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?!

I have to agree. When I worked in LTC the CNAs would love to pretend to be nurses. I remember one time, very distinctly a CNA came up to me telling me about a resident who was constipated. She told me to give said resident MOM. I was so irritated that she was telling me exactly what to give the resident.

This would happen constantly at my previous place of work. It drove me NUTS. I constantly had CNAs telling me, in all seriousness, "He needs Ativan. (Wasnt prescribed Ativan.) She needs Ambien. (Wasn't prescribed Ambien.) He needs an enema." Sigh.

I posted before about that on here, and I got a lot of resistance from other nurses defending this. Um. No. Tell me what you are witnessing that makes you think the resident needs meds, then I will assess the situation and plan and implement appropriately. Thank you.

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I sometimes run into people who, when they find out I'm a nurse, say something like "I'm going to nursing school".

Translation - I'm thinking about probably logging on to the school's web site and looking at some classes I might take. Maybe.

Or on a good day they are taking a prereg.

When I began nursing school, my MIL told me she went to nursing school when she was younger. Turns out she took a one semester EMT class.

On another note, I was at the doctor's office today and overheard an MA giving medical advice on the phone. However, it sounded like it was a friend she was talking to. Otherwise, I would completely have reported her.

But she was then the same MA whom I've written about before who took my blood pressure with the cuff INCREDIBLY loose. (Weirdly worded, I know.) She did the same thing today. Gee, I wonder why the doctor ended up taking it manually. Freaking him out thinking my BP was through the roof when it was, shock, normal.

On the same hand though, I was in the ED this weekend (I'm fine now) and the RN, yes, an ED RN, took my last BP over my huge sweatshirt. It read in the 90's over 60's when just an hour earlier, without the sweatshirt, it was close to 140/90 ish.

People baffle me.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I honestly have never heard a nurse try to pass themselves off as a physician.

On the other hand, I've seen countless medical students try to pass themselves off as physicians!

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
I've had a lot of patients who state that they used to be a nurse. IMO about 80% are lying, based on other behavior and statements. I never call anyone in it but it's in my mind.

I have noticed that same phenomenon. Most nurses don't say their nurses when they are patients. I've heard various reasons as to why. Personally as a patient I didn't see any reason to tell them unless they ask.

The other day we had a patient claiming to be a nurse. One of my coworkers took out his phone and said "really? Hmmmm. I looked at the board of nursing web site and your license didn't show up there. Are you licensed in another state?" I wish I had thought of that.

Nurse wannabes are are so annoying. I was working in a chronic dialysis unit a few years ago. We had a patient who would become unresponsive and start jerking. She had a neuro evaluation and was found to be having "pseudo seizures". (I.e. She was faking it). One day shortly after that I was in charge and the techs asked me to come and evaluate her because she was doing it again. They were great. Even though they knew she was faking they knew enough to know that we need to evaluate her and document our findings. I did an assessment and her vitals were normal, O2 sats were fine, she was lying down so she couldn't fall and hurt herself. It was the same old thing she did every day.

So I turn around and here comes the secretary - not a tech, not a medical assistant; the secretary - pushing the crash cart. I said "what are you doing? We don't need the crash cart". She was hysterical, saying I needed to do this and that and call 911 and blah blah blah. I said "no she's fine. I assessed her. She does this every day and nothing happens." And by this time the jerking had stopped, the patient was awake and alert because now something very interesting was happening and she didn't want miss anything. The secretary argued with me. I ignored her and walked away. Then she had the nerve to report me to the manager for being unsafe and not showing proper concern for the patient. Hello, you are THE SECRETARY. Where did you get the knowledge and skills to evaluate my judgement and care? Ticked me right off. The manager kind of made made noises about writing an incident report. I laughed and said "you can't be serious. You're going to commit to paper that a secretary questioned the judgment of the charge nurse? Well, I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but Im going to leave now and give you some time to think about what that will say about your qualifications as a manager."

That was the end of it. Then I pulled the secretary aside and had a private chat with her about how she should probably stick to her data entry tasks and let the nurses handle the medical things.

Latee her I found out that the secretary was friends with the manager's daughter and she had been getting away with doing this kind of thing for a while. Until then the manager hadn't given much thought to how letting a secretary make medical decions might reflect badly on her judgment. Fortunately I'm too dumb to understand politics.

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I have noticed that same phenomenon. Most nurses don't say their nurses when they are patients. I've heard various reasons as to why. Personally as a patient I didn't see any reason to tell them unless they ask.

The other day we had a patient claiming to be a nurse. One of my coworkers took out his phone and said "really? Hmmmm. I looked at the board of nursing web site and your license didn't show up there. Are you licensed in another state?" I wish I had thought of that.

Nurse wannabes are are so annoying. I was working in a chronic dialysis unit a few years ago. We had a patient who would become unresponsive and start jerking. She had a neuro evaluation and was found to be having "pseudo seizures". (I.e. She was faking it). One day shortly after that I was in charge and the techs asked me to come and evaluate her because she was doing it again. They were great. Even though they knew she was faking they knew enough to know that we need to evaluate her and document our findings. I did an assessment and her vitals were normal, O2 sats were fine, she was lying down so she couldn't fall and hurt herself. It was the same old thing she did every day.

So I turn around and here comes the secretary - not a tech, not a medical assistant; the secretary - pushing the crash cart. I said "what are you doing? We don't need the crash cart". She was hysterical, saying I needed to do this and that and call 911 and blah blah blah. I said "no she's fine. I assessed her. She does this every day and nothing happens." And by this time the jerking had stopped, the patient was awake and alert because now something very interesting was happening and she didn't want miss anything. The secretary argued with me. I ignored her and walked away. Then she had the nerve to report me to the manager for being unsafe and not showing proper concern for the patient. Hello, you are THE SECRETARY. Where did you get the knowledge and skills to evaluate my judgement and care? Ticked me right off. The manager kind of made made noises about writing an incident report. I laughed and said "you can't be serious. You're going to commit to paper that a secretary questioned the judgment of the charge nurse? Well, I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but Im going to leave now and give you some time to think about what that will say about your qualifications as a manager."

That was the end of it. Then I pulled the secretary aside and had a private chat with her about how she should probably stick to her data entry tasks and let the nurses handle the medical things.

Latee her I found out that the secretary was friends with the manager's daughter and she had been getting away with doing this kind of thing for a while. Until then the manager hadn't given much thought to how letting a secretary make medical decions might reflect badly on her judgment. Fortunately I'm too dumb to understand politics.

Oh my Heavens! If I didn't know better, I'd think we were at the same facility!! Nepotism is alive and well in the medical world!

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Specializes in Civilian+military ER, CVICU.

Wha?!

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Specializes in Geriatrics and Rehab.

I am a CNA in LTAC. My residents/patients are always calling me "nurse", even though they are well aware that I am not one. I do not go around telling people that I am a nurse. I guess its easier for the resident/patient to say "nurse" than "nurse tech" or "nurse aide." I really can't wait to go to nursing school and become a nurse so I don't keep explaining that I am a CNA...lol

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
The study that we were all given to "prove" that color coding improved patient satisfaction was done by a scrub company and was backed up by a study that nursing administration conducted. The second study consisted of standing at the main entrance to the hospital with a checklist and asking visitors "If nurses wore a certain color of scrubs and ancillary personnel wore a different color, would it help you to know who the nurse was? Would that improve your satisfaction with your loved one's care?"

Someone wasn't paying attention in their research class! I thought that was what separated the ADN/diploma from the BSN.

:banghead:

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Wow. Way to set them straight.

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I feel and try to show the same respect to our PCA's, MA's, RT's, PT's, and EMT's as I do to Rn's, and I don't mind if people refer to them as Nurse especially at the hospital. The PCA's I work with are skilled and have a wealth of knowledge that I draw on every day as a new nurse. However it does get on my nerves a bit when one refers to themselves as Nurse outside of the hospital. But this is a personal issue as I know someone who "thinks" she is a nurse and try's to talk the big talk, but she has only worked a few weeks, yes WEEKS, as an assistant in a dr's office. lol. I try and not get on a soap box about it too often, but it's helpful to remember the distinction for these times when it's an Rn's responsibility and we can't rely on someone elses judgement.

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I feel and try to show the same respect to our PCA's, MA's, RT's, PT's, and EMT's as I do to Rn's, and I don't mind if people refer to them as Nurse especially at the hospital. The PCA's I work with are skilled and have a wealth of knowledge that I draw on every day as a new nurse. However it does get on my nerves a bit when one refers to themselves as Nurse outside of the hospital. But this is a personal issue as I know someone who "thinks" she is a nurse and try's to talk the big talk, but she has only worked a few weeks, yes WEEKS, as an assistant in a dr's office. lol. I try and not get on a soap box about it too often, but it's helpful to remember the distinction for these times when it's an Rn's responsibility and we can't rely on someone elses judgement.

PTs will correct you quick, fast, and in a hurry if you call them a nurse haha

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

How about my.name is Marie and I'm not a nurse.

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