why do many MAs and CNAs call themselves nurses?

[murseforever]

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?!

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

We have a repeat visitor here who has posed as an RN under three different screen names in the past few months. She is delusional and likes to rant about how CNAs are mistreated and equal to Nurses. I am reasonably sure that she is crazy enough to pose as a nurse inside and outside of work as well.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

I get it. Your points are valid from a legal standpoint. I was referring to RN, LPN's, etc that find it personally offensive outside of work ethic. This seems more of concern for the facilities which hire such individuals.

Maybe after you meet a few of the crazies and witness the deception you will change your mind.

I am not referring to language barriers or people with short term memory loss who call every health care worker a nurse.

[jtmarcy12, BSN, RN]

I currently work with an LPN who is s male and people just assume he is a doctor when he puts on his white coat, he never corrects them that's why he never wears a badge(this is a clinic type setting).I feel sorry for those who cannot accept their status in life " you don't have to remain an LPN"?but misleading people knowing that they call you Doctor is a lie makes me wonder what else they are capable of lying about when it comes to patient safety?

[typoagain]

In my state, Texas, you can call yourself a nurse if you work in a doctors office. You can do this with even wirhout getting a high school education much less any further training. It is an old old loophole the doctors used to use to get inexpensive help in their office. Legally the doctor is responsible for everything they do. And they are working under the doctor's license not their own.

I run into it all the time and I hate it.

I generally respond by asking them for some quote advice on a topic that I am sure they know nothing about. I do this using the biggest most technical terms I can find. I love the look of utter confusion and stupidity they get on their face.

My favorite is "I have a patient with cholecystolithiasis and they're asking for dietary recommendations. And an embarrassingly enough, I am drawing a total blank.

Can you think of any?"

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I get it. Your points are valid from a legal standpoint. I was referring to RN, LPN's, etc that find it personally offensive outside of work ethic. This seems more of concern for the facilities which hire such individuals.

I find it personally offensive for the same reason a physician would find it personally offensive if I walked into a patient room and represented myself as an MD.

It's professionally offensive for obvious reasons, but it's also *personally* offensive because the person is claiming to have credentials they did not earn. I worked hard for my license. That's what makes it personal.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

In my state, Texas, you can call yourself a nurse if you work in a doctors office. You can do this with even wirhout getting a high school education much less any further training. It is an old old loophole the doctors used to use to get inexpensive help in their office. Legally the doctor is responsible for everything they do. And they are working under the doctor's license not their own.

I run into it all the time and I hate it.

This is from the Texas Nurse Practice Act, amended in 2013:

Sec. 301.251. License Required. (a) A person may not practice or offer to practice professional nursing or vocational nursing in this state unless the person is licensed as provided by this chapter. (b) Unless the person holds a license under this chapter, a person may not use, in connection with the person's name: (1) the title Registered Nurse,” Professional Nurse,” Licensed Vocational Nurse,” Vocational Nurse,” Licensed Practical Nurse,” Practical Nurse,” or Graduate Nurse”; (2) the abbreviation R.N.,” L.V.N.,” V.N.,” L.P.N.,” or P.N.”; or (3) any other designation tending to imply that the person is a licensed registered nurse or vocational nurse. © This section does not apply to a person entitled to practice nursing in this state under Chapter 304. (d) Unless the person holds a license under this chapter, a person may not use, in connection with the person's name: (1) the title nurse”; or (2) any other designation tending to imply that the person is licensed to provide nursing care.

Can you provide the chapter and section of the Nurse Practice Act which describes this "loophole" of which you speak?

[LindaThornton]

Oh I think you are worrying about something silly,focus on you and not them,especially if they are a patient,do not confront them,they may be performing some duties which we real nurses are doing and feel like they are in the field of nursing,which some are actually not but its not the time and place to have the showdown,just find out as much about what they know and take the teaching from there,never assume even if its a RN that they already know.

[Nurse Leigh]

Oh I think you are worrying about something silly,focus on you and not them,especially if they are a patient,do not confront them,they may be performing some duties which we real nurses are doing and feel like they are in the field of nursing,which some are actually not but its not the time and place to have the showdown,just find out as much about what they know and take the teaching from there,never assume even if its a RN that they already know.

I read this run on sentence more than once but it still confuses me.

What is so difficult about not using the titles "registered nurse""licensed practical/vocational nurse" or "nurse" if one has not earned the right to do so?

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

Not sure why this bugs people. I don't care if an MA, CNA, PCA, etc calls themself a nurse. At the end of the day, they don't receive the same pay nor work under the same scope of nursing practice.

I do care. When a non-nurse uses the title nurse and does something egregious, it reflects on the profession. And in SC, it's illegal to use the title nurse (and all variations) unless you are a licensed nurse. At the end of the day it isn't about wether they get the same amount in their paycheck or not. It's about integrity and how this can reflect on the profession.

A woman in Upstate South Carolina was a clinical instructor and an ED "nurse" without a license. She was finally caught. She had failed out of nursing school and decided that was enough. The amount of harm she could have caused was substantial, and it did reflect badly on the nursing profession. So does the MA/CNA/Tech who tell people they are the "nurse" and screw up. That is what matters at the end of the day.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Here lately I've notice ALOT of nursing students with nurse/LPN/RN/BSN/so on for their user names. No 2b, etc. Clearly against TOS and have even told them only to be ignored. To me that is claiming to be a nurse when not, no one mistakenly calling them one. I don't like that. Do the classwork, pass the NCLEX

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

If there were paralegals running around who tried to pass themselves off as lawyers, real lawyers everywhere would squash them so quick it would make your head spin. And they would have every right to do so. And I doubt very much anyone would tell them to "just take a chill pill", or imply they're overreacting.

So why is it when nurses do exactly the same thing to protect the title "nurse", we're suddenly labeled drama queens?

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Oh I think you are worrying about something silly,focus on you and not them,especially if they are a patient,do not confront them,they may be performing some duties which we real nurses are doing and feel like they are in the field of nursing,which some are actually not but its not the time and place to have the showdown,just find out as much about what they know and take the teaching from there,never assume even if its a RN that they already know.

Tell you what. Actually get accepted into a Nursing program, graduate, take NCLEX, pass it, obtain your professional license, work as a nurse for a few years, maintain your professional license, keep up with your required CEUs...THEN come back and tell us how you feel about people who pretend to be something they aren't.