Medical Assistants being called nurses

[Ethicsrn4life]

I have serious concerns about Md offices hiring medical assistants and calling themselves nurses. They are given diagnostic results and education to pts, but identify as nurses . I have had the experience and new immediately that I was not speaking to a nurse ended up calling 911 b/c the md would not return call, the MA was uncomfortable taking note to md and I was a post op pt. I am RN of 28yrs and out of 7 providers only one hires licensed nurses, were name badges. These other offices refer to the MAs as nurses and really have not seen this address. How long would it take if I said I was an md in an office before it would be addressed as a very serious matter? I think it is perfectly fine that Mds want to hire MAs, but is it ok that they say they are nurses and they are doing nursing duties? How comfortable are you with not knowing who is talking to you at the mds' office? I know it is not legal so why is this not a serious concern?

[smartnurse1982]

But I think you knew all that and were just picking at the poster.

No,i really did not know that.

I know i asked a question like this on a different nursing board and someone told me that Rn and Lpn are protected titles,but the actual word "nurse" is not.

I read it on the Alabama BON website as well.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Totally depends on the state. In some states "nurse" is a protected title, in others it is not.

[Ethicsrn4life]

Perhaps i need to clear things upbut i dont believe i will be graded and i am not trying to obtain any specific answers except bring to light a serious situation that we are aware of and choose to do or say little. So please use the post like a cafeteria lunch.

Take what you want leave the rest. I am not struggling with any insecurities about my abilities to write or deliver a point.

[Ethicsrn4life]

Unfortunately this is not accurate. In ALL 50 sttes nurse is a protective title.....i t is not ENFORCED it all states but it is a licensed professional who have obtained additional training and passed an r exam. LVNs/LPN ,RN or an RN with additional training and or education may refer to themselves as a nurse. Not a CNA, MA or PA, or any other group may refer to themself as a nurse.

The only reason in a lot of states that this is not enforced as a legal matter is because it evolved out of the meical model and unfortunately evolution has not taken place at every level.

I promise if some injurious incident happens to a patient who is informed, the doctor's offic r will have legal consequences as well as the not informed MA.

And i suspect the MD with their resources will not be honorable and admit they gave the MA the title NURSE.

She or he will be thrown under the proverbial bus.

If you question the isdue that Nurse is not a safeguarded title in all 50 states s nd Puerto Rico called th r state BON.

[Ethicsrn4life]

I appreciate your post , succinct and about what is legal. I truly believe that it is an education issue for the MAs. I dont think they are aware, but it is not an education issue for physcians.

They are very much aware of the differences in using MAs as nurses. They e ant the credibility of using the title Nurse for patients, and yet not hire Nurses because it is cheaper, they think.

Over the last 15 years nurses have disappeared from office nursing, so has nursing education.

You sound like a very good nurse who desires to give all parties the benefit of the doubt and true to nursing you day let us start educating them.

Some of us find that with education they persist. I again think to give MAs the benefit and to assi d t them in understanding is a good place.

For the MDs who believe they are getting around things by misusing these MAs, they should be held responsible it is their office their pts they are deceiving and putting them at risk.

Again i appreciate how you just pulled it together so well.☺

[smartnurse1982]

The problem with "nurse" as i see it is that it does have different meanings,and is a noun as well as a verb.

Remember "wet nurses" from back in the day?

We also "nurse"(breastfeed) babies right?

I would feel better if "Rn and "Lpn" were protected titles.

[GM2RN]

OP, please quote the person you are responding to so we can better understand what you are saying. Otherwise your responses seem to come from left field and it makes it difficult to follow the discussion. Thanks!

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Did you read the link provided by a pp? My state specifically has language written that says if you're calling yourself a nurse (stand alone word), you HAVE to be an RN. The way some of us have interpreted it is that it's fine to call yourself an LPN (if you are one of course) but an LPN cannot call themselves a nurse. Sucks, yes, but it refutes the claim you're making here.

QUOTE=Ethicsrn4life;8099712]Unfortunately this is not accurate. In ALL 50 sttes nurse is a protective title.....i t is not ENFORCED it all states but it is a licensed professional who have obtained additional training and passed an r exam. LVNs/LPN ,RN or an RN with additional training and or education may refer to themselves as a nurse. Not a CNA, MA or PA, or any other group may refer to themself as a nurse.

The only reason in a lot of states that this is not enforced as a legal matter is because it evolved out of the meical model and unfortunately evolution has not taken place at every level.

I promise if some injurious incident happens to a patient who is informed, the doctor's offic r will have legal consequences as well as the not informed MA.

And i suspect the MD with their resources will not be honorable and admit they gave the MA the title NURSE.

She or he will be thrown under the proverbial bus.

If you question the isdue that Nurse is not a safeguarded title in all 50 states s nd Puerto Rico called th r state BON.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Unfortunately this is not accurate..

Oh good golly, please use the "quote" function if you're responding directly to someone else's post. We have no idea to which post this is a response.

[Thimbalina]

A few years back a woman ran for office as a 'nurse' and after she was elected it was discovered she was an MA… Everyone was mad as heck but apparently 'nurse' is a broader term than LVN or RN. She stayed in office and served her term… It was for a seat on the hospital board which is voted on by the city. Kind of funny that an MA was basically running the hospital and made $40k a year which at the time was a lot as this was… about 20 years ago.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

The problem with "nurse" as i see it is that it does have different meanings,and is a noun as well as a verb.

Remember "wet nurses" from back in the day?

We also "nurse"(breastfeed) babies right?

I would feel better if "Rn and "Lpn" were protected titles.

The problem with that is, if anyone can call himself a nurse, people WILL assume that person is an RN or LPN.

That's why the word 'nurse' needs to be protected. It's not enough to just protect the credentials 'RN' or 'LPN'. (Plus, I think the fact that they are credentials held by licensed individuals means that they are automatically protected without any special laws)

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I did my community health clinical at a clinic where MAs freely call themselves nurses (working alongside LPNs who legitimately called themselves the same) and what's interesting is that the director of nursing (a true licensed RN) was aware of this and was very permissive. I asked him why this was allowed and he pointed out that it just created more harmony among the staff. I left it at that. Don't think he fully realized the likely impact this kind of permissiveness was creating with clients. I didn't agree, but who was I to argue this on my last clinical before graduation??

Sent from my iPad using allnurses