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

[AprilN]

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??

[MattiesMama]

Kind of OT but I was watching Nancy Grace (my remote was broken, lol) yesterday and they were doing a story about a NURSE who had poisoned her husband. Only she wasn't a nurse, she was a CNA. At one point, Nancy Grace corrected someone who referred to her as an R.N. (actually his words were "she was JUST a registered nurse") but the headline, which if you have ever seen Nancy Grace before you know is displayed in like 10 different places simutaneously-was "NURSE poisons her husband" throughout the entire segment...

I've noticed this on other occasions where a CNA or other UAP has been charged with a horrific crime-they are almost always referred to as a nurse. Drives me up a wall!

[Navigatingnursing]

I spoke to an MA recently at a health fair I worked (I'm a massage therapist starting LPN program this Sept.) and she said MA's are being given more work to do that nurses usually do (phlebotomy, etc). I had thought they handle administrative and some set-up duties. It sounds to me like healthcare settings are getting cheap labor to avoid paying LPN and RN wages. And the MA schools are not teaching their students their legal boundaries.

I have worked as a licensed massage therapist for 8 years in NYS which requires double the hours of training in many other states. But open any free newspaper to the back pages and see who's calling themselves massage therapists. THAT not only burns us up, but makes us vulnerable in our advertising. Licensed massage therapists are legally required to do 1000 plus hours of a&p, neurology, kinesiology, medical terminology, ethics, etc., etc. Even some dr.'s offices hire unlicensed mt's. Does not mean a therapist isn't good, but you run the risk of them not knowing to ask preliminary health history which contradicts massage, or use the wrong procedure. Such is my desire to become a nurse and be around more medically knowledgeable people. But I see title politics travel also to the field of nursing, also to possible healthcare detriment.

One thing is nowadays nurses all wear the same scrubs and there maybe should be some differentiation so pts don't get confused. I'm not a fan of the dutch headpiece, but definitely something to clarify.

"Nurse" can be considered a verb, and that is what we do as any healthcare practitioner or parent or other relative. But as colleagues, we must respect each other's training and expertise because we all need each other.

[Medassist2RN]

I am an medical assistant, and i am taken a-back by those comments myself, you should never misrepresent yourself to anyone. Depending on where you work you may be given alot of duties that the lpn would get if your office has lpn's working, but you take it and role with it. Depending on what program you took in school you very well may have learned to give injections and all the other clinical things that you do to assist the doctor and the patient, and graduate with an assoc degree. Some states offer certificates for this program.

[l150]

Yes, it is illegal to identify to yourself as such. Maybe not in your state but definately in mine. If I were a pt I would want to know the correct identification of that person. We can do everything that they can do AND more but they can't do everything that we can. For example you won't see a MA giving medication, doing treatments ,etc. on an ICU . I think everyone should be proud of thier accomplishments. Why are MA's ashamed to be what they are ?

[Treasure30]

Hello Everyone,

Yes, I have heard several Medical Assistances refer to themselves as nurses. Educate, Educate and educate. Yes, I have heard medical offices having All medical assistances. Educate, educate, educate. I educate my family of roles and schooling requirements with health care provider. I informed them to asked, "who are they speaking with and asked for that person name & title (if they have not introduce themselves or / and if they do not have a badge). Fact number 1, it is a JACHO / insurance thing to where badges. Fact number 2, it is a JACHO thing to introduce your self (name & title).

If enough of us whimmy nurses get in our head that we have POWER (most of us are caring & conscientious) and become assertive and professioanal, we will not have to feel threaten by the MA, no matter how or what they were train to think.

This is what I do if I'm a patient or if I am taking a friend or family into a health care system. I'm alway pleasant. If they don't introduce themselves, I say, "Hello, are you going to introduce yourself?". The physicians usually give their names & title & show their badge, the nurses usually give their names & title & show their badges, however the MA just give their name." I then say to the MA, may I see your badge. Lots of time they get upset and go inform the doctor that I'm a difficult patient. When the doctor comes in, instead of the nurse, I know the place is ran with just MA's. I remain pleasant, while the doc is kinda of perturb, cause he / she have to do what MY INSURCE IS PAYING FOR ANYWAY, PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE. Normally, after I inform the doctor that I could have been the JACHO / insurance people in disguise, he / she become pleasant and begin to act like a Professional person. Once the people are educate on who they are speaking with and are taking care of them, and realizes their insurance is paying for Professional people to assess them, they will start requesting to see that professional person.

I hope, I did not offend anyone. My sister is a physician and my mother took a course for Medical Assist & obtained her certificate. My mother worked as a MA in my sister's office after she retired. I never heard my mother refer to herself or even answer the phone as a nurse. However, my sister did hire a Professional Nurse (LPN).

[christinajeanes]

Just keep it simple--if you are NOT a Nurse then correct whoever is calling you one and dont misrepresent yourself as a Nurse if you are not one...just as you would correct anyone who called you Mary if you're name is Susan. And YES it is absolutely a crime to use the Nurse title if you are not licensed as such--check with the State Board. Even as a Senior nursing student, you still CANNOT use that title UNTIL you have sat for the nursing board and become licensed.

[JoJo445]

i cannot tell you how many times, as an er nurse, i have had people say, "i am a nurse" and when i question them more it comes out they are cnas or some thing like that. it makes me furious inside, but we end up laughing because they think they know so much when they really know so little. and i hate the internet...too much false information out there that these " nurses" have access to.

[cherryames1949]

This is one of my pet peeves. It is misrepresentation pure and simple. As nurses it is our obligation to educate patients. Staff that mistakenly represent themselves as nurses need to be informed that they are out of bounds legally and ethically. By the way, this happens all the time when Physician's Assistants do not correct patients when they are called the Doctor.

[christinajeanes]

No offense to the person that said "technically anyone who takes care of someone in a medical capacity can call themselves a nurse"- but this is a very false statement. The state board of nursing has it in writing that the term NURSE can not be used by ANYONE in ANY part of their title if they are not duly licensed nurses per formal nursing education and licensure as a nurse by the state board of nursing. Just because a person works in healthcare does not give them the right to claim the nurse title. I know how to clip toenails-but Im not a podiatrist--I cook very well, but Im not a chef, I enjoy cutting hair, and i do this for people sometimes, but Im not a beautician. See my point. If you want the Nurse title-go back to school like we all did, and obtain that, until then-properly address yourself and correct whomever mistakes you for anything other than what you are. Your hospital/dr office job doesnt make you a nurse. A cat can have her kittens in an oven-but that dont make them biscuits...

[Ciale]

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??

Are LPNs considered nurses or practical nurses? I thought only RNs are referred to as nurses. Hm. I had a Physcian Assistant (new grad at that) refer to herself as a Physcian the other day. That's just flat out delusional.

I guess I don't care what you call yourself so long as you know your place and boundaries within your team.

[HyperSaurus, RN, BSN]

Where I'm from, LPNs are considered 'nurses' as well. I have a prescription from a PA that says from "Dr. so and so"

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

Are LPNs considered nurses or practical nurses? I thought only RNs are referred to as nurses. Hm. I had a Physcian Assistant (new grad at that) refer to herself as a Physcian the other day. That's just flat out delusional.

I guess I don't care what you call yourself so long as you know your place and boundaries within your team.

I am a nurse. I am an LPN, but am still a nurse. I would NEVER misrepresent myself as an RN. My name badge clearly says Licensed Practical Nurse. When I introduce myself to a patient, I say "Hi, I'm Julie, I will be your nurse today".

Not "Hi, I'm Julie and I will be your practical nurse today."