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?
One of the technical schools in my area advertises thier MA programs as, "the doctor's office nurse". Nice. I also dislike it when people tell, "oh I used to be nurse", after asking a few more questions it turns out they were a CNA or a PCSA. No offense but the job is different and the school was differnt also.
When I was working at Keesler AFB Medical Center in Biloxi, MS one of the Air Force Medical Techs asked what was the difference in what I was doing as a LPN and what they were doing as Medical Technicians. My response was twofold. 1) Being with the miltary they were very likely be sent overseas, especially to Irag of Afghanistan. 2) That as a Licensed Practical Nurse, I am considered a licensed professional who can be sued. In the military they cannot be sued.
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.
Tonchito - you might ought to check the BNE web site and the Texas Occupations code for an update. Your statement is no longer true in Texas
Before starting Nursing School, I worked in a Nephrologist office as a secretary. He let 2 nurses go and hired MA's to save money. Time came for this doc to get his yearly TB test. The MA used an entire new bottle for the test instead of the 2 cc's she was supposed to use. There was enough in the bottle for 14 skin tests and she used it all for the one test!!!! Immediately after, the Doc knew something was wrong. He went back and looked at the bottle, called his dermatologist and poison control, the local ED, and finally called his faithful RN that he had just recently laid off. Looks like he will probably have a few false positive readings in the next few years, but no permanent damage. The next week, the MA's were gone and the regular LPN and RN were back to work.........with a nice fat raise. I thought it was a valuable lesson learned.
Before starting Nursing School, I worked in a Nephrologist office as a secretary. He let 2 nurses go and hired MA's to save money. Time came for this doc to get his yearly TB test. The MA used an entire new bottle for the test instead of the 2 cc's she was supposed to use. There was enough in the bottle for 14 skin tests and she used it all for the one test!!!! Immediately after, the Doc knew something was wrong.
I'm sorry, but that makes no sense. A TB test doesn't use 2 cc, it uses 0.2 cc; it would be physically impossible to give an intradermal injection of 14x the normal dose. Certainly a doctor receiving such a dose would stop the MA in mid-injection as she tried to place it and blew his skin apart. Nor should the size of the dose cause him years of false positive readings. I just have to question the whole story.
And I see again, that people are resurrecting old threads. This one was over a year old until it was dredged up a few hours ago. Doesn't anyone ever look at the dates, or do they just pick pages at random to start reading and responding?
I think you should report them for the simple reason that they are devaluing our profession. I'm in nursing school, going into a second career, and I'm working so hard to get this done. It really isn't rocket science, but RNs have a lot of responsibility and need to be able to evaluate and see the big picture, not just perform tasks. I see the devaluation of the nursing profession from MAs calling themselves nurses in my own life. I tell people I'm in nursing school and they say, oh cool, so and so did that. Turns out so and so became a medical assistant. I point that out, people don't get the difference. An acquaintance asked me where I was going to nursing school, Bryman College? That's for MAs in my town! I'm like NO, I'M TRAINING TO BE WHAT AMERICANS CONSISTENTLY RATE AS ONE OF THE MOST TRUSTED PROFESSIONS: A REGISTERED NURSE, AND INDEPENDENT, LICENSED PRACTIONER OF NURSING BOUND BY A CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF PRACTICE, NOT JUST WORKPLACE RULES. ARgh!
Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
extremely old thread alert!
"Nurse" is not a state of mind. It is a legal title one is bound to by their license.
Even on this site, it is against TOS to represent oneself as a nurse by use of user name or within the context of one's posts, if in fact they are not licensed as an LPN or RN.
Nurses have worked very hard to advocate for this recognition and distinction from other healthcare professionals.
Should you find someone who is misrepresenting themselves to be a nurse, without proper licensure, please correct and educate them.
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)....
WHOA! PA AND MA --------- BIIIIIIIGGGGGGGG DIFFERENCE!IT JUST SHOWS THEIR IGNORANCE, IF THEY KNEW AS MUCH ABOUT THE MEDICAL FIELD AS THEY PORTRAY, THEY WOULD KNOW THERE WAS NO WAY IN HELL THEY WERE PA'S ( NOT TO MENTION THE MINIMUM OF 60 K / YEAR DIFFERENCE!
Everywhere I have worked, cna's and ma's have always been considered "Nursing Staff" Is it illegal for them to call themselves "nurse" or just illegal if they call themself "RN" or "LPN"?
Might be an old thread - but it's the first time *I* (and apparently several others) have seen it. Resurrection doesn't mean you have to continue to particpate, **************
Specializes in 6 years of ER fun, med/surg, blah, blah.
Before starting Nursing School, I worked in a Nephrologist office as a secretary. He let 2 nurses go and hired MA's to save money. Time came for this doc to get his yearly TB test. The MA used an entire new bottle for the test instead of the 2 cc's she was supposed to use. There was enough in the bottle for 14 skin tests and she used it all for the one test!!!! Immediately after, the Doc knew something was wrong. He went back and looked at the bottle, called his dermatologist and poison control, the local ED, and finally called his faithful RN that he had just recently laid off. Looks like he will probably have a few false positive readings in the next few years, but no permanent damage. The next week, the MA's were gone and the regular LPN and RN were back to work.........with a nice fat raise. I thought it was a valuable lesson learned.
vega44
4 Posts
small edit here from the moderators. this thread is from the year 2004. please keep that in mind when you post. thank you.
wonderful, i agree with you. i am going to school, for the medical assistant
program, i personally would correct anyone, that called me a nurse.
eventually, it will be my goal, not ready for it yet.:thankya:
vega 44