Nurse Impersonators

[NancyRN]

Am I the only one who resents the "nurse impersonators" who abound in the health care field?

Everyone who works at a doctor's office or in a hospital wears scrubs and seems to pass themselves off as a nurse. Of course, the hospital doesn't mind. Visitors and patients don't realize how few nurses are actually on the unit if the unit clerks, nursing assistants, housekeepers, and technicians are all wearing scrubs.

It seems harmless enough, this generic flowered jacketed scrub outfit, until you think of the harm it does to nurses' reputation as a whole. I just wonder what people think when they see two or three "nurses" ambling around the hallways or sitting at the nurses station while their family member waits for pain medication!

I have to think the doctor's offices are the worst. The doctors will actually refer to the medical assistant as "the nurse". I wonder if a doctor would appreciate an employee passing himself off as a doctor?

Last month I was in a doctor's waiting room with my son when a man came in holding his hand wrapped in a towel. He announced that he'd cut his hand and needed to see the doctor ( ok- dont ask me why he didn't go to the ER!) . The "nurse" told him to have a seat. The waiting room was crowded and it was obvious he was in for a very long wait. I saw the towel becoming saturated, and I couldn't help going over to him and telling him to hold his hand above heart level, apply pressure, try some deep breathing, etc. I told the "nurse" to let him go in and be seen, but she said, "He has to wait his turn, it wouldnt be fair to the patients who had appointments."

Driving home, my son asked, "Why didn't that nurse help that man?" I told him, "Because she's not a nurse!" But I wonder how many people in that waiting room went home with the story of the nurse who wouldnt help a bleeding man.

I know nurses don't want to go back to the days of wearing caps (even though I love my cap), but shouldn't we be more concerned about people in scrubs making us look bad? Shouldn't a nurse on duty be as easily recognizable as an EMT, a Firefighters, or a Police Officer?

[elish954]

Hi there EMass. Please know that not all who enter and contribute to this post are bashing you. You should be proud of what you are doing and not allow what others state to be personally directed to you or other CMAs. I would hope that it is not really the case anyway. All I can say is that I am impressed with all you have accomplished thus far and wish you only the best with your upcoming degree in nursing. I am one who firmly believes in supporting each other, and realize the value in collegiality. Best wishes to you.... Elish

[Q.]

Oh Gawd. EMass...sorry to inform you but this thread is not about YOU. That is, unless you are committing a felony by impersonating a LICENSED NURSE.

[Nurse_Bonita]

I am a nurse's aide and a student nurse. I do NOT at all appreciate it when I am mistaken for a nurse. WHY? Because I know how hard LPN's and RN's work to get their title. In the nursing home I work at, our nurses wear either white or raspberry pink uniforms, aides wear ceil blue or patterns that contain ceil blue, laundry and house keeping wear what ever they want as long as it isn't aide or nurse colors. I still get called a nurse even though I am wearing aide colors and it says right on my nametag STNA (state tested nurse's aide)!!! I feel that it is disrespectful to those who have actually worked to earn the LPN or RN title and I haven't earned it yet, so I don't deserve it. Hope this makes y'all feel better knowing that not all of us enjoy getting mistaken for a nurse.

[WalMart_ADN]

hey emaas if you hate this board so much why do you keep coming back? and why are you in nursing school if you can't stand the way the "high and mighty"nurses act??

and please don't get all "find in my post where i said that", i'm just asking because that's what I felt was implied.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Once again I must remind, let's stick to the point. One who is a CMA...and I WAS one for 7 years.....is not impersonating a nurse!

Someone who either says or implies that they are, is the impersonator.

The woman who was giving the unorthodox intravenous "treatment" that led to the person's death....was referred in the news as A NURSE...that is an mpersonator, and THAT is what gives nurses the willies just to imagine being painted with the same brush.

No one needs to take offense where none is intended.

[RNPD]

Emaas-to answer one of your questions-YES I CAN DO IT ALL WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM A CNA, CMA, EMT or anyone else other than an MD. In nursing school, I learned to do everything a CNA et al does and more. I don't need anyone to feed my patients, bathe them, or toilet them. I can do phlebotomy and EKGs. I can do all that and STILL do my nursing work IF-and it's a big IF-if I have only a manageable amount of patients. It is called primary nursing, the best nursing model there is and I did it for years. Of course it is very expensive because to succeed the primary nurse can't be responsible for more than 3 or 4 patients. So for example, the hospitals needed 9 or 10 RNs at a nurse's salary to take care of 30 patients. So they came up with a NEW model, called patient focused care. Now they hired the same amount of people, but HALF of them are CNAs who are paid HALF what an RN is paid. They do the unskilled work, we do the skilled-and it is a hell of a lot more than "filling out a care report and being a highly paid secretary." It is the hospitals that FORCED us to become the nurses we are today-we don't think we're too good to do all patient care, we're just too expensive! Maybe if you make it through nursing school you'll learn all this and understand what a nurse really is and that the only people who are entitled to the title "nurse" are those who are licensed as LPNs and RNs.

Why does it always have to be about US vs THEM, whenever they don't get it? Why don't they get over themselves and understand that we aren't knocking anyone's worth, simply because we don't want to see others steal a title that WE worked hard for?

[mattsmom81]

So true RNPD. It's all about money and really when you get down to the nuts and bolts, that's the only reason all these techs, CNA's, MA's, EMT's etc. are there is because they are more cost effective ie cheaper. The biggest problem I see as a professional who knows why I do the things I do and am legally accountable: I DON'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE CHEAPER REPLACEMENTS OF NURSES! I feel I have enough liability on my own just protecting my own license these days! Which is why I stay in ICU. Even in ER the nurses are now responsible for EMT's and PCA's, (which is why I don't do ER anymore...LOL!) This problem is only going to get worse, and each nurse has to decide how much is too much for her/him to take on. I don't trust hospitals--they turf everything they can to the nurse's shoulders in my experience, therefore I do not feel I can be responsible for others health care workers...sorry if this sounds callous, guys, but there's 25 years of nursing behind these thoughts and feelings of mine...and if you're trusting your facility to stand behind you if one of these UAP's screws up, well, what can I say? Am I negative?? Maybe, but definitely realistic.. so be careful out there.

[RNIAM, BSN, RN]

mattsmom has hit upon a real idea here. Who is putting up with all of these imposters? Nurses. How can it be fixed? Refuse to cover any unqualified personel on your licence. Simple? Of course not, this may mean job loss or reprimand. It goes against the good nurse ideal.Until Nusres take the fight into their own hands this will continue. I am going to become a nurse. I will refuse to work for anyone who wants my licence to cover anyone but me. Maybe that will limit me to a few select jobs but this is a chance I will take.

[EXOTIC NURSE, RN]

Cost Effectiveness

This is the excuse that is being used for why the hospitals are employing unlicensed or unskilled personel to do certain duties. Primary care is the BEST nursing but as mentioned before it is not cost effective, although the patients benefit from it very well. We have team nursing at our facility and it sucks so to speak because the patient is confused ........they have a CNA, a RN/LPN passing the meds and a RN who will call the doctors and listen to their complaints. No one at my job wants to be more than what we are hired for ....it is too much responsibility to deal with especially with the fact we have 15 to 20 some odd patients because they feel we have 3 staff memebers to a patient they can pile them on........(what a crock!!!!!) One day I hope to see the Nursing field change and I am thinking that the only way the Nursing field will change is when there is only one entrance into the nursing field and that is BSN it might not help the shortage to much and it may demand more pay but who knows.......We need a lot of help here as Nurses to expand because the future of our patients depend upon it.

[maikranz]

Originally posted by mattsmom81

"...Some areas now 'registering' their MA's. So they're RMA's. Sounds a little close to RN doesn't it? Money, control and the medical model vs the nursing model. But what to do?? "

Great thread guys! [/b]

Actually, the "RMA" is the certification granted to graduates of

medical assistant programs accredited by ABHES (Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools) who have successfully passed the certification exam. These programs are not numerous and found primarily in the Midwestern states.

[EMaas]

I'm sorry if my past posts have seemed rude, and they have, however, I feel like I need to stick up for myself and what I do for a living. I completely understand the entire nurse impersonater issue, as I am commonly mistaken for an RN and am always correcting people, no matter if I have my name tag on or not. It clearly says, CMA,EMT and I am still called, referred to and mistaken as a nurse. In our facility there are a few MA's that have had no formal training or medical degree at all and they are working in clinical medicine and are titled Medical Assistant. To me, this is both scary and insulting as I worked hard to earn my associates degree, pass two certification tests and keep current. As well, I'm often helping fix mistakes made by these people who don't always know what they are doing. So, yes, I get it. I know where you are all coming from.

However, I do feel that many of the comments about CMA's made above are spiteful and insulting, and I have to question how these "bad" MA's are even still working. I don't think that any CLINICAL MA who graduated from an acfredited school, and [assed her certification exam could not know how to put on a BP cuff, or know to get a bleeding individual from the waiting room. That's either severly bad judegemnt or perception...I'm not sure which. All I know is that I work with very competent, qualified and caring CMA's, who don't impersonate nurses and who do provide great patient care. I also know that CMA's and RN's have completely different roles in healthcare, but that we can both provide excellent care and patient support in our own rights.

And to whoever comment that "IF" I make it through nursing school, maybe I'll get it...I can assure you, I WILL get through nursing school, at the top of my class, and be proud of it. I do get it. I just don't like being bashed because I'm a CMA. I'm sure if The BSN's starting cutting down the ADN's, the ADN's would stick up for themselves too.

Happy nursing.

[fergus51]

Emaas, no one is bashing you. You are not what is being described as a nurse impersonator, so please don't feel bashed! And, yes, the whole ADN vs. BSN thing has p[layed out way too many times on this board! I hope you enjoy nursing school.