How do you protect your identity?

Also when your patients ask you about your last name, how do avoid that situation? Any other security tips are greatly appreciated.

My hospital only puts our first name on our badges. Our white coats, scrubs etc...are also required to have our first name only, followed by title. Patients often ask me where I live. I just say the name of my town and leave it at that sometimes I just say "in a house". You can't be too careful these days, there are crazy people everywhere. As mentioned, including co-workers. When I worked on the floor I kept my cell number private.

Our first and last names are on our badges, along with title. I introduce myself by my first name, but I too have an unusual last name and when patients see it, they frequently know my family. And it's never been a bad thing, as I have a good family

Have never had any issues with my name being "known" to my patients.

Our first and last names are on our badges, along with title. I introduce myself by my first name, but I too have an unusual last name and when patients see it, they frequently know my family. And it's never been a bad thing, as I have a good family

Have never had any issues with my name being "known" to my patients.

Yet.....be careful, er on the side of caution, be safe

I worked ER for a long time, and it was always policy for last names to be hidden. In the early years hospital policy had our last names on the badges but department policy had us put tape over the last names. Later the badges were changed to only have last initials. My number has always been unlisted.

Protect your license information as well...I was recently talking with a nurse at a local hospital that I have clinicals at..(I'm a student nurse) who recently had been contacted by the police. It seems someone had been posing as her and working as an RN. It turned out that the poser was an LVN and wanted the extra money, so she picked a nurse that had a similar appearance and somehow got her license info...I guess they at one time had worked together at another facility.

So heads up...more than credit card info can be stolen.

P2

My hosp. puts first and last names on name tags but I put a sticker over mine (I have an unusual name too). Security isn't a huge issue where I live but that was a little disturbing hearing about the lpn using th rn's licence info. How did they catch it?

Where I work they require us to show our original license each time we renew and of course when someone new is hired. I think it's a great practice. I was told by my employer to never make a copy of my license.

BTW: Anyone can get your license number just by going online to the state BON website and clicking on license verification.

Just curious what methods you all use in order to protect yourself while at work?

I'll start:

I try to keep my last name secret to my patients and block out my last name on my badge as well.

I cover my last name, too.

Yet.....be careful, er on the side of caution, be safe

Oh, I hear ya.....it's just that there's very little I'm going to DO about the identity thing. Our full names are on our badges, and we are expected to have those tags fully visible. And if a patient can't read my nametag, I'm not going to say, "too bad"....I'm going to tell them what's plainly visible on my chest to someone else.

And thus far, no problems, nor any with my co-workers that I'm aware of. Maybe I live in a nicer area than I thought :)

About the licensing thing: I can get anyone's license number in my State; all I need is their names! However, a license number isn't going to get you employed: you have to show YOUR original license. My employer has a photocopy in my personnel folder, I have the original. If my license were to show up in anyone ELSE'S employment folder (read: identity theft) seems I'd have a nice lawsuit against my employer for letting that piece of paper out.