You are not a nurse...

[TMT_P]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and this is my first post. I'm about to reach my one year as an RN in L&D and it's been very challenging, stressful, rewarding, everything. I know how hard it is to go through school and then the stress of passing your exam and finally trying to get into the workforce and once you get into the workforce, the reality of a career in nursing kind of hits. So I guess after all of that hard work, this situation with a friend bothers me maybe more than it should:

Initially, my friend was at the University of Michigan in hopes of becoming an RN. After 6 years and failing her courses, she decided to go into a 2 year LPN course instead and has been successful at it so far. This is her first year into the LPN course and already she is telling people that she is a nurse. For example, when anyone tells her about a sickness or an injury she begins her sentence with, "Well as a nurse, I recommend..." or even "The struggles of being a nurse" as though she has experienced it full on. She has never been paid in any nursing position and again, she is still in school to become an LPN. She'll also say things like "My job [as a nurse] is really stressful but I love it." It makes me cringe but I'm not a very aggressive person and so I don't speak up about it.

I just wanted to know your general thoughts on this. Maybe it's my pride as an ACTUAL nurse that makes me irk about this? Should I let it go? Am I making too big a deal of it? I personally feel that it is wrong to call yourself any profession if you are not certified yet. Thoughts?

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

If she is NOT a licensed nurse in any position I would tell her to stop giving out medical advice & explain to her why it is wrong.

[downthealley,BS]

A girl I know is a medical assistant and talks on facebook all the time about her life as a nurse. I just let it go. There's always those people who want to fluff themselves up. It's usually an insecurity thing.

[Purple_roses]

It's actually illegal for her to refer to herself as a nurse if she has not passed NCLEX. She sounds ridiculous.

I once worked with a QMA who told everyone she was a nurse, and quite honestly, it's dangerous. When a crisis happens, people run to find the nurse, and a student or QMA or anyone who is NOT a nurse is absolutely unqualified to act as a nurse. People trust nurses. It's wrong to lie in order to gain people's trust.

[FloatRN19]

Just tell her she has to have an actual liscense to call herself a nurse, but if she adds a student in there somewhere she's fine. Also should mention that by misrepresenting herself as a nurse, especially when giving medical advice, she could open herself up to some pretty big lawsuits if something were to go wrong.

[Jules A, MSN]

A girl I know is a medical assistant and talks on facebook all the time about her life as a nurse. I just let it go. There's always those people who want to fluff themselves up. It's usually an insecurity thing.

I agree and if you are bothered by it so much, say something!

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

Meh. I'm a nurse, and I am not fazed by it.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

That would be "fazed," as it has nothing to do with phases.

Ahem.

It is illegal-- that's ILLEGAL-- call yourself a nurse or allow others to think you are a nurse if you do not hold a valid license to be one. Tell her that she can get in big trouble for this. This is not just a matter of manners or opinion. This is including not being able to get licensed in the first place after she graduates, because the board takes a dim view of this and won't let her take the NCLEX-PN if there's a complaint on file. Which you should make if she doesn't stop when you tell her.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

That would be "fazed," as it has nothing to do with phases.

Ahem.

It is illegal-- that's ILLEGAL-- call yourself a nurse or allow others to think you are a nurse if you do not hold a valid license to be one. Tell her that she can get in big trouble for this. This is not just a matter of manners or opinion. This is including not being able to get licensed in the first place after she graduates, because the board takes a dim view of this and won't let her take the NCLEX-PN if there's a complaint on file. Which you should make if she doesn't stop when you tell her.

Fixed.

I'm going to play devil's advocate and ask, if this was your friend, would you really go as far as to report her to the BON? That seems rather harsh. Plus, if the BON did confront her, it could become a he said, she said type of situation.

[Farawyn]

Fixed.

I'm going to play devil's advocate and ask, if this was your friend, would you really go as far as to report her to the BON? That seems rather harsh. Plus, if the BON did confront her, it could become a he said, she said type of situation.

I'll take this. If it was my friend I wouldn't post it on a board, I would say to her face, "really? what the H are you doing?"

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Fixed.

I'm going to play devil's advocate and ask, if this was your friend, would you really go as far as to report her to the BON? That seems rather harsh. Plus, if the BON did confront her, it could become a he said, she said type of situation.

If she were my friend she might listen to me. And if she were holding herself out as a nurse without the license and didn't stop, she wouldn't be my friend anymore, and yes, I would.

The BoN is not held to the same legal standards as you see on TV. If they get a complaint, they might send a letter saying, "Is this true? If so, knock it off," and if that doesn't get her attention she's too dumb to be a nurse anyway.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

You can tell she isnt a nurse because she actually gives out medical advice. No way in hell would I do that.