Nurse Leader vs Manager- Identification

[Ann.DNP.RN]

Hello All,

I work at a hospital where nurse managers wear "Nurse Leader" badge tags. Staff nurses wear "RN" tags. I understand these help identify roles in a setting where there are many inter-disciplinary team members. However, every time I see nurse managers with the "Nurse Leader" tag, I wonder, what does that make me and my fellow staff nurses?

There is plenty of literature on the differences between management and leadership. I believe all nurses can be leaders, irrespective of their place in the chain of command.

Do your workplaces use the "Nurse Leader" identification tags? Are there places that use "Nurse Manager" instead?

-Ann

[klone, MSN, RN]

No, ours just say "RN" like all the other RNs (the little badge that hangs down below the ID badge). The ID badge itself has "clinical manager" underneath my name, but most people don't notice that. Which is fine with me, I typically like to fly under the radar. :)

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

Nope mine has "Nurse Unit Manager" on it.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

Yes, where I work we have "nurse leader" tags. Our nurse manager titles are on our badges. In addition, most the nurse leaders (managers with and without direct reports and nurses working in other capacities away from bedside) I know also wear their RN tags. In fact, I do not know of nurse managers who do not value or view Staff RNs as leaders within our profession. The reasoning behind the nurse leader tags is a question on the little survey the patients receive when they go home... One question on the survey asks if a "nurse leader" blah, blah, blah... Thus, do not take it personally, we do not wear the nurse leader tag to offend Staff RNs or to imply that you are not leaders.