks. After 20 years of sitting in a cube staring at a computer screen, I really welcome the chance to interact with people. It took about five years from when I first thought of becoming an aide to when I actually left my job and enrolled in the CNA course. During that time, I did research other career options (including becoming a nurse), but did not find anything that I wanted to do as much as becoming an aide. (I also took that time to put myself in a position financially so that I could live on an aide's salary. It would be difficult to support myself as an aide if I also had to pay rent, credit card bills, etc.)

I wondered at first if I should even post to this site, since I am not a nurse. I enjoy reading the posts and I think that if I can have a better understanding of what nurses experience, it will help me to have a better working relationship with the nurses I interact with.

Everyone wants to and needs to feel that their job and their contributions are important. I feel that I am doing something important. I help to keep people clean, I make sure their hair is arranged and they are dressed nicely, I encourage them to eat and to keep adequately hydrated, I talk to them and listen to them and let them vent when they are upset about something. In the past year, I have learned a lot from aides who, while they had very little formal education, were very caring.

It is also important to prepare hot, nutritious meals, but I have no background in dietary. It is important for residents and patients to reside in clean rooms. Looking at the state of my own house, I envy the way that many housekeeping and maintenance personnel can keep facilities clean and functioning.

As I stated before, I am not a nurse. While I can and do report changes that I see to nurses, I in no way have the background to assess a patient's condition or to provide medical advice.

My point is: try to look at this as a team approach where the goal is providing good overall care for each patient/residents. Every position and every individual has strengths and weaknesses. Every position is important. Focus on trying to be the best aide, nurse or housekeeper that you can be. Trying to pass yourself off as something you're not only shows your insecurity and detracts from providing care. It can also be dangerous to a patient/resident if you are trying to do something that you are clearly not qualified (or legally allowed) to do.