Nuses prefix.

[Reed04RN]

I believe it is time that nurses had a prefix before their given name. Instead of Ms., Mrs. or Mr. have something like Nr. Nrs. Doctors, Fathers and the military personnel have been doing it for years. For better understanding, how many doctors do you call by their first name? How many doctors call you by your first name? The respect goes both ways I believe.

Let me know about what you think about this concept.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

I applaud the thoughts, but my concern would be that it might take nursing back in time rather than forward. The phrase "Nurse Jones" just takes my mind to an unhappy place - one where nurses are definitely subordinates to physicians rather than skilled and autonomous healthcare providers.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Titles are not important to me. I have a stable career which affords me the ability to maintain a lifestyle loaded with middle class comforts. That's all I need.

In general, society bestows the most respect and prestige upon people who have the highest level of educational attainment (read: physicians). Therefore, doctors are awarded with greater pay, and a prefix before their name. Elected judges are also given the respectable addresses of "Your Honor" or "The Honorable," because they possess years of education and experience, and hold a position that society generally regards with great prestige.

The reality is that the vast majority of people with 2-year degrees and 4-year degrees will never have prefixes before their names.

[queenjean]

I don't like to be called by my last name; it makes me feel old and it also seems contrived and forced. To me, to have doctors and patients call me Nurse S. would be a return to the nurse (and all medical personnel) being an authority figure--but in an authoritarian sort of way.

For better or worse, our society is more casual these days. While they are still a minority, I know a few doctors who now go by their first name, too. Either they simply introduce themselves by their first name, or they put "Dr." in front of it. Actually, I've noticed that patients seem to be the ones who put the "dr" in front when they are speaking with them.

My PCP just goes by her first name; my kids' doctor goes by "Dr. Beth". I like this trend better than going back to addressing everyone by their last names prefixed with a title. To me, anyhow, that seems elitist, distant, and authoritarian. I'm an informal kind of gal.

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

where exactly would you use the prefix?

vanity?

especially given that military personnel and doctors are advised not to use their prefixes outside work settings for PERSEC in both cases and OPSEC in military cases

[fergus51]

I use my first name with everyone I call by their first name. People who prefer to be addressed by their last names address me the same way. Simple enough:) (In front of patients I always use the other person's title).

Maybe my parents were just old fashioned, but that's how I was raised. I address people how they want to be addressed and expect them to address me with the same level of formality. Someone calling my by my first name if they insist on being called by their last name is disrespectful IMO. Children and pets are the only living things without last names. I'm neither.