why do many MAs and CNAs call themselves nurses?

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As I was taking care of a pt, she mentions she's also a nurse. I asked what her specialty is and where she works at. She says she works at a clinic as an MA. In my head, in what universe is an MA a nurse?!

Moms, teachers, flight attendants, waitresses have all "saved lives" people who are not medically trained do cpr and inject epi pens daily.

I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.

Until you pass nclex you are not a nurse. You don't have the knowledge of the nurse. You aren't doing the same job as a nurse. You are not a nurse of any kind.

Why is this such a difficult concept for some people.

Maybe you should start an MA message board, so you can quit telling nurses how great you are.

I am a nurse, thank you!

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Yup, this happens where I receive my care. You'll meet "Mary, Dr. White's nurse". "Oh? LPN or RN?". They'll say "neither" and when you question further, you get "well, I'm Dr. WHITE's nurse". Um, what? I will call them out, every time.

I have seen clinics where "primary nurses" that work one-on-one with the doctors are MAs. It is confusing to have an MA be titled as a "primary nurse".
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§6903. Practice of nursing and use of title "registered professional nurse" or "licensed practical nurse".

Only a person licensed or otherwise authorized under this article shall practice nursing and only a person licensed under section sixty-nine hundred four shall use the title "registered professional nurse" and only a person licensed under section sixty-nine hundred five of this article shall use the title "licensed practical nurse". No person shall use the title "nurse" or any other title or abbreviation that would represent to the public that the person is authorized to practice nursing unless the person is licensed or otherwise authorized under this article.

http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/article139.htm

*Bam*! There it is! You will find words to that effect in all fifty states. So what is it persons do not comprehend?

You want to put on whites and a cap for Halloween or a parade? Fine, knock yourself out. But the minute you attempt or perform any nursing duty and or in any other way represent yourself to the public as "nurse" you have crossed the line.

Years ago any aide or orderly who did cross that line either was sat down or terminated. There were just things you didn't do. If a patient rang the bell and or a you entered a room and were asked "are you the nurse"? You said "no" but am an assistant or whatever but here to see if there is something I can do. If what was needed/wanted fell out of your scope of employment you quickly excused yourself/summoned a nurse who took over.

We had a thread last year about "baby nurses" especially here in NYC but yet haven't heard of one agency or person being sat down by the state and told to knock it off. You see these women all over parts of NYC and the suburbs in their white scrubs and shoes but few are actually LPNs much less RNs. Yet they all call themselves "Infant" or "Baby" nurses with some having business cards or being represented by agencies as such. Am waiting for the day one puts on a cap a la Downton Abbey then I can pounce! *LOL*

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Specializes in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.

I think because a lot of people don't really know what goes on in a hospital/doc's office that they just use their limited frame of reference and just think of everyone as not-the-doc and the-doc and whoever is not-the-doc = nurse. This is probably even more intensified given that people are frequently anxious in a medical setting and their learning capacities are temporarily limited. I just started as a nurse's aide and have made it a point to introduce myself as the person assisting their nurse for the night. Any questions they have that are things I cannot address, I will remind them that I will talk to their nurse about it. It usually helps inform the pt when they seem befuddled that I'm not the one bringing the pain med or doing whatever other RN-only action as well. I am careful of this because I like to position myself as a distraction for the pt when the nurse is held up with other things and I also don't want to undermine the nurses I am assisting.

I personally would not appreciate an aide working with me referring to themselves as a nurse when I am trying to make sure my pt understands who I am, what I can do for them as opposed to who the aide is and what they can do for them. It's hard enough for pts to figure out who to ask for what and after a certain point, they just don't care to know (hence the whole "doctor's stethoscope" controversy). There's no point in everyone running around calling themselves nurses. But, I think some people let this slide because either they have been in the game for so long that they do have some great pt care chops and feel kind of awesome about it. Unfortunately, though, they don't truly know what makes an LVN or RN a licensed pro. This reductive mentality of being super awesome at pt care in comparison to the newbie RN who is still polishing their skill set that their license makes them responsible for (in addition to also helping with pt care) somehow equates to the newbie RN as being lesser therefore, they can just let the nurse misnomer slide because, heck, they've been doing it long enough and have seen way more than enough.

God, I'm rambling. I'm getting used to working nights. :yawn:

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I'm sure it's the same reason why some nurses like wearing white coats

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I'm sure it's the same reason why some nurses like wearing white coats

A white lab coat was a uniform requirement in both the nursing programs I've been in...of course, I'm not a nurse, so I don't know about practice, but I know in school you may be required to wear one.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.
Yup, this happens where I receive my care. You'll meet "Mary, Dr. White's nurse". "Oh? LPN or RN?". They'll say "neither" and when you question further, you get "well, I'm Dr. WHITE's nurse". Um, what? I will call them out, every time.

I would be very tempted to reply:

"And I am Dr White's PATIENT and I dont do business with fake nurses."

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.
Why do you feel the need to put down other professions? I worked in a clinic that did not employ nurses on site so yeah, I was the one administering first aid.

Nursing is a profession that requires formal education, clinical experience and legal regulation.

Medical Assisting, whether certified or not, is a vocation, that may or may not require any vocational training or clinical experience and no legal regulation.

A Certified Nursing Assistant takes a 40 to 50 hour training class and a 50 question test on activities of daily living to earn a State Certificate to work in facilities that receive Medicare funding.

Medical Assisting is not a profession. It is a vocation.

Being a Nursing Assistant is also not a profession. It is a vocation.

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I honestly never heard of this being an issue until I logged onto this site. My last job was with a large health system that has quite a few hospitals and clinics. I worked for one of the multispecialty clinics for 7 years & they only have RNs & MAs. Never was there a problem with MAs portraying themselves as nurses.

The doctors referred to us as their assistants; patients were never lead to believe we were nurses & our badges said "Medical Assistant" and it was policy for employees to badges.

Of course being a medical assistant doesn't require a degree nor do we have the knowledge and skill set of an RN or LPN, but we are living in times where even in the healthcare system money is tight and they're doing what they can to cut cost; hence the reasoning behind outpatient facilities hiring more MAs.

That particular healthcare system provides continuous education to their MAs and trains them accordingly. They will delegate within reason, but never to the point of jeopardizing patient safety or asking you to perform duties that only a nurse can & should do.

As far as patients referring to other members of the healthcare team as nurses - That's like beating a dead horse. You can correct them till your blue in the face, but it's not likely to change. I correct some of the same patients & staff members all the time at my new job & it's truly becoming redundant. These people are not elderly or demented; they know who I am and they know who the RN is. So apparently it's just easier to say nurse.

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Specializes in Oncology, Rehab, Public Health, Med Surg.
Not all CNA's and MA's do this!! You are making it seem like it happens majority of the time. When I am quite sure that this is not the case!! Quite a few nurses that I have worked wiith are very lazy and think that they are up and above PCT's and I would NEVER feel the need to lie about being one of them!! Most times, patients have better experiences with their tech's/ NA's because we spend the most time with them. If this is happening as much as you are so called witnessing this, then why are you viewing it in such a bad manner!? why not view it as an honor to be admired so much??? Technically as a CNA- Certified NURSING Assistant THEY are are assistant nurses.. I don't see what the big deal is... BESIDES any PCT/ NA that lies about being a nurse will get caught up eventaully because they won't have all the nswers that the nurse has to give to a patient when they start asking questions. I am a CNA/ PCT, AND A MA and I have NEVER identified myself as a NURSE!!

No they aren't assistant nurses. They are assisting nurses.

Just like teachers assistants aren't assistant teachers-- they are assisting teachers.

Dietary assistants aren't assistant dieticians-- they are assisting dieticians

Nursing assistant is much different than assistant nurse

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Specializes in Oncology, Rehab, Public Health, Med Surg.

My 16 yo niece took an 8 hour first aid course thru her health class. She 's very bright and learned a lot. In fact, she learned so much from that and volunteering at the hospital and nursing homes that she now thinks she knows as much as the MAs that she admires in the D r office.

So she, in admiration of course, now introduces herself as a Medical Assistant or sometimes a certified nursing assistant. Depends on her mood. Of course she only REALLY had a short first aid class and volunteer hours.

Any problem with that?

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My 16 yo niece took an 8 hour first aid course thru her health class. She 's very bright and learned a lot. In fact, she learned so much from that and volunteering at the hospital and nursing homes that she now thinks she knows as much as the MAs that she admires in the D r office.

So she, in admiration of course, now introduces herself as a Medical Assistant-- after only a short first aid class and volunteer hours.

Any problem with that?

I don't have one. I'm an RN. I have my own fish to fry in this thread.

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