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?
The problem comes up that if the Dr. refers to their MA's as "nurses", then the pt has the expectation that their care is being performed by a Nurse. If something goes wrong or the "nurse" gives the pt. wrong information ( which happens quite a bit in my experience), then the Dr. is setting himself and his staff for a malpractice suit.
It's a lot better to refer to the MA, as "my assistant", rather than as a "nurse", if the dr. doesn't want to take the time to explain job titles to their patients.
Well, I looked it up and, you're right. It is a violation of state law. Should we file a complaint?
Well, I looked it up and, you're right. It is a violation of state law. Should we file a complaint?
i feel that you should, it is illegal and while may be harmless a lot of the time, what happens when the MA's give out incorrect info under the guise of being a nurse and it causes harm. This happened to my husband (there was a thread about it here around a year ago.) People should be proud of their occupation and not try to inflate it into something that it isn't. By the way you KNOW those same docs that are calling MA's nurses, would be incensed if they heard the NP's and PA's calling themselves Doctors. It is the same issue, the job duties mught be similar the the licensure is completely different as is the training. :uhoh21:
Specializes in Medical/Surgical/Maternal and Child.
I have seen practices where the MAs call themselves "physician's assistants"- I think that is even worse- because they have prescribing power (real ones do anyway)....
Whenever I've called the doc's offices for orders on a patient I will always get an MA. Before I get the orders I ask if this is an RN or an MA. If they tell me they're MAs then I ask for either the RN or the doc to give me orders. I have refused to take dr's orders from an MA, I don't care how much experience she has. Get me an RN or the doc, period!!!! Just want to safe guard my license is all!!!
No wonder people don't think of nurses as professionals in their own right. Everyone that puts on a set of scrubs runs around saying "I'm a nurse"
This is a violation of the law in my state too. I usually remind them that telling people they are nurses when they are not (or even allowing people to believe that they are nurses, if they are referred to as such by the docs or receptionists), could preclude them from ever being allowed to become a nurse, should they desire to do so in the future. Nursing boards don't take too kindly to people who claim to be nurses but do not hold the credentials.
Doctors, in my area, are REALLY careful about how they refer to staff. They could be liable for fraud for leading their patients to believe that the individuals providing care in the office are nurses when they are not. As for the MD who said that Surgical Techs were the same as nurses, well that is nothing short of ridiculous. There is a world of difference in the education, training, and knowledge base. Good for the CRNA who put that dumb a$$ in his place.
I was at a Doctor's appointment one time and had a medical Assistant say to me that she gave shots and drew blood so she was just like a Registered nurse. I am one that has respect for all people in the medical profession but to have someone say something like that to me was quite a blow considering how much time I had invested to become a Registered Nurse. Please I could pull any Joe off the street and teach them how to draw blood and give shots ( well maybe not just anyone :-) )
I was at a Doctor's appointment one time and had a medical Assistant say to me that she gave shots and drew blood so she was just like a Registered nurse. I am one that has respect for all people in the medical profession but to have someone say something like that to me was quite a blow considering how much time I had invested to become a Registered Nurse. Please I could pull any Joe off the street and teach them how to draw blood and give shots ( well maybe not just anyone :-) )
I wouldn't want someone that delusional coming near me with any needles.
Because of knowing something's going on, and being in healthcare field, and doing nothing about it. One of the local nurses in this area is now being questioned about HER eithics because of knowing about a local plasma bank allowing their phleb's to refer to themselves as nurses. You just never know.
I worked in a very busy office for years as an MA. It was this experience that encouraged me to go into nursing school. I had to correct the doctors and patients many times and I even went as far as putting together a brochure about MA's and putting it in the waiting room. There were no RN's or LPN's in this office just MA's. I can honestly say that no one in that office referred to themselves as a nurse and we all corrected anyone who made the assumption. The only time that I ever heard an MA refer to herself as a nurse was when I was doing my community health clinical rotation in a pediatricians office and the girl I was shadowing was an MA. She looked at me and said "I know how you feel nursing school is so hard, I wanted to pull my hair out everyday" I then proceded to ask her where she went to nursing school and she stated a business school in the area my reply was "Oh I didn't know they had a nursing program" and she said "Well you know Medical Assisting same difference", I looked at her and said "I am a medical assistant could you please tell me what the heck I'm doing in nursing school?" She didn't have a reply to that. Another instance was this summer when I was doing my nursing externship we had to write our names and title on a dry erase board in the patients room CNA, LPN, RN, Extern etc and this one LPN always just erased the RN's name leaving the RN part up on the board and then writing her name beside it. I never said aanything because I was new and "justa" extern but I didn't think that was right either.
Sheri257
3,905 Posts
Well, I looked it up and, you're right. It is a violation of state law. Should we file a complaint?