Why is the term client used instead of patient?

[LauraLou]

This may be a silly question, but I am in my first semester of nursing school. All my professors refer to patients as clients. Is there a reason why the term client is used instead of patient? Does the word patient imply something negative that I'm not aware of? It just seems a little strange to me.

Thanks!

[TennNurse]

Originally posted by CarolineRN:

I don't like the term client. I've resisted it so much that when I was in Nursing school, when my texts used the word "client," I automatically inserted patient in my head. Did it so often, I think the letters actually spell patient!

:roll :roll :roll

Me, too!

Aside from the fact that we've called them patients for years and I've never once had a patient ask to be called anything else, I was totally turned off of this word by one of my first instructors. She was rude, obnoxious, and blew spittle when she got really wound up over something. Whenever she said the word "client" in her condescending, horribly nasal whine, I'd immediately picture her in charge of one of those clinics you can go to for colon cleansing. ("Sir, will that be a Bare Necessity Flush?" "Yes, Ma'am, your usual, the Squeaky-Clean Undercarriage Deluxe, coming right up! Cash or charge?")

Client, schmient. We are nurses. We take care of sick/injured/pregnant/dying patients, and I daresay most of them couldn't care less what label we attach to them as long as they recieve care that is competent, respectful, and professional. By demoting caring to a service rendered, we undermine what we do, and dismiss the human element that makes up the best part of nursing.

Other than that, it's a fine word.

[tinnekke]

"I still believe we would appear more professional and would make progress towards the public becoming more aware of how few R.N.s are on duty AND that there is a distinction between the professional licensure of the staff. "

There are so many ways I wanted to reply to this, all of them potentially inflammatory. I am an LPN, and I respect the hell out of my fellow nurses regardless of their licensure. Why? Because it takes a great deal of heart to work in this profession with some of the insanity we face on a daily basis. But I have had it UP TO HERE with RNs who think that they are the only nurses who matter. There are those who are fantastic and treat all nurses as colleagues, and they have my appreciation, but there are far too many who treat me like a glorified CNA because I am not an RN.

In regards to the use of the word client, to me it seems more appropriate in the Home Care/Private Duty setting than in a hospital setting simply because of the more choice-based setup. However, regardless of what they are called, they are all people who look to us to provide them with the highest standard of care possible. Now this may be mitigated by those who refuse prescribed treatments or other things that would benefit them, and goodness knows I've encountered my share of that, but nevertheless, it is still our responsibility to make the options available to them even if they will be turned down flat. It's our dedication to these standards that marks us as professionals, not what degree we may have.

[judymai]

you say tomayto - I say tomahto

The best question might be......does it matter what we "call" those we provide care for.

As a nurse educator, the issue of client vs patient is frequently revisited in our faculty. Our decisions affect a large number of students (140 in both "years" of the program). I'm a great advocate for maintaining the terminology of "patient" since the majority of our clinical proctice is in the hospital setting.

Our current decision is to use "patient" in written and most spoken communication with students while allowing faculty in the Community and Psych areas to use "client" in their teaching and clinical experiences.

It is less important to me what we call individuals than how we assist them in reaching their optimal health.

[jingy]

Wait a minute! I'm still trying to conceptualize the unitary biopsychosocial aspects of sciencing when I operationalize thematic abstractions of interpersonal phenomena! Nursinglish is great!

[jingy]

Wait a minute! I'm still trying to conceptualize the unitary biopsychosocial aspects of sciencing when I operationalize thematic abstractions of interpersonal phenomena! Nursinglish is great!