"My Nurse"

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Acute care, primary care, and community nursing.

I wanted to know what are some thoughts about physicians who refer to nurses as "My Nurse".

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It’s paternalistic and annoying. I appreciate those that don’t do this but at the same time don’t get my panties in a twist over those that do. Pick your battles. In my opinion not worth letting it rent space in my head.

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The House Supervisor, a fellow RN, I recieved report from often said, "my nurses". I don't think it's a great way to refer to the nurses. But I knew her, knew nothing demeaning was meant by it.

When someone says something that sounds condescending or demeaning the whole picture of how that person interacts with nurses needs to be taken into account.

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Specializes in NICU.

This same thread was discussed a couple years ago. When you go out to dinner with your friends. Do your friends get offended because you call them "my friends"? Do you get offended if your daughter's soccer coach refers to your daughter and the other girls as "my team"? People need to stop trying to find something to offended by.

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I only find it mildly annoying when the "nurse" is actually an MA.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I say that to refer to the nurses who work in my department (to differentiate from nurses that work in a different department). No offense is intended.

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1 hour ago, NICU Guy said:

This same thread was discussed a couple years ago. When you go out to dinner with your friends. Do your friends get offended because you call them "my friends"? Do you get offended if your daughter's soccer coach refers to your daughter and the other girls as "my team"? People need to stop trying to find something to offended by.

I'm with Wuzzie on this one. I certainly wouldn't get my panties in a twist over it, but there is a hint of paternalism to it when it is a male doctor. And like brownbook said, more has to be taken into account. I'm trying to think of a way to say this...I guess I don't think a male can truly put themselves in a woman's shoes here to be able to tell me what to or not to be offended by.

I also think there are circumstances where yes, it is paternalistic, but in an endearing and protective way. "I won't let you treat my nurses that way." A lot of factors involved, but even the times that Ive found it to be demeaning, I literally only thought 3 seconds of it.

I am curious of people's thoughts on saying My CNA. I saw a CNA recently upset about it on fb. Could have been a 3 second thing on her end too though.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
5 hours ago, Appleofmyeye said:

I wanted to know what are some thoughts about physicians who refer to nurses as "My Nurse".

?All of me, why not take all of me...

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It’s sound stale and patriarchal to me. I would consider any physician using this phrase to be rather uncultured and oblivious.

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2 hours ago, DeeAngel said:

It’s sound stale and patriarchal to me. I would consider any physician using this phrase to be rather uncultured and oblivious.

totally agree... very cringe-worthy on their end.

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Specializes in ED, med-surg, peri op.

Never thought of it. To be honest I don’t think I’ve heard it from a doctor.

what really gets me is when people call CNA nurses or put them in the same category as nurses. Yes I respect them and the work they do, but they are no nurse.

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Specializes in Ambulatory - Urgent Care.

I think it is rediculous to give a flying terd about such insignificant crap, and if you are someone who gets offended by this, then you have wayyyyy to much free time. I refer to the people that I work with as "my coworkers." No i do not own them, I am simply delineating the fact that this is a group of employees that I work alongside. Just as if a physician has a nurse that they are working alongside, that would be appropriate and non-offensive for them to refer to that nurse as "my nurse." I am a male nurse, and I have female doctors' refer to me as "my nurse" all the time, and has never even given it a second of thought, or realized it as being a thing. Now that I have wasted 5 minutes that I will never get back, good day to you all.

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