How do your students address you?

[River Song, RN]

I'm going to be working out of the hospital for the first time and in an elementary school and was wondering how you normally have students address you?

I have a hard to say hyphenated name and in NICU world, I always introduced myself to parents as by my first name and that I was the nurse taking care of their child.

When I did a stint in pediatrics I introduced myself to the children as "Nurse FIRST NAME."

I know that titles and formality are more common in schools but even the administrator who hired me can't seem to say my last name so was just curious if most people go by Mr/Ms. Last Name. If so, does anyone else have harder to say names and how do they handle that??

Looking forward to having this board and I wade into unfamiliar waters ....

[Windchaser22]

Mostly I'm "the nurse", even in faculty meetings. I don't know whether to be flattered or depressed lol. Couple of nice folks make a point of calling me by my married name on the radio and we chuckle about it when the other staff dont get it. I've a couple school nurse friends who go by nurse first name. Depends on what your comfortable with.

[Eleven011]

I go by Mrs.Lastname for most of the kids. The little ones just call me "nurse" until they learn my name. Having my own 3 kids in my school, there is a small group of kids that are close to my own, that call me by my first name, and I'm comfortable with that, as they are not being disrespectful at all, just have gotten to know me outside of school. If your name will be very hard to pronounce its totally up to you to encourage kids to call you "nurse first name" .

[FloridaBeagle]

I have the kids call me by my first name. I have an unpronounceable, unspellable last name too (Thanks Germany!). HR actually spelled it wrong and I had issues with my medical records and retirement records as a result. Ugh! Someday I hope to meet a man named Smith or Jones and he ain't gettin' his name back in the divorce.

[OldDude]

I'm good with Mr. Last name or Nurse Last name but if they address me by "nurse" they immediately become "student."

[Keepstanding, ASN, RN]

My students call me Ms. Last name. I really don't mind being called "Nurse" ! That's what I am and I worked hard to acquire that title. Sometimes I'm just... "Hey" 😂 !

[MHDNURSE]

All the teachers just started calling me "Nurse C" so they all call me that.

[River Song, RN]

I wouldn't be cool with just being called "Nurse" but I suspect that if I don't give an alternative to people afraid to pronounce my name, that's what I would end up with :/

I never minded my patients calling me "Nurse First Name" as I sort of took the Nurse part to be a title if that makes sense?

Actaully the first time I was addressed that way was shortly after I started my first job out of NICU an an adolescent patient addressed me that way after reading my hospital name tag which just had my first name and last initial. It seemed so respectful so I started using it with my patients at that children's hospital.

[River Song, RN]

Meant to quote OldDude, RN here ....

I really do like your style!

If my name wasn't difficult for adults let alone 5-9 year olds, this would be my approach.

[OyWithThePoodles, RN]

I am Mrs. FirstName. I personally don't like Nurse FirstName but that's just me :)

[DowntheRiver]

When I went into schools I was referred to as Nurse VaccineQueen or Nurse Queen by the students. Some people have a hard time saying my first name despite it being pretty simple and it is easy to shorten to a common name. I prefer first name as I would rather people not know my last name. I personally preferred the Nurse title because it distinguished me from the other faculty. That was also how I was introduced by the other staff so I stuck with it. I don't think it is informal. I do think it would be informal if a student just called me by my first name, though.

[WineRN]

My principal really wanted the kids and staff call me Nurse LastName or Mrs. Last name...But I've spent years being "NurseFirstName" so after a few weeks, most people call me "Nurse" or "Nurse First Name"