Why do Nurse's wear there degree on there name badges?

[Medic_Kev]

I have never had anyone give me a straight answear to this question, Why do nurses wear there degree on the badge uniforms? I see few other people in the hospital setting that do it except for nurses, why is this? Is it an ego thing? I would understand if you were qualified for various postions ie RN, EMT-P, RRT, but the whole concept of wearing your degree seems to have a I'm better than you attitude. Personnally myself being a military man I find the postion you hold carries more clout than your degree. I have seen ADN's as Supervisors and MSN's doing floor work. Does the degree vs the certification(CEN,CCN) make a difference? As a pre- hospital care worker when I go in the ER or up to a floor the only thing I ever notice is that the higher the degree the less likely that person is to assist you, not always but more often than not this is the case. I would welcome any feed back on this. Thanks Kev

[liliana]

:)Dear Medic,

your questions are the exact reason why we should do it!Yes we want everybody to ask us what does each of those letters mean.Our "voice" as a profession is still very weak ( inspite the power in numbers). We need any opportunity we can get to speak about what we do and what kind of education

we have and continue to obtain.

I am somewhat disappointed we are not asking to have our full names on the badges,but first names only?

[mcl4]

Originally posted by Susy K

I also wear my nursing pin on my name badge. According to your argument, I am defeating the purpose of my name badge by displaying this pin.

This is starting to not make a whole lot of sense at all. [/QUO

This topic has gone beyond the orginal message that question what is placed on a name badge for nurses. It is up to the employer and the individual state board of nursing to decide what is placed on a name badge. What is most important is that you are wearing your badge while working since the facility could be fined if they find an employee not wearing their institution's name badge.

[mcl4]

Originally posted by Susy K

HEY - please, please please quit inserting YOUR comments into my postings. Thanks.

It isn't intentional. I split the message apart an answer each paragraph and this must be the reason it is happening? Other boards do not do this. Sorry.

[mcl4]

Originally posted by Susy K

And...back to the point of discussion:

The original question was why should nurses be allowed to wear credentials on their badges? I guess I fail to see a solid argument in which doing so hinders patient care, or interferes with safe practice.

Someone mentioned that name badges are meant to be used for ID and security reasons only; my name badge does that as well as serves the only place where I can proudly display my education. If I had an office, I would be hanging my diploma and my license on the walls.

At the one facility where I am allowed to have RN, BSN after my name, I've had only good interactions and educational opportunities with patients who have asked me what a BSN is, how many years of schooling, etc, etc. Like I've said, I've had some patients who thought ALL NURSES had to have a 4 year degree. I've had patients whose daughters/sisters were interested in nursing school and were undecided about which program to go into, and asked me why I chose the BSN route. And I've had some patients who were fully aware of the various levels of nursing and commented on how they thought all BSNs were removed from the bedside. So you see, displaying my BSN only proved to help educate the public about the nursing profession and helped to dispell some myths.

Perhaps it is the area you work in that these topics come up.

I work on a busy surgical station and patients come and go so quickly, we've spent most of the time focus on post op and discharge instructions.

[mcl4]

Until someone can present an argument to me about how displaying your credentials is detrimental to patient care, I am all for wearing your BSN or MSN with pride. There is nothing wrong with it and we should be allowed to without criticism from our own kind. [/b]

It isn't criticism, it is a difference of opinion with what is the purpose of a name badge. A job title like nursing supervisor or DON will show the public this person has increase and different responsibilties in a hospital or nursing home setting. That is what is the distinguishes nurses from one in another. Is it only nurses who have attained a BSN or MSN who should feel pride? In all honesty, I think that the underlying tone that I felt with several, but not all messages on this topic.

[Stargazer]

Originally posted by liliana

I am somewhat disappointed we are not asking to have our full names on the badges,but first names only?

Liliana, I think this has a lot more to do with security than anything else. Patients/families with mental health issues or those who have had a bad outcome (real or perceived) have been known to stalk their caregivers and threaten or injure them. It has been a long-standing practice in ED's, but is spreading to other areas for the above reasons.

I have been following this thread with interest. Since I am posting anyway, I have to say I am with Susy K. here. I used to wear my nursing pin and my hospital 5-year pin on my name badge, and I had many, many patients and family members over the years who asked me about them or where I went to school and what kind of degree I had. I would never initiate a conversation about this myself, but even in ICU, sometimes people want to be normal for a minute and talk about something other than their own illness.

mcl4, as you say, the purpose of the name badge is for identification and for security reasons. I would argue that part of identifying oneself for informed consumers is to let them know your education and specialty certifications. And even if you disagree with that argument, since the listing of relevant licensure, degrees and certification does not interfere with that primary objective of identification and security, why NOT take advantage of the opportunity to display your credentials and maybe, just maybe, help educate the public about who nurses are and what we do?

[Q.]

How about we eliminate RN and LPN altogether, and have our badges just say "nurse?"

That should eliminate any hard feelings.

[mcl4]

Originally posted by Susy K

How about we eliminate RN and LPN altogether, and have our badges just say "nurse?"

That should eliminate any hard feelings.

I believe it is important to have LPN and RN on a name badge since they have two different job descriptions. Why would there be any hard feelings?

[donmurray]

If I may interpose in this squabble, Just what does BS stand for? (I presume the N is for nurse/nursing.

[mcl4]

mcl4, as you say, the purpose of the name badge is for identification and for security reasons. I would argue that part of identifying oneself for informed consumers is to let them know your education and specialty certifications. And even if you disagree with that argument, since the listing of relevant licensure, degrees and certification does not interfere with that primary objective of identification and security, why NOT take advantage of the opportunity to display your credentials and maybe, just maybe, help educate the public about who nurses are and what we do? [/b]

You would have to convince me a significant amount of sick patients are interested in how a nurse is educated or is interested in hearing that some BSN had to sacrafice both years and go into debt during this process. Patients are in and out so quickly today, there is limited nursing time to educate them with what they will need to know upon discharge.

Patients and the public received their education watching area hospital nurses go on strike recently. Salaries and control over nurse/patient ratios were the focus of the strike and I was surprised to see that the patients, as well as the general public, had little sympathy for the nurses reasons to strike. The salaries were publish in the papers and the public felt nurses were receiving an adequate salary and should not go on strike. Actually, people wrote into the editorial that they were upset with the nurses since their elective procedures were cancelled due to the impending strike. What I took away from this recent experience was that patients and public are mainly concern with themselves and that they receive safe quality care and not interested in a nursing agenda. As the shortage of nurses continues to worsen, perhaps they will look at nurses differently?

[mcl4]

Originally posted by Stargazer

[b

I have been following this thread with interest. Since I am posting anyway, I have to say I am with Susy K. here. I used to wear my nursing pin and my hospital 5-year pin on my name badge, and I had many, many patients and family members over the years who asked me about them or where I went to school and what kind of degree I had. I would never initiate a conversation about this myself, but even in ICU, sometimes people want to be normal for a minute and talk about something other than their own illness.

My conversations with patients who initiate conversations outside their illness tends to focus on their lives. It might include them telling me how many children or grandchildren they have to what their occupation is. I use to wear my nursing pin, but I didn't have patients inquired about the school it represented. Perhaps it is a regional thing with many many patients and family members inquiring about your nursing degree or school you've attended. No one wears their nursing pin on the current station I work on. A few nurses did at my previous employement.

[super nurse 2]

i am also one of the donosours (?sp) who graduated many years ago from mass. general hos. school of nursing. have degree and certification, but the only initials after my name are R.N. i think it is a personal decision as to what you want-to each his own! i am just proud to be an R.N. and brag about my school of nursing MGH- (which is no more).