Why do nurses, with each degree, leave them on behind their last degree?
So, hi, I'm Offlabel, RN, CCRN, AA, BSN, MSN, DPN.
Why isn't it just Offlabel, RN? Or CNM? or NP? or CRNA?
I know that's the culture but doesn't, say, an MS imply that there is a BS in there somewhere? It's sort of aggrandizement that looks dumb. MD's or DO's or whatever don't do that so why do nurses?
It's as though some folks are trying to convince themselves that they're really smart and have an axe to grind.
It really looks unprofessional when certifications are mixed with degrees that are mixed with licenses.
Hate the convention. RN should be first- you're there as a nurse, right? Alphabet soup can follow thereafter. I think it speaks volumes when the "RN" isn't the first ingredient in the mix.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Hate the convention. RN should be first- you're there as a nurse, right? Alphabet soup can follow thereafter. I think it speaks volumes when the "RN" isn't the first ingredient in the mix.
Uh, no.....degrees always come before licensure. Whatever has more permanency comes first. A degree cannot be taken from us, but a license can be revoked or surrendered at any time. This is why the degree is listed before the licensure. This is why a license such as 'RN' is not customarily listed first.
Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
This is where I get confused. I have no problem with people displaying their well earned credentials, but it would be nice if I always knew what those initials meant. There seems to be no consistency in naming nursing degrees. There are just too many degrees that mean essentially the same thing to keep track of.
I feel your pain. I did ask UCSF where I earned my MS why UCSF gives an MS and other institutions give an MSN. I was told by two professors that it is because that UC's program program had more science courses. Maybe, maybe not. I wonder...I don't know. The U of Washington gives an MN, at least in the ACNP tract. I do know that in PA advanced practice nurses list themselves as APRN. That may have something to do with the PA BON where the MN/MS/MSN has something to do with the individual academic institutions. I repeat myself when I say nursing is its own worst enemy when it comes to these issues. You do not see medicine doing this. The only exception is an MD or a DO, where the DO's program is basically the same as the MD's. Interesting discussion here.
Uh, no.....degrees always come before licensure. Whatever has more permanency comes first. A degree cannot be taken from us, but a license can be revoked or surrendered at any time. This is why the degree is listed before the licensure. This is why a license such as 'RN' is not customarily listed first.
I recognize the convention as established. I disagree with it and choose not to follow it. If my nursing license is taken away, it doesn't really matter if I have an ADN, BSN, MSN, etc.
Some nurses so often appear so desperate to vie to be peers with physicians that they have the need to inform people at the first contact that they are an "authority." Far from elevating nurses' professional standing in my opinion it just makes us look silly and just calls attention to our egos and our resentment issues.
Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.
When I finish my masters I will be Jane, MSN, RN, PCCN. Right now I have two bachelors from totally different professions but that both apply to my nursing job, so I list them both. I listed my ADN on this site because it says to check what you have but I would never list my lesser degrees in a professional setting.
One thing to note, is there is no requirement to entry into nursing (Diploma v. Degree Debate), so many of the nurses I have worked with will list their BSN on everything (And I mean EVERYTHING) to show that they are not what they stated "lower level" nurses (Yes, they literally said such). I am not sure about others, but in my settings I have actually had patients say horrid comments about nurses who don't have a BSN or higher. I have had doctors make off collar comments about nurses with less than BSN level education, or say that new nurses who were struggling "must have a diploma". I know in school we are focused this week on the profession of nursing and how it reflects that BSN is not an entry level expectation for the profession as a whole. I had my ADN and felt immediate pressure to finish my BSN by both my peers, my employer, and nursing as a whole. Even though I already had a BS in another field, it did not matter.
Just a note: I am not stating my personal opinion on the matter of degree level for nurses, I am just reflecting on issues I have seen directly. I will say some of the best nurses I worked with were hospital diploma grad nurses with 30+ years experience.
Jedrnurse, BSN, RN
2,776 Posts
Hate the convention. RN should be first- you're there as a nurse, right? Alphabet soup can follow thereafter. I think it speaks volumes when the "RN" isn't the first ingredient in the mix.