To ask if you knew that in the UK anyone can call themselves a nurse?

[BoreOfWhabylon]

Anyone can use the title to offer professional advice and services even if they have no professional qualification, experience or have been struck off a professional register.
To protect the public, the title should be restricted to those who are registered with professional regulators such as Registered Nurses and Dental Nurses. This would be the same as titles such as paramedic, physiotherapist and hearing aid dispenser which are limited to those on the professional registers.

If you think, as I do, that this is wrong, please pop over to the Petitions Board, where @Arbella2 has a thread with more information and links to the petition.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/petitions_noticeboard/a4368136-protect-the-title-nurse-in-uk-law-petition-the-title-nurse-can-be-used-by-anyone-in-the-uk-petition-created-by-professor-alison-leary-rn?msgid=111544580#111544580

I've been told this thread may have to be closed due to it being a duplication of another so in accordance with policy I won't be posting on it anymore. Thank you for the personal messages of support in this very important matter. I will answer them all.
Thank you Mumsnet for your patience and understanding.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939

Please consider signing this petition. Patient safety at risk.

Now 31,359 signatures. Please consider signing.

Best way to solve this is to go into a hospital and ask the paitents to point out a nurse.. 80 percent will point to an auxiliary and why would they do that? Rns tell the people why.. The truth

@Annoymouser2 - yes, most patients will point to an HCA or maybe a student. What do you mean about RNS tell the people why?

Yes, I knew, it's much like other professions, but like previous posters, I'm not sure how many nurse a protected term would improve recruitment.

Maybe those who lie about it for political gain should be included in fraudulent use as those for monetary gain, but really, I'm not sure what punishment such a person should get other than being publically shamed for being an asshole. What would others like to see?

I don't see a benefit to legislate this issue and I doubt it would either get much enforcement or improve things for registered nurses. It feels like a smokescreen over other issues going on.

[quote Arbella2]https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]
Petition

Now 31,365 signatures. It takes less than five minutes to sign.

@Anonaymoose

Yes it's the same for veterinary nurses. Anyone can call themselves one but you have to be qualified and registered with the RCVS to be an RVN (registered veterinary nurse). So next time you're at the vets you might want to ask if it's an RVN who'll be monitoring your pet's anaesthetic or an unqualified lay person calling theirselves a vet nurse (many vets will use unqualified staff to save money on wages).

As an RVN I completely agree. Too many staff call themselves vet nurses, or are referred to as such by clients and just don't correct them. I guess it comes from the days when the receptionist would pop off the desk to quickly help in an op or monitor an anaesthetic (which I know still happens in some practices believe it or not!). Protect the title and ensure your pets are being properly cared for!

[quote OhChristmasTree2021]@Annoymouser2 - yes, most patients will point to an HCA or maybe a student. What do you mean about RNS tell the people why?[/quote]
Why do the paitents ts point to auxillaries and not nurses

In the last week the nurse that was meant to be in charge of paitents thought their paperwork was a priority, the cheek some have to do handovers when they havent so much as glanced at a paitent, they seem npre concerned of protecting a title they dont deserve. Some nurses deserve their title and more and some are diabolical and should find a new career in an office or call centre. Nursing is more than a degree or a title and only those nurses who are worth their weight in gold know what i mean.

[quote Arbella2]https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]
Petition

But surely employers know who are actually qualified nurses and who isn't, check qualifications on recruitment, and make sure they are keeping up with CPD and registration etc and if they are employing people who call themselves nurses without properly checking, that's a different issue?

All these professions, nurses, dental nurses, midwives etc appear on a register that anyone can check, eg

www.nmc.org.uk/registration/search-the-register/

Some members of the public probably aren't going to understand the intracacies of different roles and rules on protection of titles won't change this. There will probably be a significant proportion of the general public who will refer to a man in scrubs as a doctor and a woman in scrubs as a nurse for a start.

[quote Arbella2]https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]
Petition

@BarbaraofSeville

But surely employers know who are actually qualified nurses and who isn't, check qualifications on recruitment, and make sure they are keeping up with CPD and registration etc and if they are employing people who call themselves nurses without properly checking, that's a different issue?

All these professions, nurses, dental nurses, midwives etc appear on a register that anyone can check, eg

www.nmc.org.uk/registration/search-the-register/

Some members of the public probably aren't going to understand the intracacies of different roles and rules on protection of titles won't change this. There will probably be a significant proportion of the general public who will refer to a man in scrubs as a doctor and a woman in scrubs as a nurse for a start.

Royal College of Nursing press release June 2021 re risky recruitment practice of employing those without registered nurse qualifications into registered nursing roles. https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/press-releases/nursing-workforce-crisis-leads-to-risky-recruitment-practice

https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/press-releases/nursing-workforce-crisis-leads-to-risky-recruitment-practice

@Arbella2

Andrea Sutcliffe Chief Executive NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) writing in the Nursing Times September 2021 "One aspect we really want to pursue is that the title nurse is currently not protected " "I believe it is essential we have the right protected titles and associated enforcement powers to take effective action to protect the public"

Nursing and Midwifery Council

But that's a separate issue. Or are you saying that if the petition is successful it will prevent employers from recruiting unqualified or unregistered nurses into nursing roles? Which they shouldn't be doing anyway of course.

@Annoymouser2 - well, because the HCAs do the role that traditionally was the nurse's role. Most people don't understand the modern nurse's role. Often people think the nurse is the sister.

But aside from that of course a nurse shouldn't do handover (or write notes) without having seen the patient. Although surely they saw the patient during meds round? But of course there isn't always time then to properly assess the patient of course so time should be made to check in with each patient if not able to be done while carrying out other treatment/checks etc for the patient.

If the title is protected it will be illegal for anyone to use the title nurse unless they are a registered nurse. Therefore employers would not be able to employ those without registered nurse qualifications into registered nursing roles.
Hearing aid dispenser, physiotherapist, paramedic are examples of protected titles. They are protected in UK law.

British Journal of Medicine (BMJ) article
The Healthcare Quality and Safety Conference October 2021
"A bedside care workforce with a greater proportion of professional nurses is associated with better outcomes for patients and nurses. Reducing skill mix by adding nursing associates and other categories of assistive personnel without professional nurse qualifications may contribute to preventable deaths, erode quality and safety of hospital care and contribute to hospital nurse shortages"
https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/26/7/559

Only the title "registered nurse" is protected in law currently, allowing the term "nurse" to be used by anyone. This is at odds with titles such as hearing aid dispenser, speech therapist , paramedic which do not have the prefix 'registered'
So, if someone falsely claims to be a hearing aid dispenser they are breaking the law. But if someone falsely claims to be a nurse they are not breaking the law.

[quote Arbella2]https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]
Petition

I tend to view titles as having different levels. So nursing, teaching, accounting etc if someone describes themselves as nurse, teacher, accountant whatever, I don’t necessarily assume they are the registered, practising highest level

I used to work in a library, and sometimes I would just say librarian when in fact I was a senior library assistant. Usually to people to didn’t care about the intricacies of the job or not know/care that not everyone who worked there was a librarian. In their eyes, I would still be a librarian no matter what my official title said ‘cause I worked in library. If anyone pressed further I would say well I’m actually , or sometimes I say I work in a library to avoid the confusion.

I’m now a medical secretary, however my in-laws still think I’m a nurse no matter how much I tell them otherwise, since I work in a hospital and with doctors 🤷‍♀️ I still correct them on this though but it’s futile.

And I didn’t claim to be a librarian as I was ashamed of my role or was striving to be one, it was just easier to say than my full job title and then the inevitable questions about how it differs from said librarian.