Medical Assistants being called nurses

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  1. Are you comfortable with MAs calling selves Nurses?

    • 56
      Are you receiving info in your MDs office from an MA who says they are Nurse?
    • 29
      Is it self to pose as a nurse if you are an MA in MD offices
    • 66
      Why are MDs allowing MAs to pose as nurses
    • 101
      Why is it not being addressed by BNE that MAs can not identify as Nurses
    • 31
      Who should give you diagnostic info if not md an MA?

13 members have participated

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?

First off let me say this:

Any MA who calls themself a nurse is breaking the law in most every state and so is the MD.

Second: MA are just as important as nurses are so get off the typical RN high horse.

I have been in this business for more than 30 years and nurses, particularly RN are ruining it for everyone. You want too much money, too much power for very little work.

As a medic AND an MA I see so many RNs who are so egocentric its just sickening.

Get over yourself. Maybe its time to retire and let someone else carry on.

Sounds to me like someone is jealous. Other than that, this isn't even worth responding to.

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I would also like to point out that the majority of medical assistants have had training and are either certified or registered after passing a licensure exam by the state. However, this is not always the case. At the doctors office I worked at, as a certified medical assistant, we also had 3 medical assistants that had not gone to school or been trained by anyone, other than the training they received at the office. How someone can work in the medical field with no training is beyond me. Two of those went on to nursing school and I'm sure will be fabulous nurses. I am currently in nursing school myself and I am thankful for my training as a medical assistant, as it does lay the background for me to understand the concepts I am learning now.

Someone already pointed out that medical assistance are certified and not licensed. I'd also like to clarify that even if a medical assistant has had training and is certified, they are not trained to do the same things that a nurse is legally allowed to do, yet they often function in many ways as nurses do.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
First off let me say this:

Any MA who calls themself a nurse is breaking the law in most every state and so is the MD.

Second: MA are just as important as nurses are so get off the typical RN high horse.

I have been in this business for more than 30 years and nurses, particularly RN are ruining it for everyone. You want too much money, too much power for very little work.

As a medic AND an MA I see so many RNs who are so egocentric its just sickening.

Get over yourself. Maybe its time to retire and let someone else carry on.

I don't see any high horses here. Nope...I just see a bitter individual who doesn't know how to play nice and get along. I also suspect...doesn't understand the value of a nurse since most are underpaid for their education and their work.

Sorry you are so bitter. Couldn't make it into or through nursing school? Because that's what you sound like with this attitude.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

I know an NP who corrects every single person in her office when an MA is called nurse. She tells the MAs to be proud of their education but....until they go through nursing school and pass nclex they aren't nurses and don't get to use the title. She also points out that they wouldn't be happy if an aid walked around saying she was an MA.

I LOVE IT! We need everyone to protect the tittle. It is important to nurses and patients.

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER, Pediatrics, Corrections.

At the office I work at, there was an MA working as a receptionist. The other nurses told me that he would give the patients medical advice and medication advice. Yikes. I guess some of the things he was telling patients at the front office were completely out of his scope of practice. As a receptionist?! Things are not regulated well it seems.

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The MAs who say they are nurses just give life to the suspicion that they are nurse wannabes! I say: Have pride in your own education and training! Show it by stating what your true title is!!!

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

There are patients in my office that call our MAs "nurses". They don't understand that there are licenses and certifications as so forth, they just assume that the person taking their vitals and asking them chief complaints are nurses. I correct them and educate them; sometimes they say that prefer to use that term for them and I let them. It's their choice.

Now an MA calling his/herself a "nurse" is absolutely a problem. I would have a direct conversation with any MA I heard using "nurse".

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

It has been my experience that Medical Assistants and Office managers will identify themselves as such.

It is the untrained office workers who decide that it's okay to call themselves "Doctor Smith's nurse."

I have said " please don't use the title of nurse in front of me unless you are licensed to practice nursing in the State of Massachusetts." Some of them really don't know that they are doing anything wrong. I do not have it in me to be cruel to someone who is probably poor, uneducated, and working for minimum wage. We are educators and we can spell it out without being demeaning. Be a role model, be kind, be yourself.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I'm on Flomax for a kidney stone, and I have no prostate or BPH issues. So be careful about laughing out loud...

I'm a nursing student but I work in an urgent care currently. I have a question (which I think I know the answer to but I'd like to ask!)

I work with someone who WAS an LPN last licensed in '98 in another state then moved to Florida where she has never been licensed. She continues to refer to herself as the nurse. I read the previous comment which redirected to the ANA and wanted to confirm that since she's technically not licensed in our state... It's illegal.

Whenever patients refer to her as "the nurse" I correct them and say we're all medical assistants here- not nurses. The only reason why I even bother to correct them is she's making mistakes and not telling them the correct info regarding their health and medications (one of my female patients had BPH the other day- I laughed out loud).

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I'm a nursing student but I work in an urgent care currently. I have a question (which I think I know the answer to but I'd like to ask!)

I work with someone who WAS an LPN last licensed in '98 in another state then moved to Florida where she has never been licensed. She continues to refer to herself as the nurse. I read the previous comment which redirected to the ANA and wanted to confirm that since she's technically not licensed in our state... It's illegal.

Whenever patients refer to her as "the nurse" I correct them and say we're all medical assistants here- not nurses. The only reason why I even bother to correct them is she's making mistakes and not telling them the correct info regarding their health and medications (one of my female patients had BPH the other day- I laughed out loud).

It drives me up the wall when medical assistants call themselves nurses but there are a few things here that I would point out. First, you can't assume that a nurse who was ever licensed anywhere forgets what they learned in nursing school or doesn't keep current on best practices.

Second, someone who is not a nurse doesn't automatically turn into a medical assistant. Each state governs the practice of MAs and they are all over the map. Some states you can hire a person off the street and call them an Medical Assistant. Others require certification. There are actually two-year associate degree programs in Medical Assisting.

Third, by telling your patients that the individual is not a nurse without (I'm assuming) informing either the unlicensed nurse or the management of your urgent care center I believe you could be asking for trouble. You are undermining your urgent care center's reputation with the patients. You don't know every detail of her education. You can talk to your managers about it and report it to whatever authority you want to -- it just isn't IMO appropriate for you to tell patients this all on your own.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

What should the medical office helper who is not a Certified Medical Assistant call herself?

Medical assistant

Medical assistant assistant

Office assistant

Office nurse

Office helper

Blood pressure checker

overworked and underpaid

I just can't think of an appropriate title.

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What should the medical office helper who is not a Certified Medical Assistant call herself?

Medical assistant

Medical assistant assistant

Office assistant

Office nurse

Office helper

Blood pressure checker

overworked and underpaid

I just can't think of an appropriate title.

So what is it that you are meaning to say?

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