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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,928
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to

My doctor keeps referring to his medical assistant as his nurse. So I assumed she was a nurse until she corrected me. What is the difference between a medical assistant and nurse? I know education, but how much training does a med assistant have? My sister is a nurse, at the age of 54, she is now required to go back and get her bachelors degree. She is not lovin it, since she's been a nurse for a lot of years and a lot of the required courses have nothing to do with nursing.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to


@Himi lover wrote:
My doctor keeps referring to his medical assistant as his nurse. So I assumed she was a nurse until she corrected me. What is the difference between a medical assistant and nurse? I know education, but how much training does a med assistant have? My sister is a nurse, at the age of 54, she is now required to go back and get her bachelors degree. She is notlovin it, since she's been a nurse for a lot of years and a lot of the required courses have nothing to do with nursing.

RNs are not generally required to have a BSN so it must just be the specific job she has. Bummer for sure to have to go back to school at age 54 if you don't really want to.

The difference between a medical assistant and an RN is several weeks of training vs 4 years of college. Being able to perform a task like taking temperatures and BPs vs knowledge  of what the result means and when & what needs to be done about it. Is a medical assistant adequate to perform the tasks in a doctors office ? sure , as long as there is a doctor or a nurse there for when everything is NOT ok. What is a med assistant going to do when she takes a BP and it is 80/40 ? Run for someone to help her, vs the RN who would know what to do and then do it efficiently.

Occasional Contributor
Posts: 13
Registered: ‎08-17-2010

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to

Big hugs to you, DocsGirl! 

 

 

Occasional Contributor
Posts: 13
Registered: ‎08-17-2010

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to

[ Edited ]

I come across this while conducting interviews.  Lots of, "I went to," "I studied X at," or "I've gone to..." raise all kinds of red flags for me. 

 

We do panel interviews and at first the other panelists would roll their eyes when I asked follow up questions but now they just sit back and wait.  

 

So you studied business mangment at Fancy Pants University.  Which program, who was your advisor, and when was your dgree conferred by Fancy Pants?   .....  Oh, it was a summer program - online.  non credit class.  Through open university.  Very different getting a degree from or  even taking part of a special certificate program at Fancy Pants, right?  

 

So you went to Fancy Pants Univeristy.  Did you graduate from an accredidated four year degree or graduate degree from that school?  (listens to some stammering)  I'm just asking because my little brother went to Alcatraz on vacation but that hardly makes him a former inmate.  My mother goes to the local college all the time to see the student theatre productions but that doesn't make her a student or an alumn.....   

 

 

Lastly, as a klutz with several chornic and congential health problems I've always found that those who hold the creditinals don't mind confirming that they are in fact an RN, a Physician's Assistant, a whatever versus people who are just let the presumptions ride or playi word games.  I understand the nurse's aid trying to be helpful with her advice or whatever but in my case helfpful can be fatal.  When you look at it that way kinda makes sense that someone would ask for clarification upon clarification, right?  

 

 

Contributor
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎05-06-2015

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to

\:

 

Here is the definition of doctor from Websters:

 

Full Definition of DOCTOR

1
a :  an eminent theologian declared a sound expounder of doctrine by the Roman Catholic Church —called also doctor of the church
 
b :  a learned or authoritative teacher
 
c :  a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees (as a PhD) conferred by a university
 
d :  a person awarded an honorary doctorate (as an LLD or Litt D) by a college or university
2
a :  a person skilled or specializing in healing arts; especially :  one (as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) who holds an advanced degree and is licensed to practice
Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to


@quirkygal wrote:

I come across this while conducting interviews.  Lots of, "I went to," "I studied X at," or "I've gone to..." raise all kinds of red flags for me. 

 

We do panel interviews and at first the other panelists would roll their eyes when I asked follow up questions but now they just sit back and wait.  

 

So you studied business mangment at Fancy Pants University.  Which program, who was your advisor, and when was your dgree conferred by Fancy Pants?   .....  Oh, it was a summer program - online.  non credit class.  Through open university.  Very different getting a degree from or  even taking part of a special certificate program at Fancy Pants, right?  

 

So you went to Fancy Pants Univeristy.  Did you graduate from an accredidated four year degree or graduate degree from that school?  (listens to some stammering)  I'm just asking because my little brother went to Alcatraz on vacation but that hardly makes him a former inmate.  My mother goes to the local college all the time to see the student theatre productions but that doesn't make her a student or an alumn.....   

 

 

Lastly, as a klutz with several chornic and congential health problems I've always found that those who hold the creditinals don't mind confirming that they are in fact an RN, a Physician's Assistant, a whatever versus people who are just let the presumptions ride or playi word games.  I understand the nurse's aid trying to be helpful with her advice or whatever but in my case helfpful can be fatal.  When you look at it that way kinda makes sense that someone would ask for clarification upon clarification, right?  

 

 


The problem is that many people don't bother to even read a name tag. They ASSUME that everyone in scrubs is a doctor or nurse, or that every adult in a classroom is a teacher or every person in an attorneys office is a lawyer etc.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,702
Registered: ‎08-22-2013

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to

I don't think people working in a medical setting should be deceptive about their titles or what duties they can perform. That being said, I have to wonder why these highly educated medical professionals feel like they are being disrespected by this. I know if I had all those degrees I would'nt care what the CNA  or tech or med. assist. called themselves. Sounds like the profession is not getting the respect and recognition it should get, and that's why all the insecurity.

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Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,702
Registered: ‎08-22-2013

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to


@appleseed wrote:

I'm a CNA and can totally understand how RN's wouldn't want CNA's claiming to be "nurses". However, sometimes I think it's important for us to relax a little bit when perhaps the sick or elderly simply see us all as "nurses" and really don't care about the specifics about who is which. They just want all of us scrubs-wearing folks to take care of their needs of the moment and leave it up to us to delegate the duties appropriately according to our certification/licensure. 


I agree with you and I have to wonder why all these highly educated medical professionals are so insecure. Is the profession not getting the recognition they deserve and that's what's causing the insecurity.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,415
Registered: ‎11-25-2011

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to

Along the same vein is when medical doctors give nutritional advice. Lord...they only have 2 seconds of nutritional education, but people, whom are prediabetic or have Type 1 or 2 diabetes continuing quote the horrible diet their doctor advised them to follow. Sure the doctor can perform surgery, but tell me what to eat? No way.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,702
Registered: ‎08-22-2013

Re: Fed up of people giving themselves titles they have no right to

Let's try this again! I don't think people should profess to be something or someone they are not, but I don't know why the medical professionals are so upset. Are you less of an RN if a CNA says she's a nurse, or a doc calls his med. assist his nurse? Seems to me that the profession may be insecure because they are not getting the respect or recognition they deserve.