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Licensed, Certified, Uppercase, lowercase: Where Are You?
Andrea is confused, and if Andrea is confused, others among you are, too. She’s just the one who asked. (You might want to thank her!) Andrea posted a comment on a previous APHA Blog post called Revisiting the Mean Girls in Our New Advocacy Environment asking me to follow up now that we have certification for Patient Advocates. Her confusion (excerpted, but you can read it all here): In my opinion, the PACB certification does not nullify or restrict a state license in nursing. It feels like these two knowledge bases go hand in hand. I cannot find any information on your caution to RNs to “specifically NOT promote their work as being nurse-related, and not to cross the line”. I see nothing in the linked ethics or competencies that restricts any kind of nursing interventions other than prescribing medications, and actual medical diagnoses. In other words, I believe she is asking, “Why can’t I be a nurse and a patient advocate, too?” And the answer is…. (drumroll please….) Not only can you be both, but you as a licensed RN may find occasions when you need both skill sets. The distinction comes from the circumstance under which you are working, as described here in two parts. First – Let’s be sure we understand terminology: A licensed professional is someone who has met the criteria by the state he or she lives in to earn – and pay for – that license. Whether it’s a nursing license or a driver’s license – the individual has met the GOVERNMENT’S criteria, if any, and none other. Sometimes a state insists upon proof that the person can do what they say they can do when they seek a license. A nurse might be required to prove he or she completed nursing school and/or passed an exam. A driver must take a state-supplied driver’s exam and road test. A bar or restaurant might require a liquor license. But licensing criteria doesn’t always have a professional basis. Further, licensing does not, by itself, speak to competency (although in some cases, the criteria lean on proofs…
