I'm sure this has been said.. MA's calling themselves Nurses

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So Monday I was in a system-wide orientation for my new job as an LPN. I just graduated (so technically until i take my boards and pass.. I'm a GPN). Anyway- there was a girl in our orientation that was an MA, and said she was a nurse at her Dr's office. I was a little taken a-back by this! Call me a brat but I went through a lot to get IN to nursing school, make the grades and graduate to be able to call myself a NURSE! Does this bother anyone else??

I had a situation like this with a lady in the grocery store a distance relative by marriage. She is real nice, but she kept telling me her daughter was getting her nursing degree online. Okay, I have no clue how when she has never been so much as a CNA or a LPN, and she getting her degree and will have a BA, but I wonder if she meant MA? I don't want to hurt her feelings by telling her that a nursing degree cannot be obtain online without prior license already or am I wrong? I know I have worked my way up from a CNA,to a LPN and RN and I had so many hours of clinicals for each. I worked hard to get where I am, but schools like Ashworth are offering these two year associate degrees for MA and the descriptions are not the same as a two year RN. They are more geared toward office work and mimimal technical stuff like taking BP's etc.,but giving false impressions of how they will be apart of the nursing and medical. I think it is a lot of these online programs that can be misleading to the general public and potential students.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
Nurse - a person formally educated and trained in the care of the sick or infirm.

You act like I'm saying it's okay for MAs to DO all the same functions an RN would do. I'm not. I'm merely saying that an MA calling her/himself a nurse or nurse assistant if that pleases you more, is not a catastrophic event. Some of them may feel they are nurses in the sense that they (please refer to definition above) take care of sick people and ARE formally educated.

Per Merriam-Webster: (with references to breast-feeding and animals removed)

Definition of NURSE

3: a person who cares for the sick or infirm; specifically : a licensed health-care professional who practices independently or is supervised by a physician, surgeon, or dentist and who is skilled in promoting and maintaining health-compare licensed practical nurse, registered nurse

That's nice that some MAs feel they are nurses. Sometimes I feel like Cindy Crawford but that doesn't make it ok to go around telling people I am her. Why spend money to go to Medical Assisting school just to use another title once finished?

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Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..

I had a CNA as a homecare giver just last year, and she referred to herself and every other caregiver as a nurse. I made me angry too.

Needless to say she is no longer my caregiver. She was horrible with respecting my independence, and constantly micromanaged me, making me feel like I was a nitwit.

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CNA's are a part of the nursing staff they have important jobs they have to observe and report to the nurses vital information. No they are not Licensed Nurses, but they are a part of the nursing staff hint "certified nursing assistant." In a hospital CNA's and Medical Assistants are trained to do many things like insertion of a foley's, oh yes and removing heplocks, doing enemas. I swear when I worked at Jefferson I did not have to lift a finger they did everything but pass meds, and oh some did that to because they were certified med aides. No matter how you see it a CNA is a part of the nursing staff.

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CNA's are a part of the nursing staff they have important jobs they have to observe and report to the nurses vital information. No they are not Licensed Nurses, but they are a part of the nursing staff hint "certified nursing assistant." In a hospital CNA's and Medical Assistants are trained to do many things like insertion of a foley's, oh yes and removing heplocks, doing enemas. I swear when I worked at Jefferson I did not have to lift a finger they did everything but pass meds, and oh some did that to because they were certified med aides. No matter how you see it a CNA is a part of the nursing staff.

No one is saying they aren't part of the nursing staff. What we are saying is that they are not NURSES.

See the difference? No matter how you see it, a CNA is not a nurse. They are an assistant to the nurse.

Just as a physician assistant is not a physician despite being part of the medical staff.

Get it?

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Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
CNA's are a part of the nursing staff they have important jobs they have to observe and report to the nurses vital information. No they are not Licensed Nurses, but they are a part of the nursing staff hint "certified nursing assistant." In a hospital CNA's and Medical Assistants are trained to do many things like insertion of a foley's, oh yes and removing heplocks, doing enemas. I swear when I worked at Jefferson I did not have to lift a finger they did everything but pass meds, and oh some did that to because they were certified med aides. No matter how you see it a CNA is a part of the nursing staff.
That are certified nurses AIDES! No more, no less.
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Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
CNA's are a part of the nursing staff they have important jobs they have to observe and report to the nurses vital information. No they are not Licensed Nurses, but they are a part of the nursing staff hint "certified nursing assistant." In a hospital CNA's and Medical Assistants are trained to do many things like insertion of a foley's, oh yes and removing heplocks, doing enemas. I swear when I worked at Jefferson I did not have to lift a finger they did everything but pass meds, and oh some did that to because they were certified med aides. No matter how you see it a CNA is a part of the nursing staff.
That are certified nurses AIDES! No more, no less.
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I do get it, maybe not you but someone did say that the cna alluded to being a nurse by just saying "I am a part of the nursing staff." That is what I was commenting on. My thoughts are they are a part of the nursing staff. I never said they should call themselves nurses and I do not condone that or recommend it, because it could be quite troublesome for the party who does.

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Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.
I do get it, maybe not you but someone did say that the cna alluded to being a nurse by just saying "I am a part of the nursing staff." That is what I was commenting on. My thoughts are they are a part of the nursing staff. I never said they should call themselves nurses and I do not condone that or recommend it, because it could be quite troublesome for the party who does.

It's OK, I read that post where someone said "There was a facility that was trying that the CNAs and MAs were apart of the nursing staff........ and they are not......."

I agree with you in your comment. CNAs are, by no means at all nurses, but they do work with the nursing staff in Aiding the nurse in delivering nursing care. You never said they were nurses. Now it would've been different if you would have said they are one of our staff nurses or nurses on staff.

As for MAs, I do not understand how they could be considered nursing staff as they are not trained the same way as LPNs, RNs, or even CNAs. MAs aren't even regulated by the BON so how could this be. I see many job postings saying that they need MAs to deliver nursing care or " be an effective member of the nursing staff". Maybe it's different in other places.

I know that in NC medication aides may only distribute drugs in the LTC setting, but of course this differs from state to state.

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As a nurse and one who works in LTC I rely on my CNA's and we work as a team. If it were not for them I would not be able to do all I have to do. The CNA's know the patients they can spot a change a lot quicker than a nurse because they are with a patient more. It's not up to them to suggest to me what methods to use in assessing a patient for a medical issue. I make those decisions base on my skills and by following a MD's orders. None of the Aides I work with consider themselves nurses either. I am very glad to because if they were to be heard saying such I would have to remind them how dangerous that could be to the patient and for them legally and for all involved.

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I have been an RN for about 1 year now. While I was in nursing school, I used one physician in my town as my primary care doctor. I quit going to this doctor because he doesn't have one single RN or LPN working for him in his office. However, posted on the wall in every single exam room there is a sign that says "If you need refills on any of your prescriptions, please let the nurse know." Really? What nurse? Why should I tell a CNA or MA about my need for refills? Also, these ladies are giving IM injections at his office! How does that work? An MA may be able to do that, not sure, but a CNA is practicing out of her scope if she does it. Whose license are they working under?

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A MA cannot do that. I've been a nurse for 20 years LPN, then RN and we learned proper placement to give a injection in order to prevent nerve damage. It's not something I took lightly, and no CNA or MA is going to give me a injection.

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