If you trained as a nurse, but haven't worked as a nurse for years,

[artquejtion]

Do you still introduce/ identify yourself as a nurse ?

Someone I know, who has not worked as a nurse for maybe 20 years , always mentions that she is a nurse, 'I am a nurse', 'as you know, I am a nurse'.

She drops it into every conversation multiple times, not necessarily conversations about work, or medical, totally random conversations , just any opportunity to say it, and its not only with people she has met for the first time, its in every conversation I have with her, despite me knowing her for 3 years now and having heard it multiple times..

She says all her doctors 'know she is a nurse', so they treat her as a clinician and differently to the average patient.

Is that strange or normal ?

No, she is strange. Is she keeping her registration up to date? If not, she is not a nurse. Her knowledge and skills would also be dangerously out of date.

I know one of them hasn't worked for circa 50 years but is a nurse!

Distinctly odd - as if she identifies so strongly with her nursing persona that she can't let it go. In a way it's sad that she hasn't developed as herself, but so strongly identifies with her former job.

I mean - I'm a book-keeper but that's the smallest part of my life and unless I was at work I don't see the need to bring it into conversation. Mind you, unless you like book-keeping (and I do) I guess it could be seen as seriously boring!

In a way it's sad that she hasn't developed as herself, but so strongly identifies with her former job.

I haven't thought about it that way. But it does bug me, and I can’t explain why.

Maybe technically she is a nurse as she holds that qualification, is she retired or just not working anymore. Does anyone ever ask her where she works or enter into a discussion about it with her. I can understand her wanting her doctors to know as she obviously has medical knowledge.

Sadly nurse isn't a protected title, so anyone can call themselves a nurse, but in my view if she doesn't hold a current registration she isn't really a nurse.

I suppose it all depends on what her intentions are. If she’s going around giving advice and telling people what is best for their medical problems then no she shouldn’t be doing that.

If on the other hand she takes comfort from her original career and likes to say to people I am a nurse because of her previous occupation just to make herself feel better because of a perceived social standing then I can’t see a problem.

Well she isnt a registered nurse anymore but she will have that level of knowledge ,although I don't doubt some will be outdated but I can understand her telling drs ,she used to work as a nurse and can understand blood results etc and they can use technical terms she will understand .

I have signed the petition to make it a protected title. I agree I would consider someone who stopped nursing decades ago to be a nurse.

I'd think slightly differently if they hit retirement age still nursing. But then people generally aren't retired for decades.

She's still a qualified nurse though

Even if not practicing or registered, she still holds the qualifications.

If a doctor deregisters with the GMC, and is no longer practicing, they are still a doctor no?

I trained as a Nurse, worked as a Nurse until I retrained but stayed in the same service and I still use my Nursing knowledge and skills because I'm still in the same work environment. But I don't say "I'm a Nurse" because I allowed my NMC Registration to lapse about 8 years ago.

Wouldn't- epic fail there

@JustAnother30Something

She's still a qualified nurse though

Even if not practicing or registered, she still holds the qualifications.

If a doctor deregisters with the GMC, and is no longer practicing, they are still a doctor no?

Generally you can only use protected titles when registered to the correct regulatory body.

Every nurse struck off for poor practice is still a "qualified nurse" but virtue of their original training, but I wouldn't count them as nurses.

I would like nurse to be a protected title.

But she IS still a nurse though, maybe not a Registered Nurse, but still a qualified nurse.

To practice again, she would just need to complete a return to practice

Do you remember Johnny Briggs? My mam, who’s a nurse….

I think there needs to be a distinction between someone struck off and forbidden from practice to someone who is say, taking a career break or choosing not to practice

Maybe she needs to start saying she was a nurse. It’s obviously important to her though, from a self esteem perspective. Why did she stop, was it retirement?

I honestly don't see a problem in her telling people she was a nurse , particularly if it involves her own health ,she still did her training ,albeit isn't up to date
It's an issue if she's advising people and giving people dangerous advice

I say I trained as a nurse. Technically I'm not a nurse as my registration has lapsed.

My GP is aware of my training and so yes does pitch conversation at a more clinical level.

Only recently learnt that the term 'nurse' is not a protected term so anyone can call themselves a nurse, but they can't call themselves a registered nurse.

I have a friend who qualified as a social worker. But never actually worked as one, who did this. Used to drive me nuts.

I think she has kept her registration up to date. She is not retired, just not working anymore.

I guess there are two things, one referring to being a nurse, and the other is referring to being a nurse multiple times in a single conversation to someone who knows her for several years.

This is not the only thing she identifies with, she also identifies as something else, despite obvious contradictions in how that would manifest, and also brings that into most conversations.

She is a really lovely person and has a huge heart and is always helping people.

In a way it's sad that she hasn't developed as herself, but so strongly identifies with her former job.

^^ Sadly, I think it might be this.

You can't keep your registration up to date like that. You need to do 150 hours of clinical practice per year to remain qualified (not sure of exact amount).

I have a friend who hasn't worked a a nurse since having her family about 20yrs ago. She has now trained and works at something else.
She refers to herself as a former nurse, if it were to come up in the conversation.

It isn't possible to main a nurse registration without working a certain number of hours each year.

@ecceromani

I have a friend who hasn't worked a a nurse since having her family about 20yrs ago. She has now trained and works at something else. She refers to herself as a former nurse, if it were to come up in the conversation.

I think it's odd. Because if someone was to say what department do you work in.. and so on what would you say? I think it's unnecessary to say your a nurse from 20 years ago, but to actual say you are a nurse well your not if your not doing that job currently/recently.