Last name on ID badge?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

I just got my ID badge for my new job at a hospital and it says my first&last name because that's what I initially opted to do. But now I'm thinking I should've just gone with my first name...

Thoughts on full vs first name on ID badges?

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I agree that a determined patient could still find me without knowing my last name. But I prefer to not make their job any easier! This subject is sensitive to me because of an issue with my ex-husband (not quite a restraining order issue, but iffy). The little tape gives me a sense of security. And let's be honest, most of my patients only refer to me as "Nurse" anyways.

Evidently stalking episodes are much rarer than we think -- but as the former victim of stalking by a psych patient, that's of small comfort. That patient would have found me with or without the last name on my badge, though -- he asked my clinical instructor for my full name and he gave it without hesitation. This was close to 40 years ago -- he found me without the internet, using, I presume, a simple phone book.

I, too have had issues with my ex-husband, who became an ex immediately after he attempted to choke me to death. For that reason, I've turned down opportunities to have my writing published under my own name, to appear on television and to appear in training videos for use in the health care industry. But having my last name on my badge has always been required. And now, our patients have the right to see the photo and the first and last names of any employee of our hospital who accesses their chart displayed right on their TV for anyone to see. For some reason, management thinks this is a GOOD idea.

If a little tape (or a lot of baubles) on your badge makes you feel safer, and if you can get away with it, go for it. But it probably isn't going to even slow down a determined stalker.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
Please refrain from calling people jobs menial. That is degrading. It is not anyone's place to judge another. Everyone should be treated equally. Just because they do not make as much as another, doesn't mean they are less human.

A menial task (job, chore, etc.) is anything that takes very little training, skill, or talent. No one was being judged or thought of as 'less human'. Fast food jobs and entry-level retail positions fit the description of menial.

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Per Merriam-Webster, I think it's less to do with the acutal definition and more to do with the socioeconomic status associated with "menial" as a noun:

[h=2]Examples of MENIAL[/h]

  • and could expect to find work only as menials>

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Per Merriam-Webster, I think it's less to do with the acutal definition and more to do with the socioeconomic status associated with "menial" as a noun:

The word was not used as a noun. It was used as an adjective. And it was used to describe a job, not a person. From the same website:

menial (adjective)—used to describe boring or unpleasant work that does not require special skill and usually does not pay much money

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
If a little tape (or a lot of baubles) on your badge makes you feel safer and if you can get away with it, go for it. **** But it probably isn't going to even slow down a determined stalker.[/quote']

A restraining order didn't stop my stalker, AT ALL :blink:

I understand the attempt for peace and security; however; it's best to make sure when these instances that risk management and security is on board; don't let fear make one isolated; get LOUD enough for help in order to defend yourself.

Also, most determined stalkers know your face; in this day and age, with public knowledge something as easy as a click of a button, it's best to let appropriate personnel know if you have a stalker/safety issue.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

We are required, but state regulations to have both our first and last names visible on our name badges.

To expand on someone else's comments: in the ER, if the doctor walked into the room and says to the patient "I am Dr. Eric." Patient would reply "ok, but what is your last name?"; could the doctor get away with "nope, sorry...no patient gets to know my last name, it'd just Dr. Eric to you!" Of course not. I have seen many more patients express anger with doctors than with nurses; yet those silly doctors still insist on telling patients their last names.

The only time I have experienced even the smallest amount of "fear" (I'm not even sure it would quality as that) re: a patient confronting me outside of work was when I was leaving work, was walking to the parking garage and saw my last patient standing at the end of the hospital driveway. My "fear" that a patient will used my last name to find/stalk me--about zero.

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That is fine with me. You have your rights. But there are people who like there "menial" jobs. Not all of the jobs you referred to take little to no training. There are retail jobs that take training. I have worked jobs in retail that are in no way unskilled or for a low mentality. Categorizing all of those careers in that field as "menial" is just not fully true.

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Specializes in ER/Emergency Behavioral Health....

I work in an emergency department with a lot of behavioral health patients (we have a specialty BH-ED), and some patients make me uncomfortable. But let's face it, most of those patients won't remember my last name by the end of the day. For someone to be that malicious, they would have to have a pretty good reason to want to look you up. Not to mention, I leave around midnight, so they could easily wait in the shadows if they wanted to hurt/stalk me that badly, and they wouldn't need my last name for that.

The place I work for used to let us hide our last names, but over the last few years that has changed. A great deal of that is due to accountability.

If you really feel unsafe leaving your hospital because of a patient, then get a security escort. Hiding your last name isn't going to do a thing for you.

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The word was not used as a noun. It was used as an adjective. And it was used to describe a job, not a person. From the same website:

menial (adjective)—used to describe boring or unpleasant work that does not require special skill and usually does not pay much money

I didn't say it was used as a noun. (Believe it or not, I did happen to see the definition of the adjective while I was looking at the MW page). However, the negativity associated with the noun may have been perceived by some to have reflected on the adjective.

See?

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
Evidently stalking episodes are much rarer than we think -- but as the former victim of stalking by a psych patient that's of small comfort. That patient would have found me with or without the last name on my badge, though -- he asked my clinical instructor for my full name and he gave it without hesitation. This was close to 40 years ago -- he found me without the internet, using, I presume, a simple phone book. I, too have had issues with my ex-husband, who became an ex immediately after he attempted to choke me to death. For that reason, I've turned down opportunities to have my writing published under my own name, to appear on television and to appear in training videos for use in the health care industry. But having my last name on my badge has always been required. And now, our patients have the right to see the photo and the first and last names of any employee of our hospital who accesses their chart displayed right on their TV for anyone to see. For some reason, management thinks this is a GOOD idea. If a little tape (or a lot of baubles) on your badge makes you feel safer, and if you can get away with it, go for it. But it probably isn't going to even slow down a determined stalker.[/quote']

You have given me a lot to think about. I never considered someone else telling my patient my full name. I hope that you are able to publish under a pseudonym and while it's sad that you aren't able to share your experience/wisdom as freely as possible, I'm glad to have found it here. Thank you for sharing your personal experiences with me.

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When my sister first started her job before she got married she didn't put her last name on her badge because our last name isn't very common in the area. She wasn't concerned about people stalking HER, she was more concerned that people would use the last name to find her and get my parents house instead because she was living with her fiancé and everything was under his name. When she got married her name is now more common so she wouldn't really care.

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When my sister first started her job before she got married she didn't put her last name on her badge because our last name isn't very common in the area. She wasn't concerned about people stalking HER she was more concerned that people would use the last name to find her and get my parents house instead because she was living with her fiancé and everything was under his name. When she got married her name is now more common so she wouldn't really care.[/quote']

What do you mean get your parents house?

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