"I'll let you talk to Dr Bigego's 'nurse'" (is she really a nurse?)

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

When ever I call my doctor, or try to get through to a doctor about a patient, I'm always told by the receptionist that she'll transfer me to his/her 'nurse'. I've learned from this site, however, that many of these people are only medical asssistants! I've never been told that by the office receptionist. Even the doctors will refer to their assistant as "my nurse"!

I call that false advertising!!!:angryfire Our profession needs to put a stop to this misrepresentation!!!:angryfire

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
When ever I call my doctor, or try to get through to a doctor about a patient, I'm always told by the receptionist that she'll transfer me to his/her 'nurse'. I've learned from this site, however, that many of these people are only medical asssistants! I've never been told that by the office receptionist. Even the doctors will refer to their assistant as "my nurse"!

I call that false advertising!!! Our profession needs to put a stop to this misrepresentation!!!

You're right but it's not going to happen as long as doctors can get by without paying licensed people to work in their office. Medical Assistants do have a place in healthcare and in the doctors office but the problem is that they, the staff and the doctors refer to them as nurses which is as you say misrepresentation, not to mention against the law. It's sad that the majority of patients believe they are nurses and do take advice from them. They have no license to lose because they work under the doctors license.

This subject has been a hot one on all nurses and gets pretty violatile at times. Best to avoid nurses vs medical assistants. Maybe we can discuss what can, if anything, be done about it? :idea: Can we as a group make a difference? Suggestions?

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

With that thought in mind, imagine how embarrassed I was when I was told, when calling the cardiologist about a question, that "his nurse" would call me back. When she did, I politely asked what her licensure was, thinking I was going to get stuttering for my answer, and she replied proudly, "Oh, I'm an ARNP."

Ooookay. Shut me right up. (And she IS wonderful!)

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

Sorry, somehow, there was a double post.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

But apparently many of these office 'nurses' aren't nurses! And then I read here everyone up in arms over some baby nanny using the word 'nurse' in her advertizing! Yet every day, all over the nation, medical assistants are being misrepresented to the unwitting public as nurses!!! Why don't I read about the ANA rising to arms? I didn't even realize it myself!!!!

We need to unite and stop this!!!

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

This has been going on for "years and years". Probably longer than I've been alive and I'm over the 1/2 century mark.

I have tried contacting 20/20, 60 minutes, John Stossel, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Good Morning America, you name them, I wrote them. Not so much as a "thanks for your suggestion" generic e-mail returned. I don't have a clue as to what it will take to wake the public up.

I do have one victory to report. A couple of years ago I got so upset about a particular MA calling herself a nurse and calling and giving me, the charge nurse, doctors orders. I took it all the way to the administrator and now our policy hospital wide is that we can only take doctors orders from a licensed person. The doctors don't like it because they have to call in orders themselves but too bad. No one is keeping them from hiring license people.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

Grrrrr, this burn me up.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
grrrrr, this burn me up.

me too !!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, ED.

well what about a letter writing campaign....what about letters to the AMA, what about letters to the editor in journals like AJN, or letters to the credentialling association of medical assisstants...what about an editorial in the newspaper, a press release from the members of allnurses......

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As the taken Medical Assistant here, I will give my 2 bits. I never refer to my self as a nurse. When I have always corrected receptionist who refer to me as such . I have even threated to write someone up for repeatedly callins we MA's nurses.

When hearing a Dr. call me a nurse I told him " your " nurse" is on a break, but you MA would be happy to help." He just laughed, but it worked.

I am in aw of all nurses and the wonderful work that you do each and every day. I know that my meager 9 month education aas an MA is in no way equal to the years of nursinf school and the training and knowledge that go along with such.

I tell pt if I know an inch of info., a nurse know a mile, and a Dr. a couple of feet on a good day. ( Just kidding)

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As the taken Medical Assistant here, I will give my 2 bits. I never refer to my self as a nurse. When I have always corrected receptionist who refer to me as such . I have even threated to write someone up for repeatedly callins we MA's nurses.

When hearing a Dr. call me a nurse I told him " your " nurse" is on a break, but you MA would be happy to help." He just laughed, but it worked.

I am in aw of all nurses and the wonderful work that you do each and every day. I know that my meager 9 month education aas an MA is in no way equal to the years of nursinf school and the training and knowledge that go along with such.

I tell pt if I know an inch of info., a nurse know a mile, and a Dr. a couple of feet on a good day. ( Just kidding)

Prowling MA,

I am a nurse....and I am in awe of all the hard working MA's, and respect the work they do to keep the office running. You are to be applauded, as is other ancillary staff, for keeping the ship afloat. My ONLY problem was what the OP mentioned (and not something you have done), which is misrepresentation, as it can potentially injure a patient. We all have a role and are important. So please keep your head up and be proud of what you do. Please don't take this the wrong way...it is only the MA's who call themselves the "doctor's nurse" or "the office nurse" or "nurse". And the MA's who belittle us nurses for not knowing how to draw blood.....MA training is that of skills/technical...more technical in office, that is for sure. I felt like a fish out of water skillswise. I had an MA say, "Well where did YOU go to school. At my nursing school we had to do 200 blood draws to even graduate." (She called it nursing school). I think another problem is that many have no idea what nurses do. I think even doctors who are in family practice must have forgotten their time spent in the hospital.....It just seems like no one really knows what we do, our assessment skills and thought processes and go above the actual act of clinical skill. Example, an MA who was angry and threw stuff because I wouldn't use pre-drawn flu vaccines that she drew up early that morning. It was NOT a slam against her, just simply a CARDINAL RULE of nursing: You never give a med you don't draw up or witness. Never. She just simply thought I was being stubborn, but the fact is, med errors happen to the best of people. And if I make one, I'd rather have it be a genuine mistake than simply forgetting one of the most fundamental rules about administering meds.

Bottom line. Two vastly different areas of practice; perhaps doctors who are trying to save money and non-medical office managers over the years have contributed to the confusion. I'm not trying to place blame, so to speak, but if the "doctor" calls his staff "nurse" then I could see why an MA, without any knowledge of what nurses do, could make the same "assumption". ???

Thank you for being the valuable staff member you are:yeah: and please know we're not demoralizing what YOU do, either.

Emma

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Thank you, to the previous poster. You said it correctly. We are two very different jobs, each unique and valued for their skills.

A RN may not " know" how to draw blood, but I could never start an IV.

We each have a place and purpose and should be proud of our titles. But not use them as insults. I'm not " just an CMA" I am " a CMA" and darn proud.

If life we different, money, time. I would be in nursing school( I was for 1 year), but life goti n the way and choices lead me to quit and move states and later go to MA school.

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