MA being called "nurse"

Hi everyone,

I recently started a new job in the outpatient setting. One of our physician's always refers to the MA that works with her as a "nurse" and it makes me cringe every time (besides being illegal). I haven't specifically heard the MA refer to themselves as a nurse, however i'm sure patients assume so. Is it too far to make a complaint and tell the charge RN?

Thanks in advance. 

Edited Feb 18 by sam619

Do not, I repeat, do not get me started!

It is so hard for patients to keep us all straight but the DOCTOR should certainly be able to!

The next time you go in, when the physician calls you by name, correct him and have him call you "Dr. <your last name" .  When he asks if you are a physician, tell him no.

Then ask him how he feels about other healthcare professionals using credentials they haven't earned.  

I think the practice should be illegal and unfortunately, it isn't in all states.  

I'm just here for the comments. Carry on.

It's my understanding that it's only illegal to falsely represent yourself as a nurse.

If the MA, upon hearing the doctor refer to him/her as a nurse, does not correct the impression being made...whelp, that's a gray area, right? Maybe more for us than for the MA.

Finally....and this is just my beef - my former PCP's practice had NO nurses. Just MAs. The Care-Sometimes-Now clinic I go to if I need care on a weekend has one RN (who does most of the pt education) and several LVNs. My new PCP and my new GYN - only one nurse apiece (patient education) and the rest are MAs.

So anyone who thinks the staff in the outpatient setting doing the h/p is an actual nurse is statistically likely to be wrong. We should probably be letting folks know that fact.  For no other reason than it's a fact.

It could be an inside joke between them. I had a professor that was a Dr call me Dr <insert my last name here>. Idk why, maybe it was just a joke and he thought I would do good in medical school and wanted me to get used to the name. I never asked him about it. This was in a classroom setting but I think it shouldn't be used in a professional setting where patients can hear and misunderstand her role. It can be viewed as an insult to the actual RN's that work there. If you have a good rapport with them I would ask one of them about it. Maybe he wants her to go to nursing school. You can joking say to him, 'If she is a nurse then I'm the CEO'.

why don't you ask the MA that works with that doctor... hey that doctor keeps calling u as a nurse, is she joking or is there an inside joke or what?  

Edited Feb 21 by PeekaPooh