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

[cherrybreeze]

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. :)

[JBudd, MSN]

How about "if you continue to misrepresent yourself as a nurse in this facility, you'll be fired" ?

[nursel56]

Hey cherrybreeze! I thought you'd ditched us for good!

. . .and yeah, it's from reading allnurses I've become aware of how rampant this is. Now if I can say something about it I do! (ie I comment if it is in print) The title is protected in California, too. I've yet to hear it myself - but if I do I will definitely speak up.

[grownuprosie]

a ma that i know posted the "nurses poem" on fb (the one that ends, "not a crabby old woman, look closer, nurses -- see me!"). i resisted the urge to ask her if she knew any nurses.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Great to see you around here again, cherrybreeze!! Welcome home!! :yelclap:

[OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN]

I was at the clinic the other day and there was an advertisment for an opening for a MD or NP. A patient walked up to the front counter and asked if they were still looking for a NP because her family member just became a CNA and looking for a job? It took all I had to bite my tongue. The secretary simply stated that the NP has a degree and CNA does not. At this point my blood pressure is going up.... and I want to educate both of them.

There more than a degree that separates a CNA from a NP. The public truly does not understand....

[OCNRN63, RN]

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."

​awww...cut her some slack. she's a nurse, just an unlicensed practical nurse. :)

[destova]

How about "if you continue to misrepresent yourself as a nurse in this facility, you'll be fired" ?

Beautiful!

[exnavygirl-RN]

love it.

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."

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

i was just asked to give some pointers on some specific career advancement moves to a nurse i met on a plane. she sounded like she had a great idea, and i gave her my email to follow up. her resume states she has "bsn - public health nursing" and a "msn in education." i'm thinking, "something's wrong here," but i played it straight and told her with the rest of my critique that there is no such thing as a bsn in public health, because bsn is an entry-level degree, and you don't get an msn in education, and that she should never exaggerate her credentials because they do check/ stay tuned.

[Lynx25, LPN]

I'm just going to start calling myself BatMan, and take it from there.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

I am just going to tell people I went to medical school, so I am a doctor, but didn't take the test because "it was too hard."

[sapphire18]

I am just going to tell people I went to medical school, so I am a doctor, but didn't take the test because "it was too hard."

Lol! Love it!