22 DEBATE
Should the nurse title be protected ?
A petition to protect the nurse title in UK law , launched by nurse academic Professor Alison Leary , has attracted high-profi le support – including from the chief nursing offi cers for England and Northern Ireland . Here , we look at both sides of the debate
Yes Failing to protect the nurse title puts patients and nurses at risk
In the UK , anyone can call themselves a nurse . Although the title of ‘ registered nurse ’ is protected under UK law , the title ‘ nurse ’ is not . And I , along with many others , think that ’ s a problem . It ’ s a problem because we rarely go about our working lives proclaiming that we are ‘ registered nurses ’. Instead , we , and those we care for and work with , use ‘ nurse ’ as an accepted contraction of the full title . It is ‘ nurse ’ that is in common usage , ‘ nurse ’ that the public uses to attract our attention or describe us , and ‘ nurse ’ that is the shorthand for a safe , competent , accountable and professional practitioner of nursing . Importantly , if you say you ’ re a nurse , most people will assume you have the required education and validations to be a registered nurse – with all the trust and safety assumptions that go with that .
We know there are people with ‘ nurse ’ in their job title who aren ’ t nurses at all . They may be a support worker , an associate or in other helper roles – all valuable within their own scope . They might have some specialist education , but they might have none . They are not registered nurses , yet their job title can lead the public to believe they are .
In addition , we know there are people who set out to deceive by using the title – such as the parliamentary candidate who referred to himself as a nurse in his campaigning , but was forced to admit he wasn ’ t actually a nurse but a healthcare assistant . We also know there are people who have been struck off the NMC register who continue to call themselves a nurse , again with impunity . These are examples of the nurse title being used by unregistered individuals to spread misinformation and profi t from public trust . This harms the reputation of all nurses as skilled , knowledgeable and honest practitioners .
In summary , we have a situation that allows for deceit and misrepresentation . That is unfair to patients , is potentially dangerous , and undermines the transparency and trust that is so vital to the registered nurse / patient relationship .
Professor June Girvin Professor emeritus of nursing at Oxford Brookes University
No There are better ways to protect the public
Professor Leary ’ s petition proposes : ‘ To protect the public , the title nurse should be limited to those who are registered with professional regulators , such as registered nurses and dental nurses .’
However , ‘ nurse ’ is used much more widely than this argument would suggest ; its origin is related to the word ‘ nourish ’. Indeed , as a verb , it can also be used to describe the act of languishing over a drink , harbouring a feeling or feeding a baby .
In my view , there are other ways to protect the public than changing how the nurse title can be used . For example , we could do more to regulate training . Not all people in paid carer roles have enough training , as it is largely undertaken at the discretion of care providers . Although there is a risk to patients if carers pass themselves off as registered professionals , there is also a risk if people exaggerate their competence or ability to carry out the essentials of care .
Another way to protect the public could be standardising uniforms to make clearer distinctions . I ’ ve had a 10-minute consultation with someone in a royal blue uniform before discovering they were a healthcare assistant ( a very good one at that ), but this was testament to the confusion even a professional registered nurse can experience .
There are more pressing regulatory issues that should be attended to , including advanced practice and employers ’ ability to make up titles based on no evidence at all . Professor Leary ’ s own 2017 study 1 reviewed titles given by employers and found 595 job titles in use in 17,960 specialist posts , and 323 posts whose holders held titles such as advanced nurse practitioner or specialist nurse without being registered with the NMC .
While I applaud any effort to increase public safety , I have doubts that protecting the word nurse will achieve this . However , I do encourage you to read the arguments and make your own decision on the matter .
Wendie Smith Independent freelance nurse
Reference 1 Leary A et al . Variation in job titles within the nursing workforce . Journal of Clinical Nursing 2017 ; 26:4945-4950 . doi . org / 10.1111 / jocn . 13985 nursinginpractice . com Winter 2021