So there was actually a thread on this not too long ago ( https://allnurses.com/nurse-colleague-patient/nursing-imposters-895231.html#post7674817 ) regarding those who pose as nurses but are not. As is known this is illegal but seems to be very difficult to enforce. I've actually never worked with or met anyone who claimed to be a nursing professional or rather falsely gave the impression of being one because after all you would clearly and swiftly be terminated or reported and face discipline, so of course most ''imposters'' are quite co-vert about their wrong-doings.
Like I have stated until now I have never been faced with such a person or situation. Unfortunately until now at my current job I work with one. I currently work with a nurse assistant who gives the false impression of being something she is not. Over my short time at this ''small research clinic'' I have learned that most people including some practitioners, staff in other departments, and most alarmingly patients have believed that she is either a nurse or doctor. She never identifies herself as an NA just tells people her first name, often-times never wears an ID and I have been told by my fellow co-workers that some patients will often ask her if she is the doctor or nurse and she will simply state ''no I'm not'' but will not identify her title. She has done this multiple, multiple times. A long-time patient even once asked me if she was a nurse or the clinic supervisor and I explained that she was not and her correct title. Many patients and other department staff unknowingly refer to her as one of the nurses. In fact I have witnessed her giving suggestive medical information to other employees from other departments because they some-times stop by and ask for info about something medical related.
Many of the MD's trust her because she has worked there with them for decades even when there were no nurses employed in the clinic and no nurse manager, so they have come to trust her over the high turnover of staff nurses and nursing management. That being said it seems as though they either truly don't know she's not a nurse or turn a blind eye to the fact just because she is getting the work done. I have been told by the only other staff member who has worked there as long as her (another NA) that the NA in question would take verbal orders from doctors and claim to be an LPN among other things. She herself said that she never knew she could speak up about someone posing as something they were not and so for many years stayed silent especially since often times there was no one to report it to.
I could not understand how management has allowed this woman to work there for the last 10+ years. What seems to be the catch is that this woman is seen as a model employee who can do no wrong and does whaterver the MD's ask for. But is very vague and crafty about what her actual job title is.
Unfortunately the current Nurse Manager knows about alot of this but does not want to take aggressive action because I believe she feels this employee has been there for a long time, alot of the MD's want her around, and she the NM believe because there are now nurses on staff that it is our issue and that if something were to happen patient-wise it's on us???
The real reason she does not want to discipline this employee is also like I said because she is a highly esteemed and long time employee who alot of MD's have worked with for a long time and one MD in particular will go after her (the NM) if she does anything to compromise the work this NA does for his research studies. I have even heard this same MD refer to this NA as the ''nurse'' to patients, and tell the patient that the nurse will come in to draw their blood and do the EKG. I have been told that this same MD has given this NA verbal orders to draw blood which is against policy.
This woman has also claimed to work at another hospital on an IV team, but as far as I know only nurses can work on IV teams? which leads me to wonder what other lies she tells people behind closed doors. I now feel more and more compelled to report this situation especially after recently hearing this MD refere to her a the nurse, I feel that enough is enough.
The problem is the NM is too scared to discipline or follow up on this NA and by her own admission especially does not want to ruffle feathers with a certain doctor. So basically I feel stuck between a professional obligation and current workplace culture. I have never worked in an environment where an NA had more clout over RNs just because her or she has worked their for a very long time and/or does a very good job at coming across as something she is not.
Because of this and a litany of other reasons I am trying to get out of there as fast as possible but I believe because of patient safety among other reasons I feel professionally obligated to report such a situation before something bad goes down, especially on my watch.
