Preventing non-physician providers from misrepresenting their qualifications

[FoughtFyr]

agree- my name tag says pa-c but my resume says pa-c, mpas, emt-p. I also have 2 bs degrees that I could list....and a scuba certification or 2 ...and I was a lifeguard for a while...and a water safety instructor..hmmmmm
emedpa, pa-c, ,mpas, emt-p, bs, ba, emt-p instructor, a.r.c. lifegaurd, a.r.c. wsi, rescue diver(ssi), nitrox/drysuit certified, master diver candidate, once dated your sister

FoughtFyr, MD, MPH, BS, EMT-P, Certified EMS Instructor, FF-II, FO-I, ACLS (Inst.), PALS, NALS, BLS (Inst.), ARC Lifeguard, ARC WSIT (emeritus - not kidding), HazMat Tech, soon to be FACEP, FACMT, and FACOEM at your service!

- H

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[deleted6669]

FoughtFyr, MD, MPH, BS, EMT-P, Certified EMS Instructor, FF-II, FO-I, ACLS (Inst.), PALS, NALS, BLS (Inst.), ARC Lifeguard, ARC WSIT (emeritus - not kidding), HazMat Tech, soon to be FACEP, FACMT, and FACOEM at your service!

- H

oops...missed a couple....forgot the 2 day courses
emedpa, pa-c, ,mpas, emt-p, bs, ba, emt-p instructor,pa preceptor, md fp residency preceptor,acls, acls(ep), acls-I, pals, atls, phtls, btls, nals,hazmat provider, a.r.c. lifeguard, a.r.c. wsi,adv. diver(naui), rescue diver(ssi), nitrox/drysuit certified, master diver candidate,finished a marathon, once dated your sister, climbed a bunch of really big mountains....met the new surgeon general

 

[zenman]

oops...missed a couple....forgot the 2 day courses
emedpa, pa-c, ,mpas, emt-p, bs, ba, emt-p instructor,pa preceptor, md fp residency preceptor,acls, acls(ep), acls-I, pals, atls, phtls, btls, nals,hazmat provider, a.r.c. lifeguard, a.r.c. wsi,adv. diver(naui), rescue diver(ssi), nitrox/drysuit certified, master diver candidate,finished a marathon, once dated your sister, climbed a bunch of really big mountains....met the new surgeon general

My sister looks like me...which makes for one ugly woman...but whatever!

 

[deleted6669]

My sister looks like me...which makes for one ugly woman...but whatever!

IT WAS DARK....GIVE ME A BREAK.....AND I DID SAY"ONCE".....

 

[fjpod]

podiatry too.. for all those podiatrists who claim to have went to medical school

that's "claim to have gone to medical school".

 

[nocallaochicas]

Not sure how I feel about listing master's degrees either. You'll see some MD/MBA, MD/MPH or even MD/JD's out there but I am of the mind that only the highest-level degree should be listed. Multiple degrees should only be listed if they are equal level (like MD/PhD or MD/DDS).

I too think only highest degrees are necessary, with emphasis on clinical applicability. That is, if an RN is also completed a PhD in biochemistry, I think only RN needs to be listed. Similarly, I don't understand why MD/PhD's have both degrees listed. Does it matter in a clinical setting? I gues there are times when it might help the provider, but it does not help someone else ID the provider in a clinical setting. Since that is unlikely to make sense, I will try to explain with an example: If an RN receives a medicine order from someone, the nurse should identify the odering person as able to order...an MD, DO, PA, etc. However, if the ID says PhD, it doesn't change how the RN should respond.

However, MD/DDS does make a difference imo, and should therefore be listed.

It seems to me to list PhD or other non-clinical degree - advanced or not - is only for ego.

 

[Happy613]

Healthcare, by its very nature, is hierarchial. People are constantly checking name tags, trying to figure out who is what.

Its problematic, and it can create a not so functional work enviorment. On a certian level its neccessary, people need to know who they are dealing with, is the man in scrubs programming the vent an rrt? is he a pulmonologists? is he an intern? or is he a nurse? It comes down to "is this person suppose to be here in the first place?" And it is about who is taking responsibility for the patient's care and outcome.

We need to create a better way of letting each other know who is who. As I have said before on this forum, its not enough to assume that every white guy with a stethascope is an attending physician. Maybe we need a more militaristic ranking system, with some sort of uniforms or insignias? (yeah, i know kinda stupid...but)

I totally understand when nurses have the perverbial "alphabet soup" of credentials behind their name, they want the respect that they feel thier extra training entitles them to. I am guilty of it too, I don't say "hi I'm david, a medical student" I usually say "hi I'm David a 4th year medical student." I think it makes people take me a bit more seriously, I have a diffrent level of training than the first year shadowing an attending.

I think we need to have more frank conversations in the hospital about the role everyone plays, and create more uniformity in the nature in which we relate who we are to patients.