Why do Nurse's wear there degree on there name badges?

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

I have never had anyone give me a straight answear to this question, Why do nurses wear there degree on the badge uniforms? I see few other people in the hospital setting that do it except for nurses, why is this? Is it an ego thing? I would understand if you were qualified for various postions ie RN, EMT-P, RRT, but the whole concept of wearing your degree seems to have a I'm better than you attitude. Personnally myself being a military man I find the postion you hold carries more clout than your degree. I have seen ADN's as Supervisors and MSN's doing floor work. Does the degree vs the certification(CEN,CCN) make a difference? As a pre- hospital care worker when I go in the ER or up to a floor the only thing I ever notice is that the higher the degree the less likely that person is to assist you, not always but more often than not this is the case. I would welcome any feed back on this. Thanks Kev

Well, this has certainly opened up a can of worms! Everyone has had some good points. Here's my 2 cents worth.

Why do I wear my degrees on my namebadge?

(by the way, I have earned my MSN since I first joined)

I am very proud that I have obtained additional education beyond my basic nursing skills. I have invested a great deal of myself in my education. It has not been easy.

I've earned it, so why can't I brag a little?

But, first and foremost, I am a nurse. My name tag puts the RN first!

I am still the same caring person that I was as a student embarking on this wonderful career. My degrees give me increased self-confidence and self-esteem that I think only improve my nursing care.

When I graduated from school, I went to work in a cardiac unit. From there, to med-surg floor nursing, to various management positions.

I have learned a lot from my co-workers--from nursing assistants, LPN's, ADN's, everyone! I still remember learning how to do a 3H enema from a veteran CNA--who by the way, was an excellent teacher.

I do not consider myself "better" than anyone just because I have a master's in nursing.

However, I do think that what I have learned (not only book learning) in the pursuit of improving myself has helped me to provide the best nursing care that I can to those under my care.

I think that it should be a personal choice--what goes on the nametag after the RN, LPN, etc. Personally, I like to share my joy and pride of having obtained additional education in my chosen career. Maybe no one else cares, but hey! it's my nametag! I can't believe an employer would deny someone the choice.

Unlike many professions, to be a registered nurse and hold the title RN does not necessarily imply your level of education. IF a person was an Doctor -MD,a lawyer - JD, or dentist -DDM, you could assume that the person in addition to passing their board exam, has completed more than 4 years of college. Not so in nursing. An RN may not even have a degree at all. Although I am not saying that one RN is any better than the other, I, like many others, tend to hold education in high regard. I have a certain amount of respect for individuals who hold that higher degee because you know they had to work harder to get where they're at. When I see the title RN on someones name tag, I want to know what kind of educational background they have. On the same token, when I wear my name tag I also want people to know -yes, I am a BSN.

I am glad to see that several nurses pointed out the difference. I have in OR for 20 years and most managers in the last 8 years have refused (hospital policy?) to let the badge indicate the level of education the nurse has, let alone the certifications. I agree with the nurse who says the badge should reflect the years of experience of that nurse especially if you still look like 30 when you are 40. Most OR managers in Florida barely have their AS degree and certainly can't entertain the thought of one of their staff having a higher degree or experience in the field. I was actually fired because the manager felt "uncomfortable" working with me because of my education and experience. Actually I think it was a farce because they were about to sued big time re: a case where I circulated and reported the inappropriate actions of a "surgical tech" with regard to placing instrumentation in the L=S of a patient who later became a paraplegic at age 42 - and the neurosurgeon (who was inexperienced) let him do it. I still anticipate the supoena requesting my presence on that one.

I am glad to see that several nurses pointed out the difference. I have in OR for 20 years and most managers in the last 8 years have refused (hospital policy?) to let the badge indicate the level of education the nurse has, let alone the certifications. I agree with the nurse who says the badge should reflect the years of experience of that nurse especially if you still look like 30 when you are 40. Most OR managers in Florida barely have their AS degree and certainly can't entertain the thought of one of their staff having a higher degree or experience in the field. I was actually fired because the manager felt "uncomfortable" working with me because of my education and experience. Actually I think it was a farce because they were about to sued big time re: a case where I circulated and reported the inappropriate actions of a "surgical tech" with regard to placing instrumentation in the L=S of a patient who later became a paraplegic at age 42 - and the neurosurgeon (who was inexperienced) let him do it. I still anticipate the supoena requesting my presence on that one.

Originally posted by NicuGal

Sounds like you have a problem with "nursing school".....hate to break it to you, but we all went to college, but to the general public, if you are a nurse, you went to nursing school. I would have to tell you to get over that little problem....I'm sure you get a lot of eye rolls at your response and I'm really sure your patients don't care.

Most people do think of nurses as having "gone to nursing school" or "nurses training". Heck, they probably have always thought of it that way and mean nothing offensive by it. When somebody asks where I went to nursing school and what was involved, I could bend their ears with the details and 'war stories'. I never get in their face about their choice of words, such as "nursing school"..... nothing will change the way that most of them think of a nurse's education, and most patients do not care about the extra credentials. As for the extra alphabet soup, wear it if ya got it, within hospital policy guidelines (of course) :cool:.

Heck, my own mother (God love her, she is 81 and still going strong like the Energizer Bunny), who went to "nursing school" back in the 1940's, can occasionally be heard telling her friends that her son is a "male nurse. I am definitely not going to chastise her for her choice of words :D.

I have a problem with a lot of credentials on name badges. First the purpose of the name badge is to identify ourselves to those we serve. Go out on the street and show your credntialed badge to anyone and ask, What am I? What do I do? What is my profession?

The average person on the street (lets face it these are the people we care for) does not know what BSN is. They don't even know if you are are nurse. They do understand R. N. They don't nessairly understand R.D. But do undrstand Registered Dietition. I have seen people in facilities that use alphabet soup and even have RN mixed in among a whole bunch of letters and the patient still won't know if you are a nurse.

People have told me they are afraid of apperaing stupid if they ask what your are. They think they should understand those letters and unless it clearly says your are a nurse then they figure you are not.

Yet, with just RN after my name patients frequently ask about my training and educational back ground. They are truly interested in what makes you a nurse and the ongoing education you have, but if it is in language that, only one who has the same education can understand, it is useless. By the way many professionals from diffrent deprtments including nurses don't know what all the letters are.

Perhaps RN, or " Registered Nurse" after your name then below it your initialed credential in parentheses mignt be better, if you must put all that on your badge.

I watched a nurse write discharge instructions and she copied the medical order for the pt to "dc." a med he had been taking at home. I said that the paitient might not know what dc meant and should be written, "stop taking". She replied, "well he should know. Anybody knows this." I shook my head, (it was her patient and I was just a new grad "in training" )

Why should he know? this is medical language/shorthand not common knowledge. Even if I am certain the patient understands I still write in plain English. People can forget, and a family member who may need to know may not understand.

Sometime we are so wrapped up in our own world we forget that this is not what the majority of the world is.

P. S. even RN is not understood by all "Registered Nurse" is best.

Specializes in LDRP; Education.
Originally posted by mcl4

Patients want excellent quality safe care and unless you can state a four year degree will ensure this, then what is your point.

My point is that patients want quality safe care, and unless you can state that being a RN can ensure this, then what is the point in differentiating between an RN and a LPN? A nurse is a nurse, right? And yes, RN and LPN, while indeed licenses, are also credentials. See Webster's definition.

Specializes in LDRP; Education.
Originally posted by mcl4

Sign whatever title you want or put on your badge whatever you wish. I'm certainly not your boss. You really taking this topic way out there and the only thing is irritiating is I'm wasting my time answering these ridiculous messages.

No one asked you to reply to these messages. If a healthy debate is irritating to you, then don't participate.

Originally posted by Susy K

No one asked you to reply to these messages. If a healthy debate is irritating to you, then don't participate.

I'm looking for an intelligent debate which lead me to sit and shake my head as I read your messages. When a nurse can not distinguish the different job titles in nursing, specifically RN/LPN/CNA, I found this to be unbelievable. If you read my message, I never stated anyone was forcing me to reply to messages and I'm quite aware of this. I was kicking myself for wasting my time trying to explain the difference between RN/LPN and I'm surprise you don't comprehend this.

Originally posted by mcl4

I'm looking for an intelligent debate which lead me to sit and shake my head as I read your messages. When a nurse can not distinguish the different job titles in nursing, specifically RN/LPN/CNA, I found this to be unbelievable. If you read my message, I never stated anyone was forcing me to reply to messages and I'm quite aware of this. I was kicking myself for wasting my time trying to explain the difference between RN/LPN and I'm surprise you don't comprehend this.

I also will clarify that the patients are not the only people that needs to know what the person's job titled is. For example, if I float to another floor, I rely on names tags to tell me a nurse's name and their license. If I need assistance, I go to different people depending on their job titled and what I need help with. I wouldn't go ask another LPN or CNA to give an IV push med for one of my patients since I know they can not do this.

I am not sure when this started but it seems to me it may have gotten it's start when nurses quit wearing caps. It used to be that you could differentiate a nurse by the cap that she wore. But now that nurses don't wear caps this seems like the only way to tell an RN from an LPN or what kind of degree that each one has.

Specializes in LDRP; Education.

KC Chick-

I am puzzled by your post. I never implied a better nurse is one with more education. Never. Ever. Ever. I have combed these posts and I cannot find where I stated this, or even implied it.

And, I do understand the different roles of an LPN and a RN - HOWEVER, it is important to note that in some clinical areas, RNs and LPNs function within the same role. It all depends upon the state practice act in which they function. The POINT was, that the licensure that a particular nurse holds, such as RN, LPN, and even CEN or IBCLC, are in fact, credentials, as much as a BSN or MSN. My point was to make you see that by having a problem with a nurse having BSN after his/her name is NO DIFFERENT than having a problem with RN or LPN after his/her name. Lots of patients that I've spoken to also don't understand the difference in these roles - but the DO understand NURSE.

In my area, we don't have RNs doing supervisory roles - this is often a misnomer as much as thinking that BSNs don't perform bedside care. When I wore BSN on my badge, my patients thought that BSNs don't "do" bedside care. What a wonderful thing to inform the public and dispell such as ridiculous myth. I guess if you can't see the benefit to informing the public about our profession, then I suppose I feel a little bit sad.

And as a moderator, I am quite concerned about a member who is irritated with a thread. By merely making a suggestion I don't see how I am not living up to some "standard" of being a moderator. A moderator is entitled to an opinion just as much as anyone else. What I watch for, is expletives, racial and sexual slurs. That's all - sorry to disappoint you.

+ Add a Comment