Nursing in Texas- Full Name legality on badge

[rkitty198]

Hello all,

Hope I am in the right forum?

I work in the state of Texas, and as I am sure like most states we are to have our name, first and last on our ID badges.

I recently recieved a very disturbing and disgusting phone call about a month ago, the man was describing some very sexual things when I picked up the phone. He stated his wife had a hysterectomy and I took care of his wife. He then said that he had to find out more about me, as he was very sexually attracted to me (in more disgusting terminology of course). I asked how he found me and he said "easy, I paid $9.95 online and got your address, phone number and credit score." I was terrified and hung up my phone and since I do not have caller ID I was unable to identify the number. Since then, this person has contacted me three times. I told him if he did it again I would call the police and since then nothing.

I went to hospital administration about this, as other female and male nurses have encountered the same thing. I was told there was nothing I could do.

We need to protect and advocate for the patients, but what about my protection?

I would like to know where I can go to advocate that we not use the entire first and last names on our badges. I live in a border city and with the drug cartel activity creeping over to my city I am terrified that anyone can get my information and come after me. This may not prevent these people from finding us healthcare providers and harassing us or worse, but it may make it harder to obtain personal information about us and our families.

What do you all think?

[rkitty198, BSN, RN]

To me, that is a valid concern. However, I couldn't help but notice that you used the term "worried"...has this actually happened at your facility or in facilities around you (that are in the USA)?

If it has, then I support you 100%.

If the hospital staff wants to venture into Mexico, that is risky in itself. It is well known that the Mexican government does virtually nothing to stop the illegal drug trade and turns a blind eye all too-often...those drug families will only commit crimes that they are pretty sure that they can get away with.

Try not to compare what happens there to here. Mexico is never on my list of vacation destinations. I had a friend once that went to Cancun on vacation and ended up spending 18 days in a Mexican jail because someone HIT HIM in a rental car. By the time he got back, a few months later he had to be treated for Hepatitis.

No there have not been any related injuries here in the US. I can literally drive into Mexico in about 20 minutes from where I live, I can also see it when I am on the freeway every morning. I see certain MD's bringing in Mexican residents and giving them the suites and telling our staff to treat them very well. There is a political issue here too. Some of the MD's recieved help from cartel families to pay for school in turn they would help the families if they ever got sick, so they come to the US and get healthcare. They even pay out of pocket to be seen in the US. I dont discriminate, I do my job and treat everyone with the same attention they deserve and need. However, this is disturbing as follows:

I have been seeing on the international news front that just 20 minutes away from me (in another country of course) the county hospital in Juarez has had MD's nurses and other staff murdered. There is also a thing going around (there is a name for it) where a cartel member will not kill you if you pay them a fee monthly, no fee, you die. A friend that I work with went to a funeral where the healthcare provider was murdered by crossfire as the cartel was trying to kill someone this healthcare provider was sitting next to.

In El Paso TX local news, our county hospital was taking care of a Mexican political leader who was brought here by the US government in order to protect this man. He was on the hit list of the cartel group and in efforts to help aid the relations between us and Mexico they let our tax dollars pay for him to recieve healthcare, and to have police and military troops stand outside of the hospital until he left.

This stuff has not quite creeped over here to the US side yet, but yes I am very worried that with these few instances it will get worse...

I wrote a letter to my safety officer and we will see.

I am not advocating for other professions here, nor comparing myself to a lawyer, police officer (which only have first and last initials on their badges), firefighters (which have thier first initial and last name), I am advocating for nurses here. So I am worried about the safety of nurses and patients.

Buglady,

I am not assuming this guy found me because I am a nurse, he found me BECAUSE I am a nurse. He met me in the hospital and found my name there and was saying sexual things related to my profession. I am not trying to hide behind anything. I dont think anyone of us are hiding by wanting to have our initials on our name tags, what are we hiding from? We are doing the best we can to care for those that need our help, at the same time patients deserve protection and so do nurses. I am only relating this to nursing and not as a lawyer and of that such, because this is the profession I am in. It bothered you when that predator,sicko called your house right, well I too feel the same way as you probably did when I got my sick call too.

Babylady,

I would not be hiding from anything, but this would be as a way of protecting myself. What would you do if you recieved a phone call with a sicko saying sexually explicit things to you and he found you at work?

Let me ask you this...we need our full names on our name badges to have respect? To be a professional we need to have our full names on our badges? Why is not the work we do enough for you or me or anyone to say we are professionals? I dont need my full name on a badge to know I do the best job I can in caring for patients, I dont need it because I know in my heart I am a professional.

Thank you for your help.

[BeBe6470]

I agree with BabyLady that it can happen anywhere...I think the BIGGER issue is the fact that anyone can find out so much personal information about anyone else for a small fee and access to the Internet. I had a similar situation happen when I was an apartment manager. A resident who was evicted for not paying rent like they were suppose to found out my home address and phone number and began harrassing me. I called the phone company and the only way to make my number unlisted was if I paid a monthly fee of $5! I remember the day when you had to pay to have your number listed. So I got rid of home phone and went to cell phones only. Sadly even that is not completely anonymous.

I am certain that receiving the calls have completely freaked you and rightfully so. I think you must do what makes you feel more comfortable and safe in your environment. We are all responsible for our own safety as much as we can possibly be. The truth is that if he had not seen your name but wanted to find out your name, he could have just asked innocently..."I want to send her flowers as a thank you for taking care of my wife...what is her name?"

Good luck to you though!

[txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN]

i work on a locked alzheimer's unit . recently (and i am guessing its a desperate cry for warm bodies to fill the facility) this facility has taken in 2 registered sex offenders and a man who is not shy about the fact that he killed and raped a woman..on my alzheimer unit where my confused and disoriented little people live...ugggg anyway when i got this man who claims that he killed a woman (yes , he is complete with a parole officer brought in the facility in shackles and chains...) i scratched my last name off my badge...i couldnt care less what the state of texas say's cause i have kids at home that need their mom...

[caliotter3]

I've dealt with stalking, harassment, assault, and battery. The phone calls were terrific. Changed my number on a regular basis. Every time I change my number, it is only a matter of time before the harasser lets me know that he has my info again. My employers have contributed to the problem. Every one I have consulted about this has told me basically, too bad, so sad. Just live with it. Well, there is nothing you can do but live with it. Take basic precautions and go on about your business. For what it is worth, I inquired at my state Board and was told that I could take the public access to my identifying data (address) away from my license by requesting it in writing. However, entities like law enforcement could still access the info. Well, if your stalker is in law enforcement, that is wonderful news isn't it?

[rkitty198, BSN, RN]

I've dealt with stalking, harassment, assault, and battery. The phone calls were terrific. Changed my number on a regular basis. Every time I change my number, it is only a matter of time before the harasser lets me know that he has my info again. My employers have contributed to the problem. Every one I have consulted about this has told me basically, too bad, so sad. Just live with it. Well, there is nothing you can do but live with it. Take basic precautions and go on about your business. For what it is worth, I inquired at my state Board and was told that I could take the public access to my identifying data (address) away from my license by requesting it in writing. However, entities like law enforcement could still access the info. Well, if your stalker is in law enforcement, that is wonderful news isn't it?

Wow that is awful! I hope and pray that no one has to go through what you have. I understand we can do whatever we can to protect ourselves- in my opinion it is by changing our name badge- but still if they want to find us they can.

Its terrible that your employers as well as mine basically said the same things. "If it happens again," kinda business.

I spoke to my security office and they basically told me that it might be worth it to have a gun at home. He told me a few horror stories that had to do with other nursing staff. One nurse even had to shoot her offender.

I tend to want to blame the public/media/commercial entities as well for this issue. I was looking for a Halloween costume this last year and there were tons of "sexy nurse" costumes, as well as other professionals turned into sexual Halloween get-ups.

All I can say at this point from reading the threads is that really no matter what I do or what we do, they can find us. What will it take to get rid of these internet sites to remove us off of the list so they can find us?

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

Babylady,

I would not be hiding from anything, but this would be as a way of protecting myself. What would you do if you recieved a phone call with a sicko saying sexually explicit things to you and he found you at work?

Let me ask you this...we need our full names on our name badges to have respect? To be a professional we need to have our full names on our badges? Why is not the work we do enough for you or me or anyone to say we are professionals? I dont need my full name on a badge to know I do the best job I can in caring for patients, I dont need it because I know in my heart I am a professional.

Thank you for your help.

I think every female at one time or the other, has had disturbing phone calls. I had one about 15 years ago that would call my house and describe to me what I was wearing..and I will never, ever forget the sound of his voice. It was like something out of a horror movie.

But that guy was never caught, nothing happened to me, and I never did find out who he was or how he found me.

I am not saying that you need a full name on you badge to be respected and to be professional. I am just stating that nurses have worked very hard to achieve the level that they are at and I cannot think of ONE other profession that requires a state license where you do not have immediate access to that person's name.

Granted, nursing is mostly a female profession. As females, we are naturally, and unfortunately, a greater target of physical and sexual assults.

However, I don't put the two together as collectively having a greater risk.

Police officers, in occasion, are hunted down and killed. Lawyers, on occasion, are hunted down and killed...along with judges, physicians, social workers, etc. However, I have never heard of a campaign where physicians want to be called "Dr. John" or where lawyers stop putting their name on their practice door.

[Iam46yearsold]

I can see you in public, get your cars license number and for the same 9.95 get all that information also. So you are really not safe anywhere. When not at work I do have a permit and I do carry my .380 semiautomatic pistol everywhere with me. Unfortunately it is a rough world out there.

[MaryAnn_RN]

I recently recieved a very disturbing and disgusting phone call about a month ago, the man was describing some very sexual things when I picked up the phone. He stated his wife had a hysterectomy and I took care of his wife. He then said that he had to find out more about me, as he was very sexually attracted to me (in more disgusting terminology of course).

What do you all think?

Personally I would put the phone down immediately and not enter into conversation with the creep.

[nursesail]

Is this required by law in Texas? We generally here in Florida may either leave off the last name or we have the first name large and the last in tiny print. If there is a legal problem, the client can always subpoena the records to see who had his room from the facility. We started that because of nurses in military families and 9/11.

[nitelynurse9]

i've taken care of pts from jails, wife beaters, alcoholics, homeless people, drug addicts, pt's with an extensive mental hx and others that could jeopardize my safety/privacy if given the opportunity, in many states, police info is kept private to keep police safe, shouldn't nurses be afforded the same precautions? if a pt has a problem with his or her nurse, its easy enough to find out their full name from mgmt, i don't believe any nurse should be made to display their last name if they choose not to do so or even have a last name alias for their badge. there was an incident a few years ago where a pt with slight cognitive problems kept calling a nurse at home, and eventually showed up at her house, the police had to be called.