Name Badge Credentials

Nurses General Nursing

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How do you feel about hospitals not allowing their nurses' degree credentials; e.g. BSN, MSN, Phd, to be listed on their name badge? Is this a common practice?

At the very least, I think health care professionals should be able to identify who they are on the badge. A simple "RN" or "CNA" is fine enough by me. The alphabet soup thing is a bit ridiculous though. As long as a patient can identify who you are and what your job is, I don't think they care if you've got a BSN or a PhD.

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Ours doesn't list our education (honestly, because most of our management is ADN- educated, and many are touchy about it). When I first became a nurse and got hired, a coworker put a computer-generated banner up on my locker. "congratulatons Lily, RN, BSN!"

Someone ripped the "BSN" part off. This same nurse was a royal *****, (I've talked about her here before) but she liked to say that BSN = Bull **** Nurse.

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I'm sure this is done for protection issues. I have my last name on my badge and wish it wasn't. I work in home health and there are a lot of wierdo's out there that can look you up online etc and cause a lot of problems!! Been there and done that and it is NOT a good experience

Since I moved from doing CNA work on the medical floor to being a psych/mental health tech in the ED; I've covered my last name (at the suggestion of my preceptor) with that white-out tape. Might want to try that :)

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first name last init RN

full name on back...which I havehited out because i work mental health

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Specializes in Med Surg, Step Down, Telemetry, Geriatri.

I AM ABSOLUTELY APALLED THAT A HOSPITALK WOULD NOT ALLOW A NURSE TO DISPLAY HER HARD WORK, DEDICATION, AND DILGENCE TO THE PROFESSION OF NURSING.

I obtqained my BSN in 2004 after hard work and sacrifice.

Today, 4/20/09 I walked out of an orientation for Wake Med in Raleigh, NC when I was told that"There are no titles here" when I asked why I could not display my BSN. She went on to state (She was not a nurse) ...." We do not recognize titles" I wrote my letter of resignation and went to HR and explained my case.

HR response...."A RN is a RN. All of you do the same thing. WHy does it matter?" We recognize nurses in other ways"..yet she could not tell me in what ways. If this is the case why can't nurses display theri credntials? She could not offer me an aswer. NOW I SEE WHY WAKE MED HAS NOT OBTAINED MAGNET STATUS!

I WAS OUTRAGED!

Credentialing and education are not "Titles" They are indeications of your comittment to excellence and your continued growth as a RN. I am in no way negating the ADON. On the contrary their comittment to their Diploma is easily as important.

For example...the number of hours required to obtain a ACCRN etc...as well as the skill supercedes a "title" It is a committment to your craft. It should be proudly displayed.

Sandra BSN RN

I left a Magnet hospital who recognizes the importaance of displaying of credentials for more money at Wake. I regret this decision.

IT IS MY OPINION THAT NO ONE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO BAN YOUR DISPLAY OF HARD WORK!

FOr the nurses who feel it does not matter.......YOU ARE THE NURSE I WOULD NOT WANT AT MY BEDSDE!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

My two cents is that you should only have your role on your badge. While the alphabet soup is fine on resumes and business cards, there is no difference in role between an RN, ADN; an RN, BSN; or an RN, PhD if they're working in the same position.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

IT IS MY OPINION THAT NO ONE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO BAN YOUR DISPLAY OF HARD WORK!

A name badge isn't meant to be a scouting merit badge sash. It's purpose is to identify who you are and your role to patients, visitors, and other staff.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Step Down, Telemetry, Geriatri.

AJN, American Journal of Nursing:

July 2006 - Volume 106 - Issue 7 - pp 74-76

Features

Certification and Magnet Hospitals: Will certification advance your career and improve patient outcomes?

Weeks, Sandra Kenney MSN, RN, CRRN, CNAA; Ross, Amelia MSN, RN; Roberts, Penny L. BSN, RN, CRRN, CNRN

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Specializes in Med Surg, Step Down, Telemetry, Geriatri.

Read!:

AJN, American Journal of Nursing:

July 2006 - Volume 106 - Issue 7 - pp 74-76

Features

Certification and Magnet Hospitals: Will certification advance your career and improve patient outcomes?

Weeks, Sandra Kenney MSN, RN, CRRN, CNAA; Ross, Amelia MSN, RN; Roberts, Penny L. BSN, RN, CRRN, CNRN

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Specializes in Med Surg, Step Down, Telemetry, Geriatri.

Would you say that to a soldier who has earned various badges of honor?? It shows his committement to his profession...and yes HE/SHE wears it PROUDLY!

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Specializes in ED, Flight.
Would you say that to a soldier who has earned various badges of honor?? It shows his committement to his profession...and yes HE/SHE wears it PROUDLY!

Dress uniforms only. And (speaking from long ago experience) combat operators do not wear 'badges of honor'. Never on the job. Not only for tactical reasons, but because we believe our attitude and competence in our roles is all that matters and soon speaks for itself. In fact, in my unit it was a point of pride that even out on leave we didn't wear dress uniforms. Empty ceremony. Anyone who stood on ceremony was soon weeded out - officers and enlisted soldiers alike. In the field, performance counted. Many of the best old non-coms were brilliant operators despite not wearing ranks or merit badges. Funny you bring this up, because last night I just had a patient who was a special ops soldier for 21 years. We talked about this sort of stuff, and how civilians don't get it. Yet, for all his accomplishments he answered the question 'what did you do in the military?' (I always try to give vets a little extra attention and respect) with a simple 'combat medic'.

When doing patient care, I am on the job. That isn't the time for ceremony. That is the time for kind, competent, reliable care. Displaying 'badges of honor' neither adds nor detracts from that care. But being hung up on the merit badges somehow suggests to me an operator or caregiver who I need to watch. It is the same in any profession, I suspect.

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

Off topic, but my husband is active-duty military and all his bells and whistles are only on his dress uniform...his every day uniform looks like a car mechanic uniform...it's plain blue and only has his last name and 'US Coast Guard on it'...the only identifier is a couple of little sewn on things that identify him as 2nd class petty officer. He only wears the dress uniform about 5 times a year.

I personally don't care if we have all our stuff listed on our badges or not...as long as we're identified by what we do at the hospital...RN, CNA, LPN, Housekeeping, MD, etc...it would seem to me that all those letters would be confusing to patients anyway, and the badge would have to be HUGE for some folks to have all their letters on there.

As I said before, I don't even wear a badge at my current job (outpatient mental health) and my patients could care less. All they care about is that I can do my job. I know what my certifications are, and when it's important, other people do too.

As for the last name thing, every place I've worked, I have flat out REFUSED to have my last name on the badge for safety reasons, even going so far as to have a meeting with the HR Director. I've never had to have it put on yet...ironically now I have business and appointment cards now for patients that have my last name on them!! LOL

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