Once again.....I'm a "nurse".....

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

Long time no see! I haven't visited here in ages (lots of things going on personally), but when I saw this the other day, I knew I had to share....you folks here will understand it in a way no one else in my life will!

It was Thursday afternoon, I was watching Judge Joe Brown in the background as I got ready to go to work. Some lady was suing some dude for money for something (that's what happens when I half-watch something, LOL). Anyway, Judge Joe is asking the plaintiff lady what she does for a living..."you're a bus driver, right?" Lady: "Yes, and I have two jobs, I'm also a NURSE."

Joe: "Are you an RN or an LPN...?"

Lady: "I'm a medical assistant....REGISTERED."

Joe: "So, you're a bus driver and a nurse....(continues to discuss case, talks about how hard it is for her to support herself even without kids, blah blah blah).

You guys know where I am going with this. It's been discussed countless times here, I know. This was just a different forum for me to hear it in, and it made me MORE mad because all I could do was watch....and think, "THIS is how the misconceptions happen, dang it!" Anyone watching who doesn't know any better assumes that yes, this lady is a nurse.

I'm not saying her job isn't important, or that she doesn't have a role in healthcare. Of course she does. But that role is NOT of a nurse.

I know there are posters here that don't get/don't care about other people using the title "nurse," and that's fine. To each their own, no big deal. I'm just one of those people that it DOES bother, and hearing that exchange fired me up a little. The way she had to tack that word on the end...."REGISTERED"....like THAT is what makes the difference here. I realize that some MA's are registered and some are not, yes....it just has nothing to do with being a nurse either way.

End rant. :)

[orthonurse55]

I will be the first to agree with you. I don't TREAT people like there is a distinction - but there IS and no one should claim to be what they aren't! We can't tell people we are doctors, just because we work with the patient. Heck, we wear so many hats we could put a lot of claims to different titles out there! I'm a nurse and proud of it - and if someone wants to tell people they are a nurse, they should go to school to earn that title!

[PennyWise]

I've noted a lot of discussions on this topic, the misuse of the title "nurse" and have always wondered if we are not missing the point with it.

If nurses had a more defined role, a distinct body of knowledge that was more unique and were better united as a profession.......this would happen less (or not at all). In short, if we got our act together, people would concern themselves with whether using the title was proper or not. But we dont, so they don't.

We all float down here.

[ebear, BSN, RN]

There are certified medical assistants, but they are by no means "registered". Time to bring this to the atention of state boards of nursing nationwide.

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

Haha I saw an episode of Judge Judy where this girl had a rash or something and she called her mom (who was a nurse, but couldn't describe her specialty area and admitted she hadn't "practiced in awhile") to the stand as an expert. Judge Judy tossed her out!!! She seemed kinda bogus. The nurse, not Judge Judy.

[CarryThatWeight, BSN]

I am endorsing into Texas, and I just took the Texas Jurisprudence Exam yesterday. It is actually illegal for someone to use the title of nurse in any form unless they are licensed with the BON. At least in Texas. I completely agree that this lady is wrong and gives nurses a bad name! On one of those judge shows, no less...

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

I think it's complicated because "nurse" is also a verb (nurse back to health) and "nursing" is used in different contexts not directly related to the nursing profession. So it's become common for lay people to associate nursing and nurse with any form of caring for someone else. It's different from the title of doctor, because that word has a more distinct, finite association.

But, someone who is actually involved in the health care field should know the difference and should not represent themselves as something other than their title.

[OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN]

I miss you soooooo freakin much! How are you?

Sorry if I'm highjacking your thread. I also get ticked when people call themselves nurses when they are not!

[OrionQuiltsRN]

I saw that same episode last week! He was impressed that she was a bus driver and an RN. It certainly was burning my britches. I worked long and hard to become a registered nurse.

[Hygiene Queen]

I learned 3 things within the first 30 minutes of my first CNA class:

1) Learn to pat your own back, because no one else will

2) Grow a thick skin

3) You will not be nurses upon completing this class.

If instructors aren't making a point of saying this, they should be.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Doctors tend to become offended if PAs and FNPs refer to themselves as the 'doctors.' Engineers will roll their eyes at the high-school educated factory worker who calls himself the 'industrial engineer.' Attorneys will ridicule the legal secretary who refers to herself as a 'lawyer.' Teachers will get mad at the teaching assistant who goes around saying, "I'm a schoolteacher." Microbiologists will openly frown upon the lab technician who tells everyone that he is the 'microbiologist' or the 'lab director.' The brigade general will forcefully correct the enlisted soldier who misrepresents himself as an 'officer' or the 'general.' We, as nurses, need to really catch a clue from other professionals in society and be more vocal about exposing the liars and impostors for who they truly are. Other professionals will call out a liar on a moment's notice. We need to follow by example!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

the person who drew my blood the other day told me she was a nurse.

"rn or lpn?" i asked.

"well, i went to lpn school, but i'm not licensed because the test is too hard. so i'm just a nurse, not an lpn."

i waited until after she put down the needle to tell her that in this state, she can't call herself a nurse unless she's licensed.

"but i went to nursing school," she said. "that makes me a nurse."

"not unless you're licensed," i told her. "in fact, you can get into trouble with the board of nursing for calling yourself a nurse."

after i left the lab draw area, i noticed my doctor and a few of the other staff standing around laughing. "we've been trying to tell her she's not a nurse," they said. "maybe now she gets it."