SIL seriously has a psychiatric issue

Nurses General Nursing

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I was reading a recent thread on an MA who was saying she was a nurse, and this was brought up between me and my husband.....

My sister in law has been telling our family for YEARS that she is a nurse. A "nurse" is what she usually says,, and when asked by me and my other RN sister in law she says she's an "RN".

Okay,,, so me and my other sil were talking to her during christmas (because we hardly ever see this sil and her husband,, she likes to keep him away from the family as much as she can) and we came to the conclusion that if she is a nurse, she's a very dumb nurse. She had no idea what she was talking about. We even set her up and started talking crazy,, like how we do care plans with the doctor's input,, and we were just going wayyy off base with some things. I could barely keep it together while we were doing this. She went along with ALL OF IT.. She agreed that nurses write their care plans, and doctors will adjust it to fit their needs... etc..

So, we looked her up on the Texas BON website. She does NOT have a license. No RN, no LVN, no GN, no GVN... She supposedly works at a doctors office that does vasectomies. Anyway,, we were concerned about it to begin with because her husband (our husbands are all brothers) was telling our husbands that she got into big time trouble for writing scripts form this doctors office,, and she was caught at the pharmacy filling narcotics for herself. And she had their baby with them.

She has totally brain washed her husband, and I doubt that there is anything our husbands can do about it. But she has the whole world thinking she is a "nurse". I really hope that they don't think that at the place that she works. I'm not sure where it is,, it would take some digging to find out. Actually, I doubt that she still works there after being arrested and such. I heard this isn't the first time she's done this. Or the first doctors office she's worked at.

Anyway, in a way, I am just venting, because I don't know what I can do about this if anything. I mean,, her husband is totally brain washed,, I know that he has no clue about her. Our husbands have tried to tell him that she's not a nurse and all these lies that she's been telling... but he won't believe them.

I try to stay out of it,, but it really bothers me that during holidays I have to put up with this psycho maniac nurse imposture for a sister in law.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

While it totally irks me when a non-nurse calls herself a nurse, AND it's illegal, and both she and her employer could get into deep doo-doo...

I think sometimes MA's think it's easier to tell patients they are nurses than to say they're MAs. I think they think it doesn't make a difference, that everyone is the same, and that patients don't care anyway. I've heard many MAs call themselves nurses. Maybe they're being hopeful for our awesome status??? hehe Anyway, I don't think all have a malicious intention.

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Anyway,, we were concerned about it to begin with because her husband (our husbands are all brothers) was telling our husbands that she got into big time trouble for writing scripts form this doctors office,, and she was caught at the pharmacy filling narcotics for herself. And she had their baby with them.

How did she stay out of jail?:uhoh3: Why on earth would that place let her stay employed?

Specializes in Acute post op ortho.
my family and my spouse's family are both nuts, so we just have decided that a few short visits per year are enough. it just got to the point where every visit was just like an endurance test.

anyway, i know how you feel.

are we related?

I was taught in NS that (for Indiana) it's only illegal to 'sign off' on things as a RN if you aren't. It isn't illegal to call yourself a nurse if you're, say, a MA. The instructor who told my class this had sat on the BON for 2 terms & I guess she knew what she was talking about.

Remember, you have to allow yourself to be offended or annoyed.

Just because a non-nurse calls themseves a nurse doesn't make you any less of a nurse.

As far as one person's schooling being harder than another's, that's all individual opinion. What's hard for one might be easy for another.

I was told horror stories about how difficult & challenging NS would be. I'm 2 weeks out from graduation & I can honestly say it's not been bad at all. It hasn't affected my sleep, stress level, or time with my kids. I did get a divorce during NS (now that was stressful), but only because he cheated-not really a NS issue.

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

As has been said repeatedly, and quoted from various BONs, it is illegal to call yourself a nurse if you are not one. Your instructor may have sat on a BON, but all that means is she hasn't looked into it. The title "nurse" is protected by law.

As has been said repeatedly, and quoted from various BONs, it is illegal to call yourself a nurse if you are not one. Your instructor may have sat on a BON, but all that means is she hasn't looked into it. The title "nurse" is protected by law.

apparently not in all states.....this has been discussed before...

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I stand corrected. I thought it had made it to all 50 states, but according to the American Nurse's Association website:

"Title "Nurse" Protection

Background

The intent of restricting use of the title "nurse" is to protect the public from individuals who are not licensed nurses, yet deceitfully lead the public to believe they are and able to provide services that only nurses are qualified to provide. A solution is to enact legislation amending the state nurse practice act. Nurse practice acts describe entry requirements, practice standards and codes of conduct with the intent of protecting the public against unethical, unscrupulous and incompetent practitioners. The regulation of nurses offers some assurance to the public that a nurse is competent to provide services in an effective and safe way. Restricting use of the title "nurse" to those who have satisfied the licensure requirements ensures protection the public deserves.

Legislation Enacted to Date

Twenty five states are known to have statutory protections for the title nurse: AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, KY, MD, MN, MO, NE, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, WA, WV, WI, WY

______________________________________________________________________________________

So, only 25 states' BONs have put it in writing.

Bowing out now.

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