***I don't... I REPETE I DO NOT want this to turn into an MA bashing thread!!!***
I just want some advice on how I can handle this situation I have with a close friend of mine.
She is a very hard working medical assistant at a doctor's office. However, she consistently introduces herself to people as a "nurse" RIGHT INFRONT OF ME! She actaully tells people, "we're both nurses" (referring to both her and I). I am an RN. I worked incredibly hard to get that title. I just don't know how to tell her that it is insulting to me without coming off offensive towards her.
Maybe I should just leave it alone? She just seems to be doing it more and more lately. The thing that bothers me most is that she must feel on some level that she IS a nurse and we ARE both nurses...or else why would she be okay with saying it right infront of me all the time? Should I just not say anything? I thought of throwing the whole "illegal to call yourself a nurse" thing out there, but I don't think she would mind...apparently any female in scrubs is a "nurse" to the general public anyway :chuckle:
You all are constantly complaining about being short staffed, overworked, exhausted, and just plain fed up. So, I find it hard to understand why you are not more accepting of your allies in healthcare. This argument over the title "Nurse" is unending and sometimes just plain ridiculous. Yes, I respect the years of education you put in, the hours, the training.. and yes, you EARNED that title. I agree with you.
You've just plainly contradicted yourself in the statement above. Respecting MAs that are part of a team is an entirely different point than handling a situation when one professional is misrepresenting his or her title and role.
If you respect the education and role of a registered nurse or licensed vocational nurse, you would also respect the fact that the roles of a licensed nurse and medical assistant are markedly different. The members a patient care team compliment each other, but they are not the same.
Thank you for reducing my post to just that one line. I was so hoping that this would open up some dialogue but no, it all comes down to being defensive.
I think you should re-read your original post and the tone you used throughout, and then step back and think about how that was supposed to encourage dialogue. Accusations and generalizations are not the most effective method. :icon_roll
I think you should re-read your original post and the tone you used throughout, and then step back and think about how that was supposed to encourage dialogue. Accusations and generalizations are not the most effective method. :icon_roll
Accusations??? What accusations? and as for generalizations, that's all you do in regards to anyone who is not a "nurse".
My tone was fair and honest and if YOU would re-read it without being judgemental and defensive you might see that too.
You've just plainly contradicted yourself in the statement above. Respecting MAs that are part of a team is an entirely different point than handling a situation when one professional is misrepresenting his or her title and role.
If you respect the education and role of a registered nurse or licensed vocational nurse, you would also respect the fact that the roles of a licensed nurse and medical assistant are markedly different. The members a patient care team compliment each other, but they are not the same.
I never said they were the same thing. What I said was that there is plenty of room for us all.
hello all! i have been coming to this site for many years and i learn something new every time i stop by. i can't tell you how much i enjoy reading your stories, your rants, and your advice to those who are just ready to throw in the towel. i love this site but i must say that as an ma i have never felt quite welcome and i think that's a shame.
i've been working as a cma for nearly 15 years and i truly love what i do! it's crazy, it's busy, and the pay is less than wonderful but i love it and i'm darn good at it too! i'm also quite lucky to work with some amazing md's, rn's, and lvn's whose respect and appreciation i know i have. i know i'm not a "nurse" and, believe it or not, i don't want to be one. oh sure, i entertained the idea, even took some of the pre-reqs, but i realized that i'm quite content right where i am. i don't need the title to feel better about myself ( now the pay, that's a different story! ) and honestly, with the exception of this website, i have never been made to feel that i was less deserving of respect than any of you.
you all are constantly complaining about being short staffed, overworked, exhausted, and just plain fed up. so, i find it hard to understand why you are not more accepting of your allies in healthcare. this argument over the title "nurse" is unending and sometimes just plain ridiculous. yes, i respect the years of education you put in, the hours, the training.. and yes, you earned that title. i agree with you. but it is not the fault of the ma or any other allied healthcare personnel that the public and most of the physicians refuse to distinguish between nurse and ma.. or cna, or phlebotomist.. whatever. the title "nurse" has become generic for anyone giving nursing type care. that is no one's fault, it's just a fact. like kleenex is to tissue, or coke is to soda.... but i digress...
i understand that the main argument here is that an ma should never under any circumstance call herself a nurse. i agree. i have no problem reminding others that i am not a nurse. actually, this often relieves me of unwanted responsibility for which i am extremely grateful!
from reading most of your posts, it seems that you all think ma's are all nurse-wannabes or just working their way up the ladder the easy way.. or i don't know what it is you're thinking but isn't there room for everyone? i have never seen so much hostility toward ma's anywhere as i have on this website! seriously, do you think physicians are reading websites and becoming livid over pa's being called "doctor" by their pts? no, it's just ludicrous.
i truly hope i'm not just fooling myself by thinking that perhaps my post will do more than just fuel the flames but i would like to ask you all to just open your minds a bit, drop the defense, and accept that we're all here for one reason.. besides the paycheck.. and that's to give good care to people who are in need.
thank you.
wow, some of you are out for blood for this woman. i totally undertand the points she was making. the general public thinks that all women in healthcare are probably nurses...as they think all men are probably doctors. it's not right, but just the way society is. yes, the healthcare community seems to be very territorial and ego-driven. it's amusing how i see several posts of nurses attacking doctors when they get mad at nps for being called doctor, but yet are being just as vindictive towards this ma.
at the end of the day, aren't we just here for the patients?? the nurses get the nurse's salary on their paycheck...so whats the problem? anything else seems to be an overblown sense of self-worth when you get so hung up on titles. as long as ma's aren't illegally stepping outside their scope of practice, i don't care if the general public thinks they're neurosurgeons. can't we all just get along, help the patient, get paid, and lead our own lives?!?
Just because she has a stethoscope and takes v/s doesn't make her a nurse. And just because I tutored a few anatomy students doesn't make me a professor.
It is very annoying when people claim to be something they're not, and I believe it could be dangerous to a patient who knows no difference. :angryfire
I know it's difficult, but you must say something!
ann945n, RN
548 Posts
Hmmm alright then, cant say I didnt try (shrug)