This does apply as I have seen it here. I am a RN with a BSN so please bear with me.

I have had ppl say that they are 'in the medical field'. Being snarky, I ask where they went to school. Suddenly the response is "Oh I didn't go to school" or if I ask and 'I am a nurse', 'where did you go to school?' and the response 'well, I didn't go to school, I'm a cna.' I replied, 'But didn't you just say you're a nurse? Did you just lie to me? "

Why are ppl pawning themselves as something they are not? Which is illegal by the way. Sigh.

I don't want to play devils advocate here and by commenting, I have no viewpoint on the subject either way (that's the caveat - did you see that?! );

However, the relevance to WLS in this R&R, is, as far as I can tell, people who potentially misrepresent themselves as being more medically qualified than they actually are.

This might give the information provided an over-inflated sense of validity, which could, in fact, be potentially dangerous.

However and has previously been stated, no one should really be accepting medical advice, particularly of a diagnostic variety on a website.

Taking away all the 'my grades higher than yours' malarky - it is a valid point if people have been misrepresenting their qualifications and have been providing people with dodgy, inaccurate or misleading information. I haven't seen this myself, but it isn't to say that it hasn't happened.

It appears to get on the OP's nerves. Which is why it's in the R&R section.

And its valid to appear here - if in fact, that is the root cause of the grievance.

Now, who's for a giant love-in?!

Hate to break this to you variously titled folk, but to most people not involved in the healthcare industry, you're either a nurse or a doctor. The people you are caring for don't typically know the difference. We just want you to help us.

That said, I could see a CNA or someone with another healthcare related acronym title telling people they are a nurse to get around continually explaining the difference. I'm in the financial technology field with a hard to describe title and roll, and pretty much just tell people I work with credit cards.

So if this forum or platform is not for WLS then what is it set up for? What are people ranting about then? It's in relevance to WLS not where my dog ate my homework and let me rant about it. That maybe can be done on FB. This platform is set up for people who are going through major life changes that are in relevance to WLS not about oh I get sick of someone calling themselves a nurse but they are not...come on get real!

As has been mentioned, the R & R sub-forum was setup so BariatricPal members could vent on anything and everything. Sometimes though, people forget the rules still remain in place and we must continue to be respectful of each other. That is often lost.

If you have any experience with support groups, then you know the root cause can often be another issue than what brought the group together. Healing the whole person is a better approach than trying to fix just one thing.

If you would like to rant about WLS related issue, go for. But know we are not limited to just that.

If you rant in public, expect opposing view points to be given. Especially if it degrades or so flagrantly belittles a group of people. If the OP had stated "people should beware of taking medical advice online" <duh>, then it might not have gone down this path.

Grilled cheese. Did someone say kraft singles, melted and perfectly crispy bread on the outside and ooey gooey on the inside? Nice way to redirect.

I've learned on here - if you rant about anything - you are most likely (always) going to get a range of answers and comments and sometimes (always) it's not worth the rant. (My experience)

Edited April 13, 201412 yr by jamilyne 102668

Just my two cents but I don't understand when ppl say they are a nurse and their only a cna.. my brother dated a girl and she kept saying she was a nurse so when I started asking her basic questions she couldn't answer them then come to find out she was a cna I was like ok...not trying to be mean to any CNA but how can you call yourself a nurse. I am a CPht...I would never tell someone I was a pharmacist even though I do know a lot about different meds and what interacts with what

Edited April 13, 201412 yr by lynn2win

I have been an ICU RN for 11 years. My opinions on this matter have run from its a super big deal, to who cares. My level of give a crap is inversely related to my experience. When I was a new nurse I cared because of all the work I had to do to get there. Now that time has passed and I have allowed my ego to deflate a bit I am closer to who cares. The only time it really bothers be is while I am at work. There are times that "nurses" (could be LPN, CNA, MA) try to direct care with the i'm a nurse authority. ICU is a very specific specialty that is changing all the time. Most RN's that are med/surg or tele nurses do not have the experience to completely understand what is going on. The stuff that you learned in nursing school is dated and not current, not to mention methodology changes from hospital to hospital. I have CNA's on my unit that are far more qualified to speak to things that happen in the ICU than most floor nurses. But outside of that arena, call yourself anything you want. and I would imagine the people that are saying "I'm a nurse" on these forums have more than enough authority to speak anecdotally about patients and experiences that have had with them.

Grilled cheese. Did someone say kraft singles, melted and perfectly crispy bread on the outside and ooey gooey on the inside? Nice way to redirect.

Off topic: My rave: I believe it was Man vs food? Fabulous grilled cheese sandwich joints!!! One had like 7 different cheeses with about 2 lbs of cheese on 2 hugely thick sourdough slices oozing all over the place. OMG, I nearly needed someone in the medical field. Preferably an ER RN please?

Edited April 14, 201412 yr by 2muchfun

How DARE you discuss grilled cheese on a thread a pregnant woman is subscribed to. How. Dare. You.

I am also an RN with a BSN. CNA's, MA's, surg tech's, xray tech's, etc ARE ALL in the medical field. I don't really understand where you are coming from Suzysleever.

Grilled cheese. Did someone say kraft singles, melted and perfectly crispy bread on the outside and ooey gooey on the inside? Nice way to redirect.

Off topic: My rave: I believe it was Man vs food? Fabulous grilled cheese sandwich joints!!! One had like 7 different cheeses with about 2 lbs of cheese on 2 hugely thick sourdough slices oozing all over the place. OMG, I nearly needed someone in the medical field. Preferably an ER RN please?

At Whole Foods the other day, they were selling grilled PIMENTO cheese made on a panini press. I salivated a second and moved on. But man..... Also, I saw a food show about a Food Truck that only made grilled cheeses! Oh my God!!!!

Life is so short and there are far more serious issues to deal with other than whether someone who is a medical assistant thinks they are a nurse.. in a way they are providing nursing. a medical assistant has to be in the medical field or what field would they be in? this whole rant is very childish and proves that people have too much time on their hands.

I'm also an RN BSN and I'm in an MSN program now. If a physician told me that I am not in the medical field because I'm a nurse, I'd be highly offended. I wonder if the OP is a new RN because after working 10 years in the hospital, I've come across some CNAs and LPNs that can put some RNs to shame. And in a teaching hospital, resident physicians learn a whole heck of a lot from nurses. They may come in flaunting the letters behind their names, but they quickly learn how little they know when it's game time. I really couldn't care less about credentials, it's about the knowledge and skill. But unfortunately crap rolls downhill in the hospital.

I'm also an RN BSN and I'm in an MSN program now. If a physician told me that I am not in the medical field because I'm a nurse, I'd be highly offended. I wonder if the OP is a new RN because after working 10 years in the hospital, I've come across some CNAs and LPNs that can put some RNs to shame. And in a teaching hospital, resident physicians learn a whole heck of a lot from nurses. They may come in flaunting the letters behind their names, but they quickly learn how little they know when it's game time. I really couldn't care less about credentials, it's about the knowledge and skill. But unfortunately crap rolls downhill in the hospital.

If I could like this comment 100 times. It would not be enough...you are so right.....on all accounts!!!! Thanks for your wise input!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My degree says Nursing, not Medicine.