So I just got off the phone with my best friend, who is a RN in another state. She said that a CNA on the floor tells the patients she's a nurse. My friend said today was the last straw when she overheard the patient who sounded upset ask to speak to a nurse and the CNA said, "I am a nurse." I dont know the full details because I wasnt there, and Im trying to get her to join allnurses.com (maybe one day). Apparently, when she approached the CNA about this, she got defensive and my best friend was just trying to tell her that it would be more appropriate to tell the patients she is an aid and not a nurse, which offended the CNA because she said that she is a nurse (or they all are nurses - something like that). Anyhow, I just wanted to know you guys perspective on this, I know a couple CNAs who call themselves nurses (I mean I have a cousin who has nurse as her job on fb and she is a CNA), but this is different because its occurring in the field, not just in random conversation or on social sites. Is this a big deal? I personally think my best friend handled it the best she could (even though she said the CNA didnt seem to change her mind on the issue). I dont know if there is anymore she can do, should she just let this one ride?
It is wrong for a CNA to call herself a nurse, because- well, what does CNA stand for? Certified Nursing ASSISTANT. not registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, but nursing ASSISTANT. By the way I thank the nursing assistants i work with every day!! They are awesome!!! I could not make it with out them! They are valuable to me and they know it!!! Thanks to Sue,Katie, Pat, Ashley and the rest of you!! You are THE best!!
i do not know everything a nurse does, but i can do what a nurse does.
i was a cna for 10 years prior to entering nursing school. i am one semester away from graduation, and can tell you with certainty that you cannot do what a nurse does. this is intended with respect.
did anyone read the whole post i posted? i said i can do what a nurse does because i can go to school and learn it. i did not say i was doing what a nurse does currently. unless you consider taking med calls and calling in scripts to the pharmacy under the direction of an md. as well as the aims testing. a medical assistant can do all that. and apparently i am able to do that since the clinic i work for said i could after i questioned them as to whether or not i am legally able to. the hospital i used to work at had the cnas inserting catheters, cbg testing, bolus tube feedings, emptying surgical drains, dc'ing iv's, and the male cnas held pressure on the femoral artery after the heart caths. we did a lot more than clean poo.
no i dont know the whole critical thinking aspect, but i can learn it. i never said that i was practicing as a nurse, but i can do what a nurse does when taught.
The answer could be in that the definition is Webster's second definition, and maybe the answer lies in the way too arcane world of linguistic terms. This one is tricky - because the differences are there, but they are subtle in this case.
Most probably to be completely accurate the dictionary should include a definition that is an option, meaning that the word is not always generic, but can be a legally protected title like "judge". I can judge, but I'm not a judge.
You can nurse a)a baby, b)a person, c)a drink, d)a grudge or e)you can be "a nurse". Here in the US in some states b and e are not the same. That would make a homonym (or so I thought) but there's a special word for words that are spelled and sound the same, have different meanings, but the same origin, such as the mouth of a river and a person's mouth. Hope I didn't just make things worse!
I just HAD to look this up. I think it might be a heteronym. The things you can learn on allnurses!
Did anyone read the whole post I posted? I said I can do what a nurse does because I can go to school and learn it. I did not say I was doing what a nurse does currently. Unless you consider taking med calls and calling in scripts to the pharmacy under the direction of an MD. As well as the AIMS testing. A medical assistant can do all that. And apparently I am able to do that since the Clinic I work for said I could after I questioned them as to whether or not I am legally able to. The hospital I used to work at had the CNAs inserting catheters, CBG testing, bolus tube feedings, emptying surgical drains, dc'ing IV's, and the male CNAs held pressure on the femoral artery after the heart caths. We did a lot more than clean poo.
No I dont know the whole critical thinking aspect, but I can learn it. I never said that I was practicing as a Nurse, but I can do what a nurse does when taught.
I believe I am done with this site.
You just listed some (apparently in your eyes) impressive tasks, and you say you can do this things and no one probably doubts that. However untiil you get the RN next to your name you cannot do many things legally, and theres not debate there. This is like saying "I can push versed and maintain a patent airway and monitor a patients vital" and I could, but legally I can't only an MDA or CRNA does that (with some exceptions). No one cares what you can potentially do if its not legal.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I'm sorry but I am a CNA (have been for 17 yrs) and I have learned a lot thru out my 17 yrs as a CNA.
I do not know everything a nurse does, BUT I CAN DO WHAT A NURSE DOES. Can I do it legally ?? NO...can I go to school and learn it ?? YES !!
The problem is that you're making a circular argument and then getting indignant as if people are saying CNAs don't do anything. All this says is that somebody who goes to school to learn how to do something can do what that something does. I do not know everything a (lfill-in-the-blank) does. I can do what a (fill-in-the-blank) does because I can go to school to learn it! Obviously. You can't usually do something until you go to school to learn it.
In the context of this topic, it's irrelevant.
However, not for one second would I denigrate any CNA, especially one that's put in the years you have. I'm sure there are many things you could teach students to do well. No CNA bashing here!:)
My Niece is MA, and at her work, a MA tells patients she is a nurse. I explained to my niece that MA is not a nurse and to tell patients she is, is a violation of Law.
One of my biggest pet peeves is CNA's telling patients they are Nurses. I explain to the CNA that they are not Nurses and to tell patients they are is in violation of the State Boarding of Nursing.
when i was a NA patients would always refer to me as nurse no matter how many times i introduced myself as assistant. there was one time this particular patient (who hit his call light every five minutes) would yell, "NUUURSE!" every time he saw a warm body outside his doorway. one of the thousand times he did it, i responded, "yeees?" and then immediately turned to the nurses standing nearby and said, "i know i'm not a nurse, but i'm not explaining my title every time he yells nurse." and they understood bc they knew how he'd been doing this. i think people get uptight about little things like the scenario i just mentioned and take that to a whole new level of "the CNA thinks she is a nurse or calls herself a nurse" when it's actually the PATIENTS who think and call the CNA's nurses. they do not distinguish between the assistant and the nurse. they just don't.
There's a difference between responding to a confused patient who will never remember that you are not a nurse and going throughout a working day and setting routinely letting everyone think you are. When I was a CNA of course I would run if I heard a patient call out, "Nurse!" We all would.
websters first definition is about breast feeding. thank you, i appreciate honest feedback. what i am attempting to say is that we should refer to ourselves as professional nurses. then, eventually, the general public will get it. we are not handmaidens to medicine, we are healers. we respect and honor the second definition from webster, we just know a little bit more.
still, i'm attentive. teach me how it is wrong for a cna to call herself nurse.
in my state it most certainly is. i would be willing to bet most states include similar language in their nurse practice acts and administrative codes.
from the nurse practice act
(3) "nurse" means a person required to be licensed under this
chapter to engage in professional or vocational nursing.
it goes on to say:
(d) unless the person holds a license under this chapter, a
person may not use, in connection with the person's
name:
(1) the title "nurse"; or
(2) any other designation tending to imply that the person
is licensed to provide nursing care.
this term "nurse" is a legal term protected by state law:
sec. 301.471. emergency cease and desist order.
(a) if it appears to the board that a person who is not
licensed under this chapter is violating this chapter, a rule
adopted under this chapter, or another state statute or
rule relating to the practice of professional nursing or
vocational nursing and the board determines that the
unauthorized activity constitutes a clear, imminent, or
continuing threat to the public health and safety, the
board may:
(1) issue an emergency cease and desist order prohibiting
the person from engaging in the activity; and
(2) report the activity to a local law enforcement agency
the nurse practice act varies somewhat from state to state (i am licensed in several, non-compact states and i have read them all), but every single one says that it is not just a bad idea, not just rude, not just impolite, but illegal to [call yourself a nurse] or [allow yourself to be represented as one] or [let such an assumption go uncorrected] if you are not licensed as a nurse in the jurisdiction. illegal. this is not a matter of your opinion or mine. illegal.
this is it in a nutshell. i don't know how much clearer it can be made that the word "nurse" is no longer a description, but a legally defined title.
i'm beginning to suspect that one or two of the posters here who have read the above and continue to remain "confused" are actually being deliberately obtuse.
I just want to say thank you to all the CNAs, PCAs, and sitters that have worked taking care of people. It is hard work. May your lives have much happiness and rewards.
I don't know you and I'm new to this site but I hate to see someone storm off fuming from any conversation. I've done CNA work during my "summers off" from nursing school. CNA work is in many ways, more physically challenging than nursing work and my hats off to all the CNA's who deliver excellent pt care without punctilious exactitude and with a heart for those in need. I'm certain the hospital would be in a frenzied and precarious state without CNA contributions and devotion and therefore I got nuttin but luv for the CNA's.
For one to say “its NOT ok for a CNA to call herself a nurse" is less about the CNA and more about the effort, training and sacrifice one has to go through to be an LPN/LVN or RN. Anyone coming along and asserting the title of “nurse" without aforementioned education and YEARS invested into achieving a nursing license is seen as a slap in the face and disrespectful to the entire profession.
I, as a RN, couldn't/wouldn't go through the years and years of crap it takes to be a Doctor. That's why; I would never call myself a “Doctor”. Doing so devalues all the accomplishment and triumph earned through the long thorny passageway of medical school, internship and residency to achieve the title of “MD”.
I hope I've added clarity versus twisting a knife in a wound. The former was the purpose of this post.
Edit to add: Not to mention the legal ramifications previously mentioned several times up thread.
Did anyone read the whole post I posted? I said I can do what a nurse does because I can go to school and learn it. I did not say I was doing what a nurse does currently. Unless you consider taking med calls and calling in scripts to the pharmacy under the direction of an MD. As well as the AIMS testing. A medical assistant can do all that. And apparently I am able to do that since the Clinic I work for said I could after I questioned them as to whether or not I am legally able to. The hospital I used to work at had the CNAs inserting catheters, CBG testing, bolus tube feedings, emptying surgical drains, dc'ing IV's, and the male CNAs held pressure on the femoral artery after the heart caths. We did a lot more than clean poo.
No I dont know the whole critical thinking aspect, but I can learn it. I never said that I was practicing as a Nurse, but I can do what a nurse does when taught.
I believe I am done with this site.
I could probably successfully remove your appendix (without killing you too!) but that doesn't mean I'm a physician, nor does it mean I can call myself one. You are what you are. Own it. If you don't like it, change it, but don't try to deceive people about it. After all, in the end, they may be fooled but you will still know. Good luck to you.
but there's a special word for words that are spelled and sound the same, have different meanings, but the same origin, such as the mouth of a river and a person's mouth. Hope I didn't just make things worse! 
egglady, LPN
362 Posts
It is wrong for a CNA to call herself a nurse, because- well, what does CNA stand for? Certified Nursing ASSISTANT. not registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, but nursing ASSISTANT. By the way I thank the nursing assistants i work with every day!! They are awesome!!! I could not make it with out them! They are valuable to me and they know it!!! Thanks to Sue,Katie, Pat, Ashley and the rest of you!! You are THE best!!