Should the Title Nurse be Changed ? ? ?

Nurses General Nursing

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today i was chatting with another rn who believes that the term nurse for our title is outdated and may not fully represent our field as well as it used to. and perhaps the title nurse turns men off from persuing a nursing degree, way too feminine for a man to own. not to say that we don't nurse patients back to health and nurse our drinks while griping about work, however we're not all nursing babies either!

what are your ideas concerning this topic? do you have any suggestions as to a better term for us nurses other than nurse?

i think direct care provider as a title could curb our patient/resident/client's appetite from calling out "nurse!" as if it were a curse word.

The term nurse is a bad one. It lacks any meaning of power, and is very feminine (not to imply lack of power and feminine go hand in hand, but in this case it does). With that said, as mentioned already, it is a universal term, and changing it would create confusion.

However, I do believe that it should be changed, but I have no suggestions as to what. It wouldn't solely change the problems nursing has but it might help. There are people who think it should be but I don't know how seriously they are being taken presently.

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Specializes in Emergency Room, ICU, CHF Clinic.

I know how you feel. Being a nursing assistant, unit secretary, and a monitor tech, I do feel like a servant sometimes. The nursing profession is stressful unless you have an administrative job and that has its own set of stressors. I am now asking myself just why do I want to go to nursing school? Someone knock some sense back into me.

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Specializes in B.S. Psychology.
I know how you feel. Being a nursing assistant, unit secretary, and a monitor tech, I do feel like a servant sometimes. The nursing profession is stressful unless you have an administrative job and that has its own set of stressors. I am now asking myself just why do I want to go to nursing school? Someone knock some sense back into me.

Have you ever thought about other healthcare professions? There's Radiology Tech, Ultrasound Tech, Respiratory Therapists, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Nuc Med Tech, EEG Tech and Surgical Tech!

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Nope. I'm a nurse.

steph

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i agree with changing our title from "nurse" -- but not sure what that would be. No one questions the sexual preference of a male radiology tech, respiratory tech, etc. -- but that question remains an enigma for a male nurse. the term "nurse" excludes the mental image of a man doing what nurses do. in fact, among the general public, a certain stereotype is conjured up. a more inclusive name could be considered. i think a change in title would attract more men to the profession.

On the lighter side, i invented :idea: the moniker of "Health Officer" -- but then i shuddered :nono: when i realized the official signature :lol:

i could just imagine the patient saying "this is my favorite HO" or the patient with sundown syndrome yelling out "HO" ; or introducing oneself as "i will be your HO this evening" :lol2:

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

My God, do you really think changing the title will change anything? It actually will just cause more confusion, and we are already up to our ears with titles.

It's really all about the patients and their families. The term Nurse fits the job because it provides a clear understanding of what it is that we do - we nurse patients.

I think the old saying K.I.S.S. applies.

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Princess of all things injectable, manipulator of the bandges, defender of the charts - proctor of the gluteas of the MD, Banisher of pain seems too long.. I think Nurse is good, I think the fact people dont know what exactly we do is kind of a credit - we are all about care and comfort..

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Specializes in home health, peds, case management.

the problem i see with most of the proposed terms is that they only encompass those nurses working in inpatient care. please don't forget your colleagues working in alternate settings...we are just as much a nurse as the rest, and we should not be made to surrender our title. it's hard enough already dealing with the perception of some (not all) that we are not "real" nurses simply because we arent working the floor. different designations for different areas would only add to the confusion. whats the point when we have the same license?

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

As an LPN, I am told on occasion that I am not a 'nurse'; which is obsurd (maybe I am a medication chambermaid??). However, I believe that we should keep the title of 'nurse' and should be fighting to bring solutions to the challenges of nurses of all sorts. I am proud to have earned the title of 'nurse'. I worked hard and continue to fight hard to give good care under my scope of practice.

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Specializes in Emergency.

As long as I don't have to go by some of the names my patients have called me, I'm flexible.

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As I am out on my first prac, I was tending to a patient, when the lady across the way was calling "excuse me nurse", and because I have never been called nurse before, I didn't realise she wanted MY attention...oops! But realising she was talking to me, gave me a huge sense of pride to be called nurse. Call me crazy, but that was the best thing that happened all day!

One of my patients - a very lovely older lady - was calling all the nurses "sister". While I was talking to her, she told me that they always have and always will be "sisters". I thought that was very sweet!!

As for the males, they could be "Mr nurse", or "dude nurse" :trout: Better yet, males can keep the reference "nurse" and females can be "nursetts".

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Upon reading this first post, my immediate reaction is "what title would you change it to that would eliminate the confusion that currently exists?" In my opinion, there is none.

People get funny about titles. Remember when administrative assistants were secretaries? Yep, same job, fancier title. I guess by putting "administrative" in the title, it imbued more importance. Still filing the same stuff.

Remember when custodians were janitors? Remember when retail store associates were stockboys or clerks? How about when all patient care techs were nurses' aides? Not sure where the need for "technician" came into it, but there it is. Kinda like our maintenance engineers. When did they get engineering degrees? Oh, they didn't: but 'engineer' sounded more important than 'maintenance worker', I guess. Did it change how people viewed those jobs? Not in the least!

We're nurses. As it is, we have RNs, LPNs, BSNs, RNCs, etc etc etc ad nauseum....and still people call out "nurse" for anyone who has on a set of scrubs who they think can get them a pitcher of water or empty their urinal. Get used to it: the title only has the "power" we ourselves infuse it with, on our own shifts, on our own schedules, in our own practices. Be professional, have the patient remember that, with any luck. :)

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