Poll: Should nurses have more distinctive titles?

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I'd like to poll other nurses. Do you think nurses should have more distintive titles? and Do you think this would help elevate respect for our profession and elevate our salaries?

The newspaper in my area doesn't provide seperate job categories for CNA's, CMA's, LPN's, RN's, and NP's but classifies them all as nurses. I've also heard CNA's referring to themselves as nurses. Our job badge often doesn't reflect our educational background. My local TV news grouped our profession with waitresses, busboys, and other service professions. This is the only profession that I'm aware of which does not differentiate between one year, two year, four year, six year and eight year educational levels. How do you feel this affects our salaries and profession?

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Specializes in Babies, peds, pain management.

I think most people tend to think of nurses, in general, as waitresses, busboys or service people. (Fix my TV, my trash needs to emptied, will you bring me some juice, etc...) Of course, some people do realize that what we do is much more than fluff pillows and follow doctors around. I do think that ID badges should have your title on them. I worked hard for my license and I'm proud of it. As far as differentiating between diploma, AD and BSN,

the debate has been going on for years with very little headway, I'm not sure it will ever end. And about salaries, when management realizes that nurses play such a big part in patient outcomes and satisfaction and that a good nurse is worth her/his weight in gold...maybe things will change. Of course, I'm not holding my breath... :uhoh3:

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I'd like to poll other nurses. Do you think nurses should have more distintive titles? and Do you think this would help elevate respect for our profession and elevate our salaries?

I don't think a different title would mean much, particularly from the public's view. Salaries are not as free to play with considering reimbursement. We're just screwed! :crying2:

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I want my title to be: Dutchess o' the Deptartment of Emergencies. LOL, ok sorry bad joke. :)

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I always thought it'd be fun to insist on every letter you've ever attained being put behind your name. I'd be "RN, BSN, MA, NRP." So far, anyhow.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Nurses at my job are allowed to put addittional titles on their badges. For example "RN, MSN", "RN, BSN", "RNFA", "RN, CNOR", "RN, CMSRN"

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.

All the letters behind ones name won't mean squat ... if the public doesn't "get it". By that I mean what Asher said above.

As far as the public perception of what nurses really know and do... these added frills won't change that.

It would be akin to adding a few more trinkets to your Walmart vest.

"So what? Does that mean you can get me my water faster?" :rolleyes:

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should we have more distinctive titles? will this give our profession more respect? i think that the way we are portrayed in the media has alot to do with the way the public percieves us. i can't watch er because the doctors do more nursing care on that show than the actual nurses! or the pink song that calls a nurse a "little *****." or the way that nurses are portrayed as sexual in white fish net stockings and a tight nursing uniform and cap. we should raise hell everytime that we are portrayed in a demeaning and disrespectful way by the media and maybe then they will get the picture. the public is bombarded by these images of a nurse.

as far as having adn, bsn, phd, by your name, let me tell you this. when i started a new job at the hospital that i currently work in, i asked that bsn be added behind my name. by the way the id printer behaved you would have thought that i did not earn this degree but wanted it printed on my badge. she called the director of nursing to see if this was "allowed." long story short, bsn is behind my name on my badge. i wonder if a doctor would have gotten the same hassle to have phd behind their name.

we should be proud of our educational achievements whether its an adn, bsn, msn, phd, crna, crnp. we are all educated professionals.

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I agree that people should be able to differentiate between RN's, LPN's and CNA's, but other than that, no further distinction is needed. IMHO, it would already add to the prevalent pi$$ing war between some nurses within the profession, already.

When I was travelling, both in Canada and the USA, newspaper ads always stated RN, LPN, etc. I never saw a generic ad.

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"So what? Does that mean you can get me my water faster?"

:chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.
as far as having adn, bsn, phd, by your name, let me tell you this. when i started a new job at the hospital that i currently work in, i asked that bsn be added behind my name. by the way the id printer behaved you would have thought that i did not earn this degree but wanted it printed on my badge. she called the director of nursing to see if this was "allowed." long story short, bsn is behind my name on my badge. i wonder if a doctor would have gotten the same hassle to have phd behind their name.

we should be proud of our educational achievements whether its an adn, bsn, msn, phd, crna, crnp. we are all educated professionals.

you know, i do agree with you here.. we should be proud of our academic achievements and we have earned the added title(s). sure, i have no problem with someone wishing to have that added to their name bage if they so desire.

i just think that the "general public" could give two hoots. :stone

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
We should raise hell everytime that we are portrayed in a demeaning and disrespectful way by the media and maybe then they will get the picture

Ah, yes, i agree, although there are a few nurses that think the other need to "get a life" when hell is raised over such things. That doesn't help.

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