I know a CNA who's name badge says nurse!

Published

Okay, my relative by marraige is a CNA II. She works for a Dr's office that is owned by a larger hospital coorporation. Since she has worked for this office she has called herself a "nurse" and she does get to administer IM injections and do lab draws, EKG'S, immunizations, and she says she even does patient teaching. Her husband told all the parents on our ball team that if any emergency arose not to worry because his wife is a nurse. This truely irritaes me to no end because I worked my butt off to get through nursing school and sacrificed so much to get my RN. I hate the fact that she has no idea what nursing is all about. Well, the other day she got off work and I saw that her badge said nurse, not LPN or RN just nurse. Not only am I offended that she uses this title but I feel like it is very misleading to patients who see Dr's at this practice. I know there are some good unlicensed health care workers but they still do not have the background, education or right to call themselves nurses. I have not confronted her about calling herself a nurse but I see this happening in the future. Makes me wonder if the "nurses" in the office that I go to are really nurses. I think from now on I will ask, "Where did you go to nursing school," just to be safe.

Specializes in ER, ICU, Infusion, peds, informatics.
there is a national certification..... from the aama...

quoted from the aama website:::::::::

a: yes. this credential is a national certification recognized by employers across the country.

you can find that information here :http://www.aama-ntl.org/medassisting/faqs.aspx#respons

cma's are nationally certified. to be nationally certified a ma has to have graduated from an program accredited by the caahep or abhes.

no one is doubting that mas can be certified.

however, two points:

1. certification is not required for one to be employed as an ma. anyone can be walk in off the street and be called an ma at the employer's discretion (be it a hospital or a physician). the same is not true for nursing. calling oneself a nurse, when one is not licensed as such by the state, is wrong at best and illegal at worst.

2. licensure and certification are not the same thing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This thread started out as a question about a CNA calling themselves a nurse. There is another thread, Med. Assistant VS. LPN that started March 5, 2007. Same info, same debate. I don't feel this issue will ever be settled.Maybe it needs it's own forum!:banghead:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in neurology.

When I used to work as a "direct care worker" in a psychiatric hospital, we were supervised and reported to the RNs, and on our ID badge it said our name, then "Nursing Staff".

And the weird thing is, on the RN's badge, it said EXACTLY the same thing!!

I'm graduating with my BSN next week (!) and I'm hoping to take the NCLEX asap.

It's simply too much hard work to have non-nurses bandy about the title "nurse". And even saying "nursing staff" is rather misleading!!! :no:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER/ICU/Nursing Administration.

I know in Texas only an RN or LVN can use the term "nurse", here is part of the nursing practice act:

Sec. 304.004. General Provisions.

(a) The terms "nurse," "registered nurse," and "vocational nurse" include nurses licensed as registered

nurses or vocational nurses by a state that is a party to the Nurse Licensure Compact.

If it irritates you to much you can report the doctors office to your State nursing agency...I know it is funny how you go to your patients room and tell them "hi, my name is John and I will be your nurse for today" and they tell you "no, my nurse already came in her name is ......" I tell them no she is your nurse aide....they say "well, she said she's my nurse" it burns me up!!!! and they turn there name tags around where no one can see their title....I always make them flip it when I see it.

Okay, my relative by marraige is a CNA II. She works for a Dr's office that is owned by a larger hospital coorporation. Since she has worked for this office she has called herself a "nurse" and she does get to administer IM injections and do lab draws, EKG'S, immunizations, and she says she even does patient teaching. Her husband told all the parents on our ball team that if any emergency arose not to worry because his wife is a nurse. This truely irritaes me to no end because I worked my butt off to get through nursing school and sacrificed so much to get my RN. I hate the fact that she has no idea what nursing is all about. Well, the other day she got off work and I saw that her badge said nurse, not LPN or RN just nurse. Not only am I offended that she uses this title but I feel like it is very misleading to patients who see Dr's at this practice. I know there are some good unlicensed health care workers but they still do not have the background, education or right to call themselves nurses. I have not confronted her about calling herself a nurse but I see this happening in the future. Makes me wonder if the "nurses" in the office that I go to are really nurses. I think from now on I will ask, "Where did you go to nursing school," just to be safe.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Health, Med/Surg.

I feel your pain! I have a friend who is an EMT and she works as a "school nurse" she is always saying shes a nurse. I thought she was for a long time. One day after I started nursing school I asked her about a NANDA and she had a blank stare. I was so mad! I am working hard to get my license....grrrr.... I was a medical assistant before nursing school and now I'm in my last year of nursing school- the doctors offices that I worked for often didn't even understand the term "nurse" either....They were always saying "ask my nurse" or "my nurse will call you" etc....I was always correcting the patients and saying "no, I'm not Dr. SoandSo's nurse, just his assistant." I think I said it all day. You relative is playing with fire and I would definately ask to speak with the office manager privately and let them know. If that doesn't work- then the state board. I know in my state "nurse" is a protected term!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER/SICU/Med-Surg/Ortho/Trauma/Flight.

:banghead:

I agree that you should report it to the BON.

That is SEROIUSLY misleading to the public and the public has a right to know of the LEGAL job title of the person that is treating them.

To me, that makes a major difference in how "to heart" I am going to take advice that I am given.

It's also scary that she is even touching EKG's. I don't think that a CNA can be trained sufficiently to do that.

I personally don't think they should be giving injections either...there is more to it than "pick a needle" and "pick a site...a CNA doesn't have sufficient training to know what each drug can do during an IM injection, adverse affects, etc.

Makes you want to question everyone that touches you, doesn't it?

Exactly, this thread peeves me of to no end.:banghead::banghead::banghead::nono::nurse:

I guess Ill have my badge changed to

Rod Groyer- Nurse

ER/Sicu Supervisor

Instead of RN,BSN

We worked are @$$es off, and if she wants to do are kind of work she shold have to work hers off to! Turn her in!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I Worked At A Clinic That Was Almost The Same. One Of My Co-workers Went To School To Be A Lvn(lpn) But Never Took The State Board. She Was Doing Everything From Triage Patients, Give Shots, Ekg's And Was Even Allowed To Do Physicals On The Patients (yes A Full Physical). I Wanted To Report Her However I Never Did, Tell Was I Wrong For That

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.
It's also scary that she is even touching EKG's. I don't think that a CNA can be trained sufficiently to do that.

I personally don't think they should be giving injections either...there is more to it than "pick a needle" and "pick a site...a CNA doesn't have sufficient training to know what each drug can do during an IM injection, adverse affects, etc.

I work as a CNA and we get trained on how to perform EKG's while in our ER rotation. I do know how to do a 3, 5, and 12 lead EKG, however I do not read them because it is beyond my scope of nursing.

However I do agree that a CNA/PCT does not have sufficient knowledge on how to perform an IM or SubQ Injection and it should be left to the RN

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, L&D, ICU, Charge.

:nurse:This would really TICK ME OFF. I would have to say SOMETHING to them both, I don't care that they are related. I worked my butt off to get through LPN and then RN school respectively, while working and raising a family and for someone to say they are a NURSE when they are not offends me greatly. It is the same reason an LPN (no offense, I love you all, I worked my way up the ladder and we are all needed in our places,) are more likely to introduce themselves as a "NURSE" whereas a registered nurse will introduce themselves as an "RN". I also think that the clinic she is working at needs to be looked at however though, because I think that the board of nursing may be interested in a few boundary issues that it seems that she may be having. I work in an Emergency Department where we had Level 1 and Level 2 Techs which were basically CNA 1 & 2, I'll tell ya, IM meds were neither of their forte, they had no training to deal with the aftermath of what may happen when the meds absorb, and sure they could run an EKG, but then what, they still need me to say "HOLY CRAP GET THE DR OUTTA THE LOUNGE!"

We had a similar incident with a PA-C in our facility who loved when the patients called him DR ____. He would never correct them, and it drove us nuts. We would always tactfully remind the patient that they were seeing _______ Physician's Assistant and that if there was any reason that he thought the Doctor on call needed to see them also he would let them know. Most of our PA-Cs would set their pt's straight themselves, except him, so he didn't like it very well, but if you wanted to be a Doctor, shoulda did the time, right?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in geriatrics.

I work in an urgent care center where I am a Medical assistant. There are Rad techs and CNA's who are allowed to give injections but they received other certification through our company. Our Cna and Rad techs also had to take a course in how to draw blood but they do not call themselves Nurses They admitted to our patients that they are Rad techs and CNA's so they can give injections if they are taught to do so. i LIVE IN nORTH cAROLINA

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med-surg, med-psych, psych.

wow! can you say malpractice!!!

imposters are in every profession. this is bigger than just being offended or the hand-over-the-mouth stage. forget about passively interviewing anyone about what school they attended. :trout: if they are living a lie do you really think they are ever going to tell you the truth??!

what to do about them is just too easy: :yeah:report them!!!! the "nurse" and the md who runs / owns the office.

contact the regulatory agencies. start with the nursing board and the physician's board. move on to hicfa who regulates the md's office and please don't leave out the bbb (better business bureau). the complaint / report is license impersonation.

all anonymous and thorough, just get a sandwich with a beverage, sit back and watch them work. it's what they live to do. it starts with you.:smokin:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I work in an urgent care center where I am a Medical assistant. There are Rad techs and CNA's who are allowed to give injections but they received other certification through our company. Our Cna and Rad techs also had to take a course in how to draw blood but they do not call themselves Nurses They admitted to our patients that they are Rad techs and CNA's so they can give injections if they are taught to do so. i LIVE IN nORTH cAROLINA

Hello I also live in Henderson NC..... i work in an office full of CMA's and none of them call theirselves nurses either

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion