Nurse Imposters

[Nursemccaleb]

Hey there! I'm a nurse from Mississippi. I recently called a doctors office from the nursing home I work at and asked his receptionist to speak with the nurse to relay a message to the doctor in regards to the patient's care. Instead of letting me speak to the nurse she transferred me to the phlebotomist who answered "this is Doctor Bolder's nurse Jamie. Can I help you? I know her personally and am aware she is not the nurse and requested again to speak to the nurse. She replied "this is the nurse" i just ignored it and said ok well can you let the doctor know about this concern. She called me back a minute later a third time identifying herself as the nurse with a new medication order. She sounded confused as she was giving said order bc she said the medications name and gave no further details. I asked what dose? how often? How long? She sounded as if she was making it up as she went. This whole thing has made me uncomfortable. I was wondering your thoughts on this issue. I find it very disrespectful to claim you are a nurse when you have not underwent the amount of training, passed a licensure exam, and all the many other things it takes to be able to call oneself a nurse.

[Accolay]

Uh-oh!

What? I thought you were a radio personality at WKRP!

[Accolay]

I guess I am confused on how it's illegal.

You'll have to check your own states nursing practice law for the answer. But I did cite the law in MS.... it says it right there.

But I also stated that:

I'm willing to wager that these statutes only come up when something bad happens i.e. someone gets sued

Plenty of laws are on the books that aren't enforced, or possibly difficult or unable to inforce, such as the United States Flag Code.... or this one from Mississippi:

A man may not seduce a woman by lying, and claiming he will marry her.

Dumb Laws in Mississippi. Crazy Mississippi Laws. We have weird laws, strange laws, and just plain crazy laws!

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I guess I am confused on how it's illegal. Because, for example, I have a friend who is not an RN or LPN but she's worked for a gastroenterologist for years, and she calls herself "Dr. Reed's nurse." And he refers to her as his "nurse." She has a degree in accounting (doesn't use this degree).

If the term "nurse" is legally protected in your state, THAT's how it's illegal. As said already, whether or not the law is enforced is another question. But it doesn't make that any less illegal.

In Texas, the only people allowed to call themselves a "nurse" are LICENSED nurses.

If I called that office and asked to speak to the nurse I wouldn't feel it inappropriate if she came to the phone as the nurse.

It's a mystery to me how someone who worked for a BSN and studied for and passed NCLEX doesn't feel it's inappropriate for a person with an accounting degree to call herself a nurse. If you were handy with a computer tax program, do you get to call yourself a CPA?

[Davey Do]

What? I thought you were a radio personality at WKRP!

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[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I agree that it is bad nursing practice, as a nurse, take orders from an unqualified individual. And, that the likelihood of an error is high, given that that person has no training that will allow them to know if they made a mistake, even if it would be obvious to a nurse. I was recently prescribed ibuprofen. 800 mg tablets. I was told to take four of them, tid. I was told this by a woman who works in an office and owns scrubs, otherwise known, in that environment, as a nurse.

Same office, different experience: I called in post knee surgery with distal swelling, concerned for DVT vs impending compartment syndrome. I figured an ortho nurse would be familiar with what was expected after a surgery, and what would need to be evaluated. Having asked for a nurse, halfway through the conversation, I realized I was speaking to an MA. Nothing against an MA, but she did not have the training or education to help me evaluate the problem.

So yeah- its a problem.

I am just skeptical that there are ever any repercussions.

So- it is illegal in 39 states. How frequently is it enforced? Anybody?

And, from the perspective of one MA:

"WE can legally and effectively perform any and all of the same duties as RNs and LPNs in a clinical setting. We are just as competent and compassionate. It is NOT against the law to call ourselves or for others to refer to us as nurses!! A nurse is any caregiver. It is a general, generic term. The lawbreaking comes in, if we or someone else claims we have an RN or LPN degree. TO ALL RN's and LPN's- YOU DO NOT OWN THE WORD NURSE!!! Their are "nursing" mothers (breast feeding women) There are people who "nurse" their love ones, and numerous other examples of the word nurse. ARE THEY BREAKING THE LAW??...ummm ..NO!!..lol... "

Calling Yourself a Nurse Is a Crime, No Less

This MA. Wow. Just wow.

What in the world?

Even though I live in a state that doesn't legally protect the term nurse, I still notice that most techs are clear with me that they are not nurses.

If you're smart and not a nurse, you wouldn't want people to think you are one. Because its a lot of responsibility. And why should you take that on for an MA salary?

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

Since you know her look up her state board RN license,that will give you the answer.We usually get eastern europeans claiming to be a MD but find out they are not licensed here or they were nurse midwives back home.

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

Oh boy!!!

[Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN]

Mississippi. The most backwards place in the US.

Nope.

[Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN]

It isn't fraud to call yourself a nurse when you aren't unless you are doing it for financial gain. This would not be a case of fraud. Not all lies are fraud.

In several states the term "nurse" is not protected by law.

I live in one of those. 😉

The point of verbal orders from UNLICENSED practioner that becomes treatment then are ultimately could be billed under Federal or private insurance is where potential fraud could become the issue. As long as the MD is willing to 'fall on the sword' for his staff - perhaps no big problem - but, maybe not. Insurance regs are a nightmare and it becomes complicated quickly. What if this 'order' becomes an issue, is not a best practice or harms a patient. Unlicensed, unqualified prescribing and billing gets complicated fast.

It's possible.

Processional license and authority to practice MATTERS.

:angel:

[Wuzzie]

Processional license and authority to practice MATTERS.:

And so does not harming our patients.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

It isn't fraud to call yourself a nurse when you aren't unless you are doing it for financial gain. This would not be a case of fraud. Not all lies are fraud.

In several states the term "nurse" is not protected by law.

I live in one of those. 😉

If, in the act of doing her job (for which she gets paid), she calls herself a nurse, she is misrepresenting herself for financial gain.

[Julius Seizure]

Okayyyy.

First, I think we all agree that this person is not an RN or LVN and therefore should not be presented as a nurse. Okay.

But she isn't a nurse. Not being a nurse, she probably doesn't know that the term "nurse" is protected. Why would she??

The responsibility for this should lie with the office manager and/or provider who should know better and continue to go on calling their staff "nurses" when they are not nurses.

Second, its not really fair to accuse her of being too stupid to be a nurse but then also be upset that she doesn't know how to diagnose a UTI in her child. She's not a trained medical professional, for goodness sakes. And even trained nurses often have blind spots when the issue is outside of their specialty or regarding a family member.