"Wait for the nurse"

[brido]

Hello,

I am not a nurse nor a nursing student. However, I brought this up with a few nurse friends and just want some more feedback.

I've been dealing with my doctor's office quite a bit with visits and follow-up calls. It seems like they refer to every employee as a nurse. "Wait for the nurse", "the nurse will be right with you", "you need to talk to a nurse."

I have no experience in the medical field, so I didn't think much of it. I was talking to my friend who is an ICU nurse. She was saying how she is stressed at work and wants 9-5 hrs. I briefly mentioned how nurses work at my doctor's office and maybe it would be a good fit for her. She said "nurses? They're most likely medical assistants." She asked me what they do there. They take my history and vitals and then the doctor comes in. She was highly offended that they would call themselves nurses and wanted to report them. I asked her to explain, but she told me I wouldn't understand.

I told another RN friend of mine the story and she thought it was strange that my friend would react that way and kind of brushed it off. I didn't pursue it further.

But I'm a little concerned that my doctor's office can be reported. It makes me lose trust in them that they would call medical assistants nurses. Can they be reported? What would happen? Should I even concern myself with this?

Thanks for your time and btw, nurses rock!

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Suggest you search for related cases and print out a few for them. You never see it coming until it hits you, and then it's too late. If you google "is it against the law to impersonate a nurse" you'll find many state code citations.

Completely reasonable suggestion and I'm very much aware of the legalities, but nope. It was made clear to me that since it was not my area, it was none of my business. And as long as I run my unit correctly, I "shouldn't stick my nose in", so to speak. I tried, really I did. But they're right about one thing: if and when something DOES go seriously sour, it WON'T be my business at all! And there will be a stack of REAL nurses who will also swear on a stack of bibles that not only did I try to make them see the problem, but THEY have also tried, over the years. So if anything does happen, it's not like they weren't warned.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Yeah, the docs don't care till something seriously goes south. Then watch them holler for a "real nurse."

^I spit out my milkshake for this one...sorry, but sooo 100% TRUE!!!!

[kldepp08]

I have seen and heard this often in my career as a medical assistant. I will be starting nursing school in Sept, so not a nurse yet, but, fingers crossed ....soon!!

I have always made sure to correct anyone who refers to me as a nurse, patient or co-worker. First, it is illegal, second, the pt deserves to know who is providing care for them and third, as I've said in other threads, it is NOT a title I have earned (YET).

I have no shame that I am "just" an MA, I take pride in what I do and always try and do it well. However skilled I am, I am no where near the skill level of a nurse (again... I'll say YET) I understand why nurses get upset and/or offended about this. I don't think it comes from a "I am better than you" attitude, but more from the legal side of it and.... they HAVE worked harder than an MA and deserve to be recognized for that.

Just my thought....

[featherzRN, MSN]

I work at a clinic/MD office and I often fill in for the LPN's and room patients. We don't have any MA's - all nurses, either RN or LPN.

So it IS possible an RN/LPN is rooming patients at some clinics. I work per diem at another hospital associated clinic and it's almost all RN's rooming patients.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

My PMD's office is small and she has a real nurse. My pulmonologist I either check in with a nurse or a respiratory therapist- and their title is clearly labelled. Other offices I've been to do use MA's, but it's always been clear to me that that's what they are. Maybe I'm more intune than general public, though?

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

It has nothing to do with "how hard a nurse has worked for that title" or anything like that. The laws are in place to protect the public.

[wanderlust99]

In my hometown the nurses in doctors offices are usually RNs. Maybe they were actually nurses.

[november17, ASN, RN]

We worked hard to earn the professional title of Nurse. Medical assistants generally have very little formal training. Its pretty lame that doctors allow their staff to do that, and all too common.

[sandyfeet]

There are times when I'll call the clinic and the FO will say "let me put Dr. Johnson's nurse on for you". When the "nurse" comes on the line they'll sometimes say "this is Carrie, Dr. Johnson's nurse")

Would any actual nurse working in a clinic refer to themselves as "the doctor's nurse"? I work in the hospital and I tell patients "I will be your nurse" or I might answer the phone as "Sandyfeet, RN" but I would never refer to myself as"the doctor's nurse". Unless the patient was a doctor!

[bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN]

Would any actual nurse working in a clinic refer to themselves as "the doctor's nurse"? I work in the hospital and I tell patients "I will be your nurse" or I might answer the phone as "Sandyfeet, RN" but I would never refer to myself as"the doctor's nurse". Unless the patient was a doctor!

I work as a phone nurse in a clinic and with over 20 providers a lot of times patients will ask are you dr so and so's nurse? Or if a patient is being belligerent with the clerks who answer the phones and transfer the pt to me to deal with them ill say this is bugya I'm dr j's nurse tell me what's going on. Something about throwing the doctors name in there immediately checks any attitude the pt had

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Would any actual nurse working in a clinic refer to themselves as "the doctor's nurse"? I work in the hospital and I tell patients "I will be your nurse" or I might answer the phone as "Sandyfeet, RN" but I would never refer to myself as"the doctor's nurse". Unless the patient was a doctor!

Maybe it's a regional thing, every clinic I've had to contact professionally communicates with this verbage...

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

Our clinic has both. The MAs don't call themselves Nurses or vice versa, and I have not personally heard any of the providers refer to a MA as a Nurse. I have heard patients refer to MAs as Nurses countless times. MAs often correct them. I don't bother, because I don't care to spend the time discussing the educational preparation of the staff, and I couldn't possibly care less if a little old lady misidentifies the girl in scrubs/white lab coat standing behind the counter in the Nurses station handing her a lab slip as a "Nurse."

I do agree it would be inappropriate for the MA in that situation to tell said little old lady she was a Nurse, but if little old lady assumes it, I don't think it is a hyper critical issue worthy of correction. Who cares? Get lady out the door and get on with the day.