I hate being called "nurse"!!!

[mtkitchn]

Gosh, this thread reminds me of so many personal stories....It would be funny to write a book about the idiot things people say! It's kind of funny to hear some of the comments while working in male dominated career fields (used to bother me but I just file those comments in the "stupid people bin"), but also sad that the presumptions still exist after all these years.

[Lise]

There's a group of docs who work one day at a clinic where I rarely see pts. One day I spotted a doc I hadn't met. I walked up, stuck out my hand, said, "Hello, I'm Lise H--, one of the midwives." She looked at me and said, "Dr. R---." Turned away. Never touched my hand.

ooooookay, DOCTOR. I've been put in my place!

The patients loved me, the staff seems to like me, and this doc rolled right over the chance to have a friendly, collegial (if only I could spell that) relationship with me. To what end? That title will not be your friend when you've ticked off everybody else.

That said, I read a note in a patient's chart which one of the residents referred to me as L.H., RN. You'd best believe I cleared that up. "But I thought you were a nurse!" he said. "I am. A Certified Nurse-Midwife, Advanced Practice Nurse. Please refer to me as a CNM." Interesting.

[Nanci]

I deal with PAs (physician assistants) and whatever the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) NPs (nurse practitioners) are all the time (they must have some formal title-). I really don't differentiate between them and the MDs, except I recognize that they have more time to talk and more info to give about the patient and they are excellent at returning pages promptly. That must be why for my personal care, and that of my child back when that was applicable, I always chose (choose) to see a nurse practitioner.

[Lise]

I deal with PAs (physician assistants) and whatever the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) NPs (nurse practitioners) are all the time (they must have some formal title-). I really don't differentiate between them and the MDs, except I recognize that they have more time to talk and more info to give about the patient and they are excellent at returning pages promptly. That must be why for my personal care, and that of my child back when that was applicable, I always chose (choose) to see a nurse practitioner.

Bowing to you, Nanci. I believe that NICU NPs are called NNPs, Neonatal Nurse Practioners, vs. PNPs, Pediatric NPs, who care for older kids. We're all APNs (advance practice nurses).

[Trek420]

pooks "Not only did it never occur to him that she was an engineer -- it also never occurred to him that an African American could be anything but a cafeteria worker."

OMG, I know this kinda &^% happens but...did she confront him?

What a moron.

I don't think any womens work or job title gets respected till the hardest job we do is respected....that of being a Mom whether you work outside of the home or in.

Betcha didn't expect that from the rabid lefty unapolagetic feminist.

[Lise]

I don't think any womens work or job title gets respected till the hardest job we do is respected....that of being a Mom whether you work outside of the home or in.

Betcha didn't expect that from the rabid lefty unapolagetic feminist.

I second that emotion.

[Grog]

I don't think any womens work or job title gets respected till the hardest job we do is respected....that of being a Mom whether you work outside of the home or in.

Smartest thing I read today.

[Aggie_Ama]

That must be why for my personal care, and that of my child back when that was applicable, I always chose (choose) to see a nurse practitioner.

My first gyno was a nurse practitioner and she was amazing. I have had two gynos since that were actual MDs and they pale in comparison to the NP I had.

[KnottedYet]

I loved my NP. I was so sad when she left. She was GOOD.

[Pax]

Gosh, this thread reminds me of so many personal stories....It would be funny to write a book about the idiot things people say! It's kind of funny to hear some of the comments while working in male dominated career fields (used to bother me but I just file those comments in the "stupid people bin"), but also sad that the presumptions still exist after all these years.

Yup, when I was a firefighter (and sporting huge breasts) people would see me and say, WOW that guy is wearing earrings! People see what they want/expect to see.

[Faust]

OK, I have to take offense at this. Why does someone with a Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree any less deserving of the title Doctor than a Doctor of Medicine???? Why shouldn't people have a right to be addressed by whatever title makes them comfortable? Isn't the reason you addressed the person as Mr./Ms. Smith to show respect, so why be offended if they inform you that they prefer another title?

Please don't take offense. The thing is this. NOWHERE on any of our charts is the patient's title listed be it Doctor Phd King Revrend Rabi or whhatever..I am happy to use whatever title makes you happy even if you are being a snot. I have in fact had people tell me during the course of conversation that they were a doctor...and accordingly I let the next person know he is a Dr. It just seems tacky to make a big huge deal about something I had no way of knowing before they so rudely informed me.

[KnottedYet]

And please don't be offended by my point, which was that I thought it was inappropriate for my ex with a PhD in physics to want SKnot's friends and their parents to say "Dr. Booger" when everyone else is going by first names.

"Hi, I'm Sarah, I'm Jessie's mom."
"Hello. I'm Dr. Booger."

(sounds more like a conversation at a medical/vet/professor office than at a preschool picnic)

[KnottedYet]

oooh, one of my favorite silly jokes about academe just popped into my head!

BS - bull shyte
MS - more shyte
PhD - piled higher and deeper

One of my friends was talking about her "piled higher and deeper" degree, and I didn't know what she meant. She rattled off the above list, and it got stuck in my brain. Can't remember where I left my cell phone, but I still remember this critter...

Is there a BA-MA-PhD list?

All the new grads from the physical therapy program are now DPT, cuz it's a doctorate now. I see those initials and all I can think is "diptheria pertussis tetanus." (pediatric vaccine)

[Lise]

All the new grads from the physical therapy program are now DPT, cuz it's a doctorate now. I see those initials and all I can think is "diptheria pertussis tetanus." (pediatric vaccine)

I know! And "TD" is not just my favorite thread, it's "tetanus-diptheria" booster.

It's kind of amazing to me that a doctorate is entry level practice now. The same is happening in midwifery. I am "grandmothered" in, so I don't "have" to get a doctorate to practice. I wouldn't mind more school, I enjoy learning, but I have yet to see how my getting a doctorate would improve my clinical practice. If I encounter a big pot of money, I might go get a PhD in anthropology, but, again, to what end, clinically?

[KnottedYet]

The program changes from PT to DPT were fairly minor. (and it's still not as intense or as long as the majority of PhD programs yet) It's all about the title and title inflation. These kids are paying through the nose for a title that helps them compete with chiropractors. With a loan payment of $600 a month for 30 YEARS for a student graduating last year, some of these kids will be just finishing paying their student loans as they join AARP.

Meanwhile the pay rate hasn't gone up hardly at all. The new grads are starting off in such a financial hole, it's so unfair to them. Meanwhile we're having a shortage of PT's. Until the pay rate goes up, not too many folks are going to want to go into such debt for a 3 year degree.