Let's talk semantics

[PG2018]

What do you call your job? What do you call yourself? This has nothing to do with Dr. NP, etc.

When I meet new patients, who have already been told by appointment staff that I'm a nurse practitioner, I say, "Hi. I'm PsychGuy. I do psychiatry." I use that phraseology because many of my patients are either young or lower functioning. I say it quickly, get them seated, and start my appointment. I don't waste a lot of time chewing the fat. I'm not wasting time, for any reason, explaining what NPs and what psychiatry is as you're aware most people won't know anyway.

So for us NPs, to say "I practice psychiatry" or "I practice internal medicine" or pediatrics, neurology, or whatever your shtick is, is that indeed accurate? Like a sign that might say Signature Pediatrics if you're a peds NP.

If we never say we are psychiatrists, pediatricians, cardiologists, etc. then are we speaking properly, IMO.

Do any of you follow this same idea train?

When I see someone at random, cashier at a store in a checkout line, who asks what I do I reply "psychiatry." Only if the situation is likely to evolve will I say I'm a nurse practitioner (and people always assume family practice which stinks) or the long winded, too many syllables "psychiatric nurse practitioner." I find that, regarding communication, when you start out with "nurse" in your title people fixate on that and continue to think RN or some similar title.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Hmmm - never really thought of it.

When people ask me what I do, I usually say APN simply because no one has a clue what a CNS is...

[Grumble88]

I often hear "hi, my name is so-and-so, I'm the psych provider" from PMHNPs introducing themselves.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

If some stranger asks me what I do, I respond with work in Healthcare. I try to be as vague as usual. Perhaps I've watched too many investigative discovery shows?

[synaptic]

Hi I am billybob, one of those nurse practitioners here.

Are you the doctor?

No I'm an nP

you look like a doctor

Thanks, hear it all the time

*goes on with visit*

Alright sir you have a good one

Thanks, Doc, you too.

Never fails, well, actually, it never succeeds. No i don't wear a write coat I'm in the ER and wear basic scrubs lol.

probably the male-doctor-stigma thing

[Psychcns]

Psychiatric provider, psychiatric nursing career, psychiatric nurse, nurse practitioner- psychiatry, psychiatric aprn. Psychiatric clinical nurse specialist. Mid- level psychiatry, diagnose pts and prescribe medications in psychiatry

I have said I do psychiatry and/or I study psychiatry - it depends on who I am talking to.

I introduce myself by my first name. If they call me Doctor. I don't mind. I am the provider in charge of their care.

[Alicia777, MSN, NP]

Hi, my name is Alicia777, I'm a nurse practitioner-I work with your surgeon Dr. X.

[elkpark]

I believe most of the general public would hear "I do psychiatry" to mean "I'm a psychiatrist." As a psych NP, technically (as much as you may hate the idea), you're not practicing "psychiatry," you're practicing psychiatric nursing. "Psychiatry" is what physicians practice.

[PG2018]

Yeah, I don't really care what they think either. I just want it to be fast without questions.

I can't say I'm one of the NPS because I'm the only NP and there's also no doctor. When I was a RN I said I'm one of the RN assigned to this room blah blah.

To elkpark, I don't think most people even know psychiatrists are doctors/physicians.

Or that psychologist is a different word/role than psychiatrist. Plus the LPC get called doctor too.

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

I say hello I'm evolving, nice to meet you .... What can I do for you today ? They are told I am a nurse practitioner when they make the appointment

[IsabelK]

I say, "Hi, I'm Isabel K. I'm a nurse practitioner". I don't bring up the doctorate, although it is on my lab coat and on my business cards. It's also on the information families and residents (I work in LTC) receive. If someone asks me about, I explain NP and DNP. If they don't, I don't make a big deal out of it. A lot of the folks I see call me "the doctor", some call me by name.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

I get called doctor at my job constantly, and the official title for all us CNMs/NPs/PAs is "clinician" which is quite vague. So I do make a point to identify myself as a midwife at the start of a visit/phone call, and all my business/appointment cards identify me as such. If a patient calls me a doctor directly, I gently correct them unless it would be inappropriate to do so for whatever reason. It's a difficult balance sometimes, because many of my patients have little to no understanding of the existence of non-doctor providers, and some continue to call me doctor regardless. I can't bring myself to constantly correct them, but the last thing I want is for people to think I am an MD, both for obvious ethical reasons and because I am damn proud of being a midwife lol.

Outside of work, I identify myself as a midwife or a nurse midwife, depending. Or sometimes just as a generic APRN if I don't want to invite too much discussion about my work. Or sometimes, if I am talking about my practice directly, I just identify myself as a clinician at Planned Parenthood, because people assume I do obstetrics when I say I am a midwife.

I do hope to get my phd in public health and epidemiology (10 year plan :) ). Not sure if I would be comfortable calling myself "doctor" in a clinic setting, without a clinical doctorate. But I would most definitely put it on my mailbox lol.