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?

[RNIAM, BSN, RN]

sorry for all the typos at the end I believe I was saying. I am better than you are crap

[Jessy_CA26]

I can be criminally prosecuted for giving a drug which harms a patient

So can MA's .. We are schooled heavily in the legalities of being a MA.. If we administer the wrong medication, do the wrong dosage calculations or do a crappy job of charting we can and most likely will go to jail. If a patient dies from a wrongful medication that was given we spend the rest of our lives behind bars.

You might want to check out the AAMA (American Assosiation of Medical Assistants) web site for more of legal issues.

Is that what it is? I mean do you think MA's can screw up and get away with it? No, we are in the same boat as you. And that is drilled heavily into us in school and on our externships.

The only thing that we are not responsible for is writing out prescriptions.. Yes we write out the perscription but the doctor approves and signs it. If we write the wrong perscription it falls on the doctor because he/she was supposed to check it over. In tha case Physicians are responsible for the actions of their employees.

BTW in MA school our uniforms were all white and we had to have hats.. And the Surgen I work for likes us to wear all white

[Jessy_CA26]

BTW .. Im at the low end of the pay totum pole. The other MA that has been there longer gets 22.00/hour. Why you ask? Because we do a helluva lot of medical coding/billing and insurance. And yes we close the books.. so bookeeping is also in there.. Inventory control and drug ordering.. etc etc. We are Administrative Assistance as well as everything else..

In my office there are two MA's and one RN.. The RN is a sweet heart and makes damn good money (she is the one who is pushing me into the program) I asked her what she makes an hour and she was kind enough to share she is up to 27.00/hour

[Q.]

rhona1-

Please allow me to refer you to my above post. This topic is NOT about YOU, or about CNAs. This is about NON-nurses who identify or intentionally MISLEAD others into thinking they are a NURSE - and all the issues that that action raises. It's not about NON nurses "after my job" It's about NON nurses misleading the public and potentially harming our profession when a NON nurse gives advice.

Case in point:

A friend of mine knew a 17 year old girl who was placed on birth control pills via a community clinic. After 2 months, the girl noticed hematuria and blurred vision. After much prompting, called the clinic to report her symptoms. The call was triaged by a MA who identified herself as a nurse when the 17 year asked to speak to one. The MA dismissed the girl's symptoms as a possible UTI, and to drink cranberry juice. Didn't make the connection of the pills, the blurred vision, the hematuria. The call ended.

1 week later, the girl collapsed. Was taken to the hospital where her BP was 300/210. She was in renal failure from severe HTN as a result of the pills she was on. She is blind and on dialysis.

The point??? The girl should have spoken to a nurse who is able to triage and potentially save this girl's vision. They are suing and filing felony charges against the MA for impersonation. Unfortunately, the MA has no license to lose so currently the MA is able to work wherever she wants until she is proven guilty. There are no regulations or governing body (such as the ANA, or State Nursing Board) in which to regulate her practice.

IMPERSONATION IS DANGEROUS. That is the point. It is not about who is better than who - it is about who is LICENSED and who is not. Get it????

[Jessy_CA26]

NurseKaren maybe you should go back and re-read.. I said C-MA to LVN not LPN

Yes, you can petition the board all the info is here

http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/

Since the MA program pretty much mirrors the LVN program if you have two years of field experince and all your CEU units they will grant you a LVN licence.

[Q.]

Originally posted by Jessy_CA26

BTW .. Im at the low end of the pay totum pole. The other MA that has been there longer gets 22.00/hour. Why you ask? Because we do a helluva lot of medical coding/billing and insurance. And yes we close the books.. so bookeeping is also in there.. Inventory control and drug ordering.. etc etc. We are Administrative Assistance as well as everything else..

In my office there are two MA's and one RN.. The RN is a sweet heart and makes damn good money (she is the one who is pushing me into the program) I asked her what she makes an hour and she was kind enough to share she is up to 27.00/hour

Jessy that is nice - but this is about people who claim they are nurse when they are not one. This is not about what MAs do versus what RNs do.

[hiker]

I agree aides masquerading as RN's is a problem! One of my long-time major pet peeves in clinics- those MA's prance around w/steths, everyone assumes an RN, no aides correct them, as they are wannabees. DRIVES ME NUTS!!! And they cannot even correctly place a BP cuff! And some DO triage phone calls! Scary! I am a huge believer in name tags that have the designation large enough so pts can see it, but most do not even wear name tags.

[Q.]

Originally posted by Jessy_CA26

NurseKaren maybe you should go back and re-read.. I said C-MA to LVN not LPN

Yes, you can petition the board all the info is here

http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/

Jessy - LPN and LVN are the same thing. Just different names by state preference.

[Q.]

I would HOPE the state of California does not just GRANT a nursing license based on working hours as a Medical Assistant. A license should be granted after passing the licensing exam!

[Jessy_CA26]

Why should it scare you that some do triage calls? that is what were are trained to do ya know.

[Jessy_CA26]

And yes you still have to pass the exam.. Come on now.. You just dont have to go through the LVN program.

Just to clear things up a bit.. to petition the LVN board you must:

Go through a MA program no less then twelve months

Work out in the field for a minimum of two years including taking the following classes Psychology, Intro to Pharmacology, Anatomy and your Continuing ed units

And yes my dears you still have to take the test. :)

[JMP]

Why do so many people miss the point- everyone wants to jump down people's throat with the same tired old- who is better than who routine. MAN is it boring!

Can't people understand that this thread was started regarding PEOPLE who dress like nurses, with the INTENTION of people THINKING they are nurses, when they ARE NOT nurses. Who cares who they are......... housekeepers, some sort of assistant, dietary, respiratory techs. WHATEVER. Man some people are thick. Drives me nuts!!!!!

At my doctor's office the person who answers the phone is a MEDICAL secretary. She has a nurses uniform on. NEVER in my life would I ask her a medical question.......because I am a RN and I know she is not one..........but she does not call herself a nurse, legally she can't . But want to bet lots of people THINK she is one. THIS IS THE TOPIC. Nurse wannabe's. Get it?