Hello all. I am a nursing student here in SC and I love this website. It has been very helpful and even though I have never directly participated on here, I have learned a lot from you all. I have decided to finally make a post, but it is not about my studies....
I know someone who works at my child's doctor's office. She refers to herself as "head nurse" there. She claims to have graduated from the school I am attending. She actually went to HS with me, but was a few years older. I noticed she was not pictured in the nursing building for the year she said she graduated as a RN. (Our school displays the pictures of all the RN & LPN graduates in the halls). I asked her about this and she told me she failed out of the RN program early on (I don't think she ever got into the program but can't be for sure), but anyway, she graduated as a surg. tech. This I have verified. She does not refer to herself as a RN and doesn't sign her name that way, but she does give shots, and everything else a nurse would do in pediatrician's office. I have also heard her mention how she's started caths for patients in the office. Does this sound right to any of you? Can surgical techs do that? She told me the Dr. knows she is a ST.
Is this legal? I don't mean to sound...picky, it just seems strange.
Thank you, nursel56. Yes they all call her nurse. Maybe that's true in my state I couldn't tell online. I was just curious because of how weird jt seemed. Thanks for your help
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
If she's doing the duties of an MA, then she's an MA. In most states, one does not need formal certification or training to become an MA. They are UAPs, and can actually do many of the tasks that one traditionally associates with nurses.
I will say that at the peds clinic I work right next to, the MAs are highly skilled at giving injections. There is nobody I would rather have give a shot to one of my kids than the young women who do it multiple times every day.
Well ad sides from the fact she shouldn't call herself a nurse... She shouldn't be taking sick calls from parents wanting medical advice. That is scary.
At my sons doctors office there are MAs that do vitals and injections.. But there are nurses employed their that you can talk to with any concerns...
I have a special needs son who has many, many different doctors. All of them employ medical assistants, some of them are awesome and some are well not... I have asked to speak to the nurse (for medical advice), and the medical assistant comes on the phone. I don't tolerate this. No offence to you medical assistants but you don't have the traing us nurses do. I have also pointed out to more than one doctor that having a sign stating "please let you're nurse know if you need any prescription refills" hanging in a room when you never see a nurse (unless there's a problem ) to me is wrong. I worked hard to be called a nurse & while everyone is needed in a healthcare team I don't want a medical assistant being called a nurse... That being said, I do let the good ones give my son shots. My son has received daily sub q injections for years as well as IM injections when I'll and I taught my older son to do both types of injections when he was 11 or 12 so I think your average medical assistant can do it... I personally would not use any doctors office who does not employ an RN or LPN though that's just poor practice!
I do find it interesting that in fact, no one ever says "the doctor's assistant" it is always "the nurse".....because heaven forbid we all think that the person in the office is in any way shape or form a PA or intern or such......
I've actually seen in the past few years that my physicians have been stating "medical assistant"; even the MA's address themselves as such.
It may be the difference is that the physicians or practitioners are directly affiliated with major medical centers, which employ nurses in their office; this includes pediatric offices; who knows.
OP, I would print out the part of the nurse practice act off the state website and make multiple copies. Hand one to the receptionist, the physician, and the ST. Point out to the physician that while he can act as supervisor for her tasks, like vaccines, catheterization, and the like, in his office setting, it is illegal for anyone to refer to her as a nurse there ore anywhere else. Mention that the liability will fall on him if someone calls the office, speaks to the "nurse" and gets bad advice which results in harm. That might get his attention.
My beef with her as you called it is that someone could be endangering children because she is not trained because she told me she was never trained. She isn't a MA.
The ST is trained as a ST, which arguably is better than being trained as a MA- but like others have said, many states don't require 'training' to become a MA, anyway. If you feel the ST may be endangering children, you might maybe need to find a new physician, because that indicates you don't trust the judgment of the physician that hired, and directs the activity of that ST. As far as that word, 'nurse' being used, it happens often- lots of MAs even refer to themselves as 'nurses'. Is it legit? Not in many states, but what are you going to do- file a complaint with the BON? Whether your real issue is a ST doing nurse work without a license, or merely a ST using that word 'nurse', why not just take your child elsewhere? Aside from that, it's not always done deliberately or with evil intent, that other people refer to themselves as 'nurse' in an office- most lay people don't know the differences between MA, PA, ST, or other jobs, so it's just easier to use 'nurse'. PC, or not.
I think the issue is not that it's "not PC," but rather that it's likely illegal.
It appears so in OP's state, but that also means the receptionist is guilty of referring to the ST as a nurse. Since OP claims ST claims to be an ST, not an RN, and doesn't sign her name as a nurse, and hasn't been described as doing anything incompetently, what is OP to do- file a lawsuit? It appears OP has some other issue with this ST, or even the physician- so why not just find a new office? If she does she'll find out this 'nurse' speak goes on everywhere in private practices.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Thank you, nursel56. Yes they all call her nurse. Maybe that's true in my state I couldn't tell online. I was just curious because of how weird jt seemed. Thanks for your help
Here's a state by state summary for you and anyone else who is interested. Earlier in my career when I worked in a large clinic, everyone but one person was either an RN or an LVN but one former receptionist. At that time it didn't bother me that she was called "nurse". It was verbal shorthand. Now I feel more respect for my profession, and few people would argue that using the title of doctor when you aren't one is pretty serious.
Here's a state by state summary for you and anyone else who is interested. Earlier in my career when I worked in a large clinic, everyone but one person was either an RN or an LVN but one former receptionist. At that time it didn't bother me that she was called "nurse". It was verbal shorthand. Now I feel more respect for my profession, and few people would argue that using the title of doctor when you aren't one is pretty serious.
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orange89
8 Posts
Thank you, nursel56. Yes they all call her nurse. Maybe that's true in my state I couldn't tell online. I was just curious because of how weird jt seemed. Thanks for your help