Last Name on ID Badges

Specialties Emergency

Published

For YEARS we have had only our first name on our hospital badges (only in the ER and Psych floors), the rest of the hospital uses full names. This week we were told we MUST wear badges with our first and last names because it is against the law! (Note the Dept. of Health was visiting) Is this true??????

We have our first name, credentials and picture on the front. On the back has our first and last name.

We are also obliged to give our last name if asked by a patient or family member.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i would think so. i can't even imagine how you can only have your first name on the badge. i think i would be concerned why my last name was not there in the first place, not why it should be there. how about an md with a badge "derek"? i would never want to be just "mary" or "nancy" or "ann" also it makes you think that it was done for the liability purpose, so that the patient did not know you last name in case something happens... weird.

it's obvious you've never worked er or psych. i was stalked by a patient when i was a student on a psych rotation. working in the ccu, i was stalked by a former patient. i think first names or nicknames only on a name badge is a big safety issue, and i don't know why more places don't let us do this! i've solved the problem by attaching various "yay us!" pins and stickers to the front of my badge over my last name.

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I look at name tags when I interact with people. As a result of this topic, I started to specifically look to see whether the last name was on the name tag. As a general rule (for all businesses, not just healthcare), managers have last names, while employees do not.

Our ID Badges have our full names. I also identify myself by first and last name when I am out in public on the job.

I have requested my medical records in the past, and will continue to do so, because I want to be an informed patient. If my request for my medical records makes people uncomfortable because it has their last names, then this issue needs to be dealt with upfront.

I have seen on other threads that student nurses last names are often not given to patients. How does this work for those of us who have requested our records? Would they avoid assigning students to us for that reason? I have no objections to being cared for by a student, but again, any issue that impacts my request for my medical records needs to be dealt with upfront.

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Specializes in ER, Forensics.

No last name on my badge.

Won't have it. Luckily I work at a place that supports that.

There are crazy people out there that develop unhealthy obsessions with caregivers. I don't see police, judges, teachers, lawyers, etc. (as named in a previous post) as being as high a risk as nurses because we offer care for patients. We "fix" them in a sense. An unstable person can take that and run with it, believing there is a connection or relationship there that doesn't actually exist. The same person may not do that with the other professions as they are (usually) not "taking care" of that patient and "making it all better."

No way, no how would I allow my last name on my badge.

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In the state of Nevada, the Board of Nursing requires that badges worn by nurses must show the first name and last initial only. The hospital cannot override that requirement.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

22 yrs as a ER nurse and have never had my last name on my badge. We take care of the prison population in our state, and of course, a active psych population. I have NEVER felt unprofessional by not having my last name. If you think that a full name badge makes you a better nurse....you have issues.

Joe ER RN

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

We only have our first names on our badges, but I have no problem giving someone my last name. Besides the fact that 9 out of 10 ... no, probably 10 out of 10 people will spell it incorrectly, woe to the poor schlub that shows up on my doorstep -- that person would rapidly become acquainted with my very muscular, large, tattooed, intimidating husband. :D (See my profile for an idea. LOL)

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it's obvious you've never worked er or psych. i was stalked by a patient when i was a student on a psych rotation. working in the ccu, i was stalked by a former patient. i think first names or nicknames only on a name badge is a big safety issue, and i don't know why more places don't let us do this! i've solved the problem by attaching various "yay us!" pins and stickers to the front of my badge over my last name.

we were doing that in our psych hospital. joint commission made us remove the stickers so the full name had to show. if it's required on your badge it has to be seen.

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When our facility was acquired by a new company, we were issued new name tags with only our first name in large letters. We discussed this amongst ourselves and the consensus was that most considered it a personal affront and attempt to demean us. So everyone put white out or a white tag over the name and wrote our full name and type of license, as before. The management types all noticed what we did, but nobody made us take it off the badges.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, M/S.
When our facility was acquired by a new company, we were issued new name tags with only our first name in large letters. We discussed this amongst ourselves and the consensus was that most considered it a personal affront and attempt to demean us. So everyone put white out or a white tag over the name and wrote our full name and type of license, as before. The management types all noticed what we did, but nobody made us take it off the badges.

Wow! They didn't even identify your title or license?? I wouldn't like anyone caring for me or a family member where I didn't know what their title was (RN, LPN, NA, MD, DO, etc.). I would have taken it as a personal affront also.

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it's obvious you've never worked er or psych. i was stalked by a patient when i was a student on a psych rotation. working in the ccu, i was stalked by a former patient. i think first names or nicknames only on a name badge is a big safety issue, and i don't know why more places don't let us do this! i've solved the problem by attaching various "yay us!" pins and stickers to the front of my badge over my last name.

i've worked psych for almost 25 years, including in major urban areas and public facilities, with some scary and dangerous clients; i've always used my last name on my badge and used it consistently when introducing myself to clients (and it's a v. easy name to remember), and i've never had a problem. a few years ago, on another thread on this same topic on this board, i did a search of the literature and found that, according to the limited literature that is available, mental health workers have no greater risk, statistically, of being stalked than the general public. if someone really wants to find out who you (as a healthcare worker) are, s/he can do that pretty easily regardless of whether your last name is on your badge or not. bad things can and do happen occasionally, but not putting your last on your badge isn't any real protection against them.

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Wow! They didn't even identify your title or license?? I wouldn't like anyone caring for me or a family member where I didn't know what their title was (RN, LPN, NA, MD, DO, etc.). I would have taken it as a personal affront also.

They used those generic, amorphous, meaningless titles such as "team member". Like when you go into a store and you see the word "associate" on someone's nametag.

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