Is it ok to call CNA's nurses?

Nurses General Nursing

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this is not an offence to those who are cna's, were cna's or yet to become cna's. i was just wondering if it's ok to call a cna a nurse. i've heard a lot of educated people as well as non educated call then nurses, even on cnn, a few days ago, a gentleman was on tv who apparently was changing his career i think from a sales rep. to nursing, according to him, but during the interview i heard him say he's a cna and how he's aspiring to advance his education with an adn or even pa. however, during the conversation, he was been portrayed as someone who's changed his career to nursing. as said earlier, i've heard this time and again. just wondering.

No, CNAs aren't nurses. I don't even consider LPNs nurses...the title even states practical nurse.

What part of the word "nurse" do not not comprehend?

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

I've noticed that there is lots of passion and enthusiasm on this site, and pride in our work and achievements. This is evident from the newest CNA to the most experienced MSN.

It's this pride and passion that makes us good at our jobs and excellent for our patients, and because I've seen it so many times before I know that it can overspill into heated discussions on this site.

I know I seem to be rambling, please bear with me for a minute :D

Your passion, enthusiasm and pride is overwhelming and something that I love about this site, we have had many heated threads about calling CNA'a nurses, the differences in LPN's and RN's and the value of various different grades of nursing and healthcare staff.

Please could we try to make sure that this thread stays on track and our enthusiasm and passion doesn't get out of hand and turn this into a heated discussion that deteriorates into personal attacks

Anyway, enough of my ramblings, back to the topic at hand.

In the UK we don't have CNA'a we have health care support workers, our patients sometimes will call them nurse by mistake, personally I don't correct my patients, I am just grateful that my healthcare support workers are so brilliant, caring and good with my patients.

Legally, they are not nurses, they don't have the right to call themselves nurses as it is a protected title

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I think one has to earn the title of "nurse". I'm a former CNA going for my ADN. I always told my residents I was their aide if they called me nurse. The nurse gives the meds, I wipe the hiney :D

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
No, CNAs aren't nurses. I don't even consider LPNs nurses...the title even states practical nurse.

Perhaps once you are a NURSE yourself, you will realize that the "N" in LPN stands for nurse. I wish you luck at earning ANY respect with your crappy attitude. :down:

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Specializes in CV Surgical, ICU.
No, CNAs aren't nurses. I don't even consider LPNs nurses...the title even states practical nurse.

A Licensed Practical.. Nurse?.... You don't think they're nurses? What exactly do you think they are?

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Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

noooo CNA's should not be called nurses... RN's and LPN's are nurses...

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Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.
No, CNAs aren't nurses. I don't even consider LPNs nurses...the title even states practical nurse.

what?? of course LPN's are nurses.. yes the title states " practical NURSE" ..... see nurse.... they are nurses ....

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CNA have licenses. At least in the state of Wisconsin you are just a nursing assistant if you do not get licensed by the state.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
CNA have licenses. At least in the state of Wisconsin you are just a nursing assistant if you do not get licensed by the state.

You are correct; it is like that in many other states as well. However, a CNA license is far different from that of either an LPN or an RN license in terms of responsibility and scope of practice. Unless the term Certified NURSING Assistant is changed to Certified Assistant NURSE, it is inappropriate to refer to a CNA as a nurse.

Additionally, some nursing assistants are referred to as NARs, which means Nursing Assistant Registry. In the state of Minnesota, a nursing assistant who wishes to work in a nursing home must register with the Minnesota Department of Health. Here's a link to the requirements:

http://www.state.mn.us/license/content.do?mode=license&LicenseID=5624

I have seen CNA and NAR used interchangeably and I'm not sure that's correct. And, in LTC and ALF, the lines between nurses and nursing assistants are blurred even more because of the use of trained medication assistants (TMAs) who are nursing assistants who have completed additional education and are permitted, by state law, to pass medications and do treatments.

And then we wonder why the public is confused???

However, at one LTC facility, the nursing assistants, whether certified or not, were referred to as "the girls", which I think is extremely demeaning and sexist. Yes, the men were lumped in with "the girls" as well. Many of "the girls" were well into their thirties, forties and fifties and yes, several were of a certain ethnic minority, comprende? And for some reason the powers that be could not figure out why the staff had low morale. :angryfire

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However, at one LTC facility, the nursing assistants, whether certified or not, were referred to as "the girls", which I think is extremely demeaning and sexist. Yes, the men were lumped in with "the girls" as well. Many of "the girls" were well into their thirties, forties and fifties and yes, several were of a certain ethnic minority, comprende? And for some reason the powers that be could not figure out why the staff had low morale. :angryfire

That's the norm here in every facility in which I have worked. Coming from NYS, where calling anyone over 18 a "girl" would get you clocked, it took a lot of getting used to. However, we have two distince ethnic groups here - we have white Protestants AND white Catholics. Our ONE Jewish resident finally got her long-awaited transfer to the Hebrew Home for the Aged - she lit up like a menorah when I wished her l'shana tova.

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Is there a difference between "certified" and "licensed?" If a certification is different than a license, then would a "certified nursing assistant" be considered Unlicensed Assistive Personel?

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I think it's fair to say that CNA's are in "nursing". It is ambiguous, but not inaccurate in my opinion.

Agreed!

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