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??

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
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.
good post:up:
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I'm not questioning the value of cna's and other assistants. But when I ask someone "What do you do at the hospital?" or "What's your job?" -- and they say "I work with the nursing staff" -- that seems almost purposely vague. Of course they work with the nursing staff. I don't question that. But why don't they just say that they're a cna or a nurse assistant. That's my point. When this has happened, I question them further -- "Yes, but what's your job, what's your title?" I have to pull it out of them. That's my point. Why not just be up front and say what you are?

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This is true, but all the hospitals I have worked for it's mandatory to have your badge on in plain sight or you get wrote up and possibly sent home. I guess I am wondering what hospital allows staff to walk around without a badge????

It's perfectly understandable you want to know who is caring for you and this is why we wear a badge. If they have no badge they could be anyone from a stranger off the street imposer nurse,cna and doctor, from a kitchen staff to a janitor. So yes it is normal to be concerned. I would.

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Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.

I, personally, wouldn't say "I work on the nursing staff" nor do any CNAs I know say that. I would simply say "I work at....... So and so...... as a CNA. That is so much simpler.

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Well, I do not know what to say to most of you, so many places here where I am from in a LTC facility the big wigs nursing admin decide who is nursing staff and they consider the paranursing staff in that category. I am a RN and I consider the CNA's a part of the nursing staff, because first of all they are involved in direct care, they work under nursing, not laundry, not the kitchen, not as secretary, and not maintenance. What are they but part of the nursing staff????

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What are they but part of the nursing staff????

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all agree on that.

What we also all agree on is that CNAs representing themselves as nurses is, well, not cool.

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Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all agree on that.

What we also all agree on is that CNAs representing themselves as nurses is, well, not cool.

Totally agree no one should misrepresent themselves!

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Saying you are part of nursing staff when asked by a patient is vague. We wear badges with our name and titles so it is clear what our title it but sometimes patients still ask and at that point it is our duty to give them our actual title. I'm a firm believer that patients have the right to know who is caring for them. Be proud of your role and who you are. We are all there to help the patients get better and all do that even if it is in different ways.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I am part of the nursing staff because I am a NURSE. An aid is a nurses aid (its possessive) not, nurse aid.

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It's interesting to read the different opinions on this. How would

some of you feel if a physician's assistant, when asked what

he/she did, said "I'm on the physicians' staff." A medical assistant

"I'm on the medical staff." It's not that these answers are

wrong, technically -- it's that they're not complete. They're not

specific. Do they need to be? That's the debate. Is there a

status difference between -- "I'm on nursing staff" and "I'm a

nurse assistant"? Does one statement make one feel more

important than the other? Could be. It doesn't affect me

personally because I'll keep asking the question until I get

a specific answer, assuming I can't read the name tag. All

this has nothing to do with how important cna's and medical

assistants are within the medical community. It has to do

with answering a question completely and specifically and

not being embarrassed or ashamed of what one does. Be

proud of what you do, if it's being a cna or a med assist.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I see your point people should tell people they're something they're not BUT as far as patients they don't care who is what. to the general public everyone in scrubs is a "nurse". Just the way it is.

I disagree. Patients these days are much more savvy about who is caring for them, and they do ask questions about what kind of education you have. It's not OK to allow patients to be mislead into thinking they are being cared for by licensed personnel by dressing unlicensed staff in scrubs. That's deceptive.

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Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.

I for one, hate deception. If I knew that saying I was part of the nursing staff would mislead someone into thinking I was a nurse I would eitehr clarify it to that person or exlcude that part in whatever presentation I am using. Like I said earlier, I and most CNAs I know just say I'm your CNA today.

I think why Danseurn says CNA's are apart of the nursing staff is because in many places they in fact are considered as such. In the first few lessons of my CNA class I took in High School we learned that CNAs perform the very basic nursing tasks or skills, they are not nurses by any means, but they are trained by nurses in the way of nursing.

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