"You cannot have BSN or MSN on your nametag?"

[nursebrandie28]

Hello,

My supervisor told me tonight that HR was getting complaints from patients stating, "The BSN nurse gave better care than the non-BSN nurse." End result, only RN will go on namebadge.

I do not want to debate whether BSN nurses are better or worse. What I would like feedback on is:

1.) Can a hospital legally take away your title of RN, BSN or RN MSN, etc.?

2.) I personally feel that is a "slap" in the face and demoralizes nursing and education! Am I the only one who feels like this?

[llg, PhD, RN]

I, too, am on the fence. When I introduce myself to most people here at the hospital, I simply use my first name and tell people that I am "one of the nurses here" ... or maybe, "one of the nurse-educators" so that they know I don't do direct-patient care (which might lead them to expect all sorts of bedside expertise that I let go years ago.)

Here on allnurses, I don't usually sign my posts -- unless I am feel it is relevant to the topic and the reader should know that I have my PhD and/or am certified in my specialty.

PMFB-RN wrote the "RN ... is everything they need to know about me." Well, that might be true for him/her -- but that is not true for me. As my expertise is NOT bedside care anymore, but rather education, research, and evidence-based practice, sometimes it is important that people know I have those areas of expertise and not assume that I have the same areas of expertise as the staff nurses.

There are times when I feel my credentials are important and I feel it is wrong for nursing as a profession to not recognize that we are not all alike. We do have different knowledge and skill sets -- and that needs to be acknowledged sometimes, too.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Funny you mention this. I noticed a name tag of an ARNP and had to chuckle to myself..it read something like

Ima Nurse, ASN, BSN, MSN, ARNP, and then some other things. i got tired trying to read it all..it was ridiciously long and redundant. Umm, in order to have a masters in ANYTHING, you need to have your bachelors. So to list the ASN and BSN was just a waste of time when you have the Masters.

Actually, that's not true. I'm currently in school for my Masters, and I don't and won't have a Bachelor's first.

Otherwise, I do agree with you.

I work at a university hospital that has magnet status, and I swear I think I'm the only RN on my unit who doesn't have a BSN. So it would probably be redundant for people to have RN, BSN on their badges. It would probably just be easier to have MY badge say RN, ADN. :)

[PMFB-RN, RN]

, you need to have your bachelors. So to list the ASN and BSN was just a waste of time when you have the Masters.

*** Actually you are mistaken. There is no requirement to have a bachelors degree to have a masters degree. Lot's of schools allow nurses who do not have a bachelors degree in anything to earn masters in nursing. Nor is a bachelors degree earned as part of the MSN, though there are programs that do that too.

[Mulan]

Now I wonder if those patients really got better care from the BSN or if they are just aware of the study that says they are supposed to get better care from the BSN and therefore just think that they did.

[clemmm78, RN]

Now I wonder if those patients really got better care from the BSN or if they are just aware of the study that says they are supposed to get better care from the BSN and therefore just think that they did.

or, the nurse with the BSN just happened to be a better nurse and would have been regardless of education level.

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Actually, that's not true. I'm currently in school for my Masters, and I don't and won't have a Bachelor's first.

*** Actually you are mistaken. There is no requirement to have a bachelors degree to have a masters degree. Lot's of schools allow nurses who do not have a bachelors degree in anything to earn masters in nursing. Nor is a bachelors degree earned as part of the MSN, though there are programs that do that too.

I stand corrected, my apologies.

[phamia]

Personally, a nurse is a nurse, regardless of what you have after your last name. I would not be bothered by it or feel that it's a slap in the face. Those that do, obviously you have some kind of a complex!!

[Ciale]

RN as is MD, ARNP and or PA, are "clinical titles." This can be supplemented by a clinical certification. Nurses, have a bad habit of forgetting this and begin to try to separate themselves by listing the "level" of educational preparation ahead of the clinical title. This is not correct, as the (layman) public can rightfully be confused as to what is what.

I attribute this phenomenon to a severe case of professional identity crisis. Imagine for a moment if your typical physician signature went something like this, Dr J Kevorkian AS, BS, MPH, MD.

A very typical trail of alphabet soup for an advanced practice nurse is something along these lines,. F. Nightingale BSN, MSN, ARNP, FAAN,. or some nonsense along those lines. The correct title would be Jane Doe ARNP, FAAN.

Spot on! I work in Human Resources right now. Even in HR, we don't put M.A. Human Resources Mgmt on our business cards, but we would put SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) because its a certification that you earn through a standardized test. Titles are just that...TITLES. You don't have to WEAR a BSN to SHOW a BSN. My humble opinion.

[skybmonkey]

I agree! The professional title is RN. A BSN and ASN nurse takes the same state boards. Clinical education is the identical to one another. A BSN nurse is no better than a ASN nurse at the bedside!!

I was just about to ask that question since i am working on getting my ASN, but do have a B.S. in a science field, but does that make me any less than a nurse with a BSN...in regards to the education, yes maybe a BSN has more education in terms of more units/credits of general ED classes, but isn't the education for the job the same? Are we missing classes that pertain to our job as a ASN nurse? And like you said, we take the same state boards and clinical educaion is the same. In that case, could I put ASN, B.S. Biology with medical emphasis and any other degrees i have on my badge? Kudoos to those who have their BSN, but having your ASN doesn't make you any less. You never know what other degrees the ASN might hold, or what experience. Anyhow, my opinion. :-)

[llg, PhD, RN]

I was just about to ask that question since i am working on getting my ASN, but do have a B.S. in a science field, but does that make me any less than a nurse with a BSN...in regards to the education, yes maybe a BSN has more education in terms of more units/credits of general ED classes, but isn't the education for the job the same? Are we missing classes that pertain to our job as a ASN nurse? And like you said, we take the same state boards and clinical educaion is the same. In that case, could I put ASN, B.S. Biology with medical emphasis and any other degrees i have on my badge? Kudoos to those who have their BSN, but having your ASN doesn't make you any less. You never know what other degrees the ASN might hold, or what experience. Anyhow, my opinion. :-)

It doesn't make you less of a person ... or even less of a nurse ... as you will have a full RN license just like the BSN's will get. However, you will have a slightly different knowledge base and skill set. It is highly unlikely that your ADN program is going to include the same depth of content on nursing leadership, nursing research, nursing theory, or community health that IS included in most BSN programs. So, while you will have a BS ... your BS did not give you the same knowledge base that a BSN should provide.

Of course ... it is always the case that individual programs vary and that individual people vary in their ability to apply whatever information they are exposed to in school. What I said above is the "general" answer to your questions based on the most common curricula in most schools.

It's like asking, "Does a person with a BS in biology have the same education as a person with a BS in psychology?" Well ... in a way. They are equally educated, but they don't have the same education. They learned different knowledge and skills in their BS programs.

[Conqueror+, BSN, RN]

I believe it is simply another tactic to divide and conquer nurses. This is why other medical professions stand together solidly and we can't even get decent nurse/patient ratios across the board. Too much infighting, nit picking, and lots of peeing contests.

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Then many they should not allow MD and FNPs to have titles behind their name; it should just say "practitioner". Ironically, I usually prefer the care of an FNP over an MD anyway:lol2: