LTC owner/manager "invents" new nurse title?

[Hellllllo Nurse]

I was talking with a fellow RN friend of mine who works agency in Kansas. She did some shifts this week at a LTC facility. The owner there has decided to "retitle" all of the LPNs she has in her employ. She has had fancy, gold badges made up for each of them that read:

"LPN- Licensed Professional Nurse."

Is that legal?

These nurses are proud of their badges. Apparently, they do not realize they are being insulted. IMO, it looks as if the title Licensed Practical Nurse is not impressive enough for the owner. She has given her LPN employees a new, more important-sounding title of her own invention.

I joked with my friend- "You must have felt intimidated working with all those 'licensed professional nurses'. After all, you're only an RN!"

Do any of you find this as rediculous, deceitful and insulting as I do?

[betts]

63-7-122. Enjoining violations.

(a) The board, in addition to the powers and duties expressly granted by this chapter in the matter of suspension or revocation of a license, is authorized and empowered to petition any circuit or chancery court having jurisdiction to enjoin from practicing any person who is practicing or attempting to practice as a professional or registered nurse, as defined in 63-7-103, or as a licensed practical nurse, as defined in 63-7-108, without possessing a valid license, or to enjoin any licensee from practicing who has been found guilty of the acts enumerated in 63-7-115.

(b) No injunction bond shall be required of the board.

© Jurisdiction is conferred upon the circuit and chancery courts to hear and determine such causes as chancery

causes and to exercise full and complete jurisdiction in such injunctive proceedings. [Acts 1976, ch. 501, 12; T.C.A., 63-759.]

[jemb]

If it is an attempt to misrepresent, and is illegal, then the nurses wearing the badges are also participating in the fraudulent behavior.

Or maybe Belinda hit the nail on the head -- the administrators are just ignorant of what the initials stand for.

Either way, I can't imagine any nurse who values his/her own license being willing to wear badges that misstate the license.

[night owl]

If the administrators are just ignorant of the fact, it would be wise to bring this to the attention of the owner(s) of this LTC facility before they and their employees who wear these falsely titled name badges are in a whole lotta trouble.

If I had been an LPN working there and they handed me a gold badge with anything other than my legal title, I wouldn't have worn it and certainly would have questioned them on it. I'm suprised the state surveyors haven't picked up on this...yet.

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

The owner of the facility is a retired RN. She is 70 years old, and still working as the administrator.

It is my friend's (who was sent to the facility by the agency) opinion that the owner is trying to impress/mislead residents and their families.

However, I have always understood that oficially/legally, an RN is a professional nurse and an LPN/LVN is a technical nurse.

(Please no flames. I was an LPN for seven years).

[flashpoint]

Maybe the RNs could be the Real Nurses and the LPNs could be Little Plump Nurses...LOL. JUST KIDDING! I'm an LPN and one of our RNs is always teasing me that he is the real nurse, but that real nurses can't survive without the little plump ones...(I don't take is wrong and someday I wil get revenge on him fo rgiving me a hard time...LOL).

On a serious note, I would REFUSE to wear a nametag that had my title misrepresented and I would let the people in charge know exactly why I was refusing. I agree that maybe the administrator just doesn't know what LPN stands for...LOL...poor thing.

[nimbex, RN]

I thought it was Licensed Practical Nurse. I was licensed as a Registered Professional Nurse.

I don't see any murky waters that could lead to the name change, nor would I accept it if I was a LPN, having worked for the TRUE title that I deserved. I would be proud of my LPN and trash the new name badges along with the constant managerial memos.

[ShortFuse_LPN, LPN]

We joke at work that the LPNs are Licensed Peons. And the RNs are Registered Nuts!! LOL

[Tim-GNP]

Depending upon this state, this could be a violation of title protection. Check with your board of nursing. It may be o.k.

In Pennsylvania, my RN license doesn't say 'Registered Nurse' it reads 'Professional Nurse.' However, my Ohio license reads "Registered Nurse.' The titles do vary state by state, but I believe the nurse practice act of every state tells you what your professional designation means.

[mattsmom81]

If the administrator is a retired RN, she DEFINITELY knows better.

ITA that it is sooo sad these LPN's aren't proud enough of their credential (and I was a proud LPN 4 years prior to RN) to tell her where to stick this 'special name tag', which misleads the public and may lead to disciplinary action by state agencies.

LPN= Licensed Practical Nurse LVN= Licensed Vocational Nurse

Great titles both. Why embellish them??

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

Originally posted by mattsmom81

If the administrator is a retired RN, she DEFINITELY knows better.

ITA that it is sooo sad these LPN's aren't proud enough of their credential (and I was a proud LPN 4 years prior to RN) to tell her where to stick this 'special name tag', which misleads the public and may lead to disciplinary action by state agencies.

LPN= Licensed Practical Nurse LVN= Licensed Vocational Nurse

Great titles both. Why embellish them??

Well stated!

[sbic56, BSN, RN]

Originally posted by renerian

Gee weren't they considered professional before? Word game.

renerian

I guess they are just practically professional.:) It's semantics and not a big deal IMO, but probably involves a violation of some kind.

[sbic56, BSN, RN]

Originally posted by BelindaLPN

We joke at work that the LPNs are Licensed Peons. And the RNs are Registered Nuts!! LOL

I can remember going by..."Let's Pretend Nurse" and "Lowest Possible Nurse":chuckle