Ok, we've just switched doctors under our medical plan. So I go in for a routine checkup, etc. at this clinic. They tell me the nurse will be with me shortly. Of course, since I'm a student, I always ask nurses how they like their jobs etc. So I ask: You're a nurse, right? She nods. How do you like the job ... blah, blah blah ... Not once did she correct me. Then I ask where she went to school. When she names the school, I'm confused because I've never heard of it.
That's when she says, "Oh ... I'm an MA."
Then the doctor comes in, and tells me "the nurse will be with you shortly." I'm like ... what nurse? Then I find out that everybody at the "Nurses Station" is actually an MA, but everyone, from the receptionist to the doctors, are referring to these MA's as nurses. My husband, who has to go in fairly frequently, says they told him the same thing ... that these MA's were nurses.
Now, I don't know if there's actually anything wrong with this, and maybe this isn't a big deal but, it seemed really weird to me. I've been to other doctor's offices where the staff was very careful to tell me they were MA's, not nurses. Especially when I asked if they were a nurse or not.
Any thoughts? Is this allowed? Why would even doctors refer to MA's as nurses?
Specializes in ICU/ER/Med-Surg/Case Management/Manageme.
I don't think anyone has any problem with nursing schools "preferring" CNA experience prior to nursing school, and especially in this day and age with shortages of nursing educators. We've all read the stories of nursing schools turning away qualified applicants simply due to lack of instructors. I suspect there are quite a few student nurses that got into nursing school only to find out it just wasn't for them and dropped out, creating vacancies where someone else could have been admitted and successfully completed their degree. CNA experience is a good teacher, as is all different types of life experiences. Still, a person is not a nurse, as the public defines a nurse in the clinical setting, until they have passed their credentialing examinations.
nurse (nûrs)
n.
A person educated and trained to care for the sick or disabled.
A woman employed to suckle children other than her own; a wet nurse.
A woman employed to take care of a child; a nursemaid.
One that serves as a nurturing or fostering influence or means: "Town life is the nurse of civilization" (C.L.R. James).
Zoology. A worker ant or bee that feeds and cares for the colony's young.
It is illegal for anyone to refer to themselves as a nurse without the proper credentials. It constitutes fraud. Now whether or not any actual harm results from it is another matter. However, you as a patient have every right to know what skill level is attending to your needs. Also, as a Registered Nurse, I think it would be quite appropriate to correct persons who are incorrectly presenting themselves as members of my LICENSED profession.
Doctors may find it easier to refer to "all" of their medical personnel as nurses, but I think it sure sets them up liability wise-a lawsuit waiting to happen!
Just because "everybody does it"-doesn't make it right!
Just FYI: Some ADN programs require CNA training as a pre-requisite, but not all of them do. It is not a statewide requirement, but a discretionary thing which varies between schools.
Having been a Clinical Nursing Instructor for several years ... both at the LPN and BSN level, I found that students with CNA training had one great advantage over other students.
That advantage was they had already encountered the experience of "hands on," and were not frightened by having to touch a ("stranger") patient.
CNA's and LPN's always did better in clinical for not only that reason, but also because they had already seen, or had experience of caring for some types of equipment.
If I had a student who was having problems with nervousness at patient contact, I always encouraged them to be a Nursing Assistant (CNA, PCA, whatever the title) during a semester break.
The change in their confidence level in the clinical setting afterward was very noticeable.
I wasn't trying to suggest that a CNA pre-requisite is a bad idea. Quite the contrary. I think it's a great idea. I was merely pointing out that it's not, as previously stated, a California requirement.
What state do you live in? In California, they say MA is good experience,
but counts nothing towards becoming an RN (nothing transfers from an
MA program to RN). Being an LVN (LPN) is a different story and it
does count. We have a 30-hour bridge program, that I think is good
in California only. Also in CA, a CNA or equivalent training is required before
entering an RN program (at least via the Community College ADN route).
Actually that isn't true. I live in CA, went to a community college and took the ADN route. I did not have to be a CNA or MA first.
I think it is fine if you want to go that route. I was encouraged to take the summer off, enjoy my family and relax because I was about to start a very stressful program (and it was hard). And we learn all the CNA stuff (making beds, vital signs, etc) in the first few weeks anyway so I took that advice.
Regarding fear of touching patients and those who were CNA's or MA's before don't have that fear . . . I don't think personally it would be worth it to me to take a course before nursing school starts to get me over that tiny bump in the road. Everyone is probably a little timid about it. Everyone eventually gets over it.
I did work for a physician during school who allowed me to train to give IM injections but I never said I was a nurse, always a nursing student working as a medical assistant.
This whole subject sounds familiar so I apologize if I've posted this before.
I feel like this until MA has endured the work, I went through he/she has no right to put that word in their mouth. Last I checked MD's do not dish out licensure so their word means squat. The bottom line is that everyone wants to take a piece of what nurses do on a daily basis yet doesn't have a clue what nursing really entails. We are the backbone of the healthcare profession and every agency or some crack pot legislation is always trying to justify why unlicensed personnel should be able to do 1/8 of our job when it is not what nursing is all about! Nursing has came a long way and has a ways to go! :angryfire
I wonder how a certified medical assistant would feel about a person who was hired to work in a doctor's office, with no prior experience or credentials, with OTJ training only, calling themselves a "medical assistant". (After all, they do the same thing, right?)
I wonder how a certified medical assistant would feel about a person who was hired to work in a doctor's office, with no prior experience or credentials, with OTJ training only, calling themselves a "medical assistant". (After all, they do the same thing, right?)
anyone can legally call themselves a "nurse". however, only those w/ an RN license can call themselves a "registered nurse". report them to the board of nurses. they should be the ones to deal w/ this person.
Specializes in Cardiothoracic Transplant Telemetry.
This is a sore subject for me right now. I am graduating this December, and while my sister says that she is proud of me, she is always saying that she knows just as much, or maybe more than me because she worked as a non-certified aid in a LTC for years. The reason that she feels that she knows so much is that for some enormously frightening reason they would regularly have her hand out meds. I have tried to warn her that she should never do that again because it is illegal, but of course I don't know anything, and by the way, why don't I go to med school!!!! arghhh :angryfire
(After all, they do the same thing, right?) 
DallasRN
300 Posts
I don't think anyone has any problem with nursing schools "preferring" CNA experience prior to nursing school, and especially in this day and age with shortages of nursing educators. We've all read the stories of nursing schools turning away qualified applicants simply due to lack of instructors. I suspect there are quite a few student nurses that got into nursing school only to find out it just wasn't for them and dropped out, creating vacancies where someone else could have been admitted and successfully completed their degree. CNA experience is a good teacher, as is all different types of life experiences. Still, a person is not a nurse, as the public defines a nurse in the clinical setting, until they have passed their credentialing examinations.
nurse (nûrs)
n.
A person educated and trained to care for the sick or disabled.
A woman employed to suckle children other than her own; a wet nurse.
A woman employed to take care of a child; a nursemaid.
One that serves as a nurturing or fostering influence or means: "Town life is the nurse of civilization" (C.L.R. James).
Zoology. A worker ant or bee that feeds and cares for the colony's young.
Keywords: educated and trained.